USTA Makes New Push for In-Person Meetings

June 9, 2026

Armed with a new report and a sharper message, the U.S. Travel Association is making a more deliberate push into group travel territory, a segment that has historically taken a back seat to the organization’s domestic leisure and international travel advocacy.

“We just launched our new tagline, ‘Meetings Meet the Moment,’” Kevin Hinton, Managing Director of Group Travel for USTA, told Prevue at MPI‘s WEC in San Antonio last week. Hinton pointed to the new initiative’s three core messages:

Business runs on relationships and the strongest ones are built in person
Meeting together in the same room accelerates decision-making and strategic alignment
Getting out of the office to meet in person leads to richer, more productive conversations

“Meetings can be vulnerable to things like cost, and we need our messaging to address that… because in-person meetings are so important,” Hinton said. “It’s hard to put a quantitative value on ROI. Virtual can feel like face-to-face, but it really isn’t.”

That’s not an argument for scrapping virtual meetings entirely. Hinton acknowledged they have their place, but said in-person gatherings become essential when the stakes are highest: “When a new opportunity comes up, when the corporate culture needs strengthening or there’s a new CEO,” he said.

Hinton also pointed to Gen Z as a natural fit for in-person events. Despite growing up as digital natives, younger industry members appear to be pushing back against screen dependency.

“Younger people, especially Gen Z, are sick of being on their phones all the time,” he said. “They have phone fatigue.”

“Strength Beneath the Surface”

The USTA’s inaugural U.S. Group Travel Report: Strength Beneath the Surface, was released to coincide with Global Meetings Industry Day last month and paints the picture of a sector that had a rough 2025 but may be turning a corner.

Meeting in person generates momentum toward shared goals, says the USTA.

According to the report, domestic attendance held steady last year, but international visitation dropped across major inbound markets and government-related meetings fell sharply after the first quarter. The saving grace: Non-government demand stayed strong, with RFP volumes running above 2019 levels, and activity rebounded in the fourth quarter after a sluggish summer.

The association is framing 2026 as the potential turning point for group travel. Among the supporting data: 86% of business travelers expect to do more group travel, 72% plan to attend at least two meetings, and a majority of executives say they expect to host more in-person events.

Now a $40 billion industry, youth sports adds another dimension, with 55% of young people in organized sports generating consistent demand for group travel across the country.