Requests for future business events exceeded pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter of 2026. However, hotel group stays and U.S. exhibition activity continued to trail 2019, according to the Events Industry Council (EIC).
EIC’s Q2 2026 Global Events Barometer also shows higher quoted hotel rates, adding a cost challenge as the industry works toward recovery.
Prepared by Oxford Economics, the report tracks hotel group room nights, requests for proposals (RFPs), and exhibition performance. Its indexes use 2019 as a baseline of 100.
Globally, RFP activity reached 113, or 13 percent above 2019 levels. Meanwhile, hotel group room demand remained at 92 percent of the baseline, unchanged from a year earlier.
The two measures capture different stages of event planning. Hotel room nights reflect completed stays booked as part of a group. In contrast, RFPs represent inquiries for venues and accommodations for future events, rather than confirmed bookings.
“While current group room demand remains below pre-pandemic levels, the strength of RFP activity points to a sustained pipeline of future events,” said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company.
U.S. EXHIBITIONS STILL TRAIL 2019
For the U.S. tradeshow industry, the report shows continued ground to recover.
The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) Total Index reached 94.6 in the second quarter, placing activity 5.4 percent below 2019. That also marked a slight decline from 95.6 in the first quarter.
The index combines four measures of U.S. business-to-business exhibition performance: net exhibit space, exhibitors, attendance, and revenue. Although the broader trend since 2023 shows gradual recovery, activity has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Meanwhile, U.S. hotel group room nights stood at 93 percent of 2019 levels. RFP activity reached 117 percent, again showing a gap between current stays and interest in future events.
HOTEL QUOTES ADD BUDGET PRESSURE
Alongside those demand measures, the Barometer tracks hotel prices quoted during the planning process.
North America’s group rate index reached 124 in the second quarter, putting quoted rates 24 percent above 2019 levels. Globally, the index reached 137, or 37 percent above the baseline.
These figures reflect guest room rates quoted in hotel RFP responses for future events. They do not measure final prices paid.
Longer-range planning also showed strength. Globally, RFP activity for events more than 12 months away reached 123 percent of 2019 levels. By comparison, inquiries for events within 12 months reached 111 percent.
Together, the findings show future-event interest above the pre-pandemic baseline while current activity remains below it. However, they do not establish how many inquiries will become bookings or how much business those events will generate.
EIC also announced that Global Meetings Industry Day will take place April 6, 2027. The organization plans to release its 2027 Futures Landscape Study that day.
The Events Industry Council supports the business events industry through research, advocacy, professional standards, and workforce development. Read the Q2 2026 Global Events Barometer for the full findings.
Press release and report provided by the Events Industry Council. Edited by Exhibit City News for clarity, length, and style.
