The political environment is impacting the appeal of US-based events for international attendees, with Tourism Economics, a subsidiary of Oxford Economics, predicting a 15.2% decline in inbound international travel due to a combination of shifts in pubic sentiment, travel advisories, and visa delays. At the same time, events focused on the US government sector are being challenged due to new approval processes and travel freezes. With announcements on tariffs likely to further increase the cost of running US-based events at a time when event budgets are flat or down for 69% of organizations, the current event environment is a complex and dynamic one for teams to navigate.

Leaders Should Review And Adapt Event Plans

While events continue to play a crucial role within the marketing mix, given the current uncertainty, leaders should adjust plans. They should start by taking these four actions:

  1. Review event plans and goals. Do the events you’ve planned still make sense? To what extent is an event dependent on international and/or government attendees? Are target audiences likely to be impacted by the current environment? Model the potential impact of these factors on likely attendance and consider whether you need to make changes, all the while ensuring that your events have SMART goals agreed with stakeholders.
  2. Scrutinize budgets. Are you still able to deliver the agreed plan in light of potential cost increases and/or reduced ticket revenue? Review how much spend is contractually committed and consider whether you need to cancel and/or scale back event activity.
  3. Reconsider your event mix. Does it make sense to switch some planned events to virtual and/or introduce a hybrid option for attendees unable or unwilling to travel? Teams made the pivot to alternate formats back in 2020, and ensuring that they’re able to quickly flex in the current environment makes sense.
  4. Focus on measurement. Have you agreed on performance metrics for your events with key stakeholders? With budgets and resources under strain, having clear goals and performance metrics set that enable you to understand event impact is more important than ever.

To help leaders better understand the current environment, Forrester clients should register for the upcoming webinar on the future of B2B events, where we’ll be sharing key findings from Forrester’s Q1 2025 State Of B2B Events Survey. They should also take the B2B Event Maturity Assessment to help identify improvement areas.