The Events Industry Council (EIC), the global voice of the business events industry on advocacy, research, professional recognition and standards, has released its Futures Landscape Survey as part of a year-long study examining the emerging issues that are most likely to shape the events industry in the years to come.

All representatives of the global business events sector are invited to take the 10-minute survey, which covers diverse topics, including political and geopolitical issues, economic trends, technology, safety and security, and environmental impact. The survey can be found here.

The survey was created in partnership with the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) Foundation, which drives the business case for incentive travel and motivational experiences by raising funds that support education and professional development, research & content and grants, scholarships, and other activities, and GainingEdge, a global consulting firm focused on the business events and tourism industry. Additionally, EIC’s more than 55 Association and Corporate Members all participated in the development of the survey.

“The survey offers an important opportunity for diverse voices from across the global business events landscape to contribute to work that will shape all our future,” said EIC President and Chief Executive Officer Amy Calvert. 

EIC will send the survey to 13,000 Certified Meeting Professionals and is encouraging each of its Association and Corporate Members to deploy the survey to their respective memberships. 

The results will influence the content and themes included in the EIC Futures Landscape Report, set to be released globally in late 2024. The Future Landscape Study aligns with EIC’s ongoing commitment to provide research, guidance and standards for the global business events sector.

“SITE Foundation is proud to support this important initiative for the global business events industry though our annual industry grant,” said SITE CEO Annette Gregg, CMM MBA. “While incentive travel represents 7% of business events worldwide, our community will benefit from this macro look at trends and issues and how they are affecting our industry.”

From the project’s start in early 2024, there has been an emphasis on collaboration across all business events industry sectors 

“EIC is honoured to bring together our tremendous cross-section of members and partners to develop and deploy a report that will serve as a valuable resource for our global workforce,” Calvert said. “While we recognise that our industry will continue to face disruptive forces, we believe this unified effort will equip us to be prepared for the activities that will shape society and business events in the years to come.”

The survey will be open for approximately two weeks. Once closed, EIC leaders, GainingEdge and other stakeholders will analyse the data and present it at the next meeting of the EIC Council Meeting and Think Tank, set for September in San Juan, Puerto Rico.