Just as real estate prices are driven by location, costs for meeting venues are influenced by location and trends affecting an area. Understanding regional differences and what’s in store in the future are invaluable in the selection process.

The following summary offers a snapshot of travel predictions by region to use as a starting point in planning.

North America

A strong economy in North America is driving growth in meetings and events. However, airline and hotel rates are increasing, and average group rates are rising faster than overall meeting spend. The high demand for large meeting space is leading to longer lead times.

Central and South America

Driven by Brazil, meetings activity in Latin America is rising with an expected increase in the number and length of events, as well as the number of attendees. Conferences and tradeshows are growing in some countries due to facilities built for recent global sporting events.