Latin American 2024 Meetings & Events Trends

A positive shift is underway for meetings and events this year. Global trends show a return to in-person gatherings, increased attendees, and increasing budgets. What about the Asia-Pacific region specifically? While this region falls behind others when it comes to in-person meetings and events, positivity about health and safety – as well in other key areas – is strong with a ranking of 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10.

Our 13^th annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast provides a comprehensive overview of what to expect over the next twelve months, including a look at regional trends in Asia-Pacific.

Slow and steady growth

Meeting professionals in this region are expecting a steady overall increase in activity in 2024. This steady increase balances growth with cautious optimism in most categories due to a variety of factors.

Anticipation and a year brimming with opportunities and growth set the stage for an exciting year ahead for meetings and events. This year’s report highlights key trends in the industry from tech and AI adoption, to incorporating sustainability initiatives alongside diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). Wondering about Latin America? One word – optimistic – sums it up well.

Our 13th annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast breaks down everything you need to know in the Latin American region and beyond for the upcoming year.

Latin America – poised for growth

Meeting professionals in Latin America are shown to have the highest levels of optimism of any region when it comes to the health of the meetings and events industry. In fact, 86% said they would rank themselves as 8 or higher on a scale of 1-10. An impressive number. And 73% expect their meeting spend to increase from 63% in 2023.

This region is on track to embrace a bright future with an increase in in-person meetings and events – an expected 58% – and a healthy adoption rate of sustainability initiatives with 76% saying sustainability is very or extremely important for their organization.

Locations taking the top five

In this year’s Forecast, we’ve included the top five cities for meetings and events as determined by a panel of 131 American Express Global Business Travel meetings professionals. These rankings consider factors that include cost-effectiveness, local attractions, safety and security, and more.

First on our list is Mexico City. This destination comes in strong by combining the number one city in the world for culture with meetings and events. Second and third include Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo – two cities in Brazil listed as Latin America’s top destinations this year. These locations are followed by Cancun and Buenos Aires.

Download the 2024 Global Meetings & Events Forecast to learn more key insights and trends shaping the events industry in Latin America as well as the rest of the world.

Be sure not to miss our two new special sections! The first article provides 7 actionable insights to elevate your meetings program offering highlights to kick-start your program’s evolution by optimizing the latest trends, so you’re equipped to take action.