To kick off the new year, Corporate Event News sat down with some of our industry’s most well-respected leaders to gain insights into what we can expect for business events in 2025.  

In this second installment of our series running through the month January, we sat down with ASM Global Executive Vice President of Convention Centers Dan Hoffend and Visit Orlando President and CEO Casandra Matej. They shared what their organizations will be focused on this year and what they expect for the corporate event industry in 2025. 

Dan Hoffend, Executive VP of Convention Centers, ASM Global 

What are your predictions for the corporate event industry in 2025 in terms of attendance, exhibitors, and revenues? 

Events that recognize the importance of creating an experience beyond the traditional convention/corporate event/trade show will see an increase in attendance/revenue and exhibitors. Those that continue to utilize the same-as-last-year (SALY Syndrome) mentality will struggle. The Baby Boomers were all about commerce and writing orders. They are being surpassed this year in the workforce by Gen Z who are all about the experience. They expect more at the events they attend. They want a high-end experience provided to them by their jobs, not the other way around.    

What will be your organization’s biggest focuses next year? 

High-end food elements (local to the community) to enhance the experience. We want people to know about the amazing cuisine around town and [are] introducing them to our local minority-owned partners that can help us deliver that unique experience. 

[We are also focused on] creating environments where people can continue to do their day jobs while experiencing the event. We want to keep them at the event even when they need a quiet place to have a Teams or Zoom call.   

Immersive digital activations will become a common part of the event, with additional revenue for the show management and higher impact for the exhibitor or sponsors. 

What are you most excited and concerned about going into 2025? 

Creating unique and powerful additions to the event experience. We want attendees to return to the communities that we represent as tourists later in the year, share the unique experiences of our convention center cities, and drive success for our events.  

Casandra Matej, President & CEO, Visit Orlando 

What are your predictions for the trade show and corporate event industries in 2025 in terms of attendance, exhibitors, and revenues? 

We’re already looking forward to a successful 2025. The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is projecting 158 events, 1.8 million attendees, $4.1 billion in economic impact for the fiscal year of Oct. 2024–Sept. 2025. 

Also, from January through March 2025, advance hotel booking pace for the group segment is ahead of the same time last year by 7%. 

We’re starting 2025 strong as the OCCC welcomes back headline events like the North American Veterinary Community’s VMX 2025 and the PGA Show 2025 in January, as well as MEGACON Orlando, one of North America’s largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming events, in February. Together these shows will bring an estimated 217,000 attendees and $549 million in economic impact. 

What will be your organization’s biggest focuses next year?  

Core to what Visit Orlando does best are three things: sales, marketing, and services. As we enter 2025 and look beyond, we can be even more strategic in these three areas to drive visitation and business for our destination. This includes examining our convention sales approach to shape and prepare for the future. We recently added a new addition to the leadership team with Lisa Messina to chief sales officer who will bring a fresh perspective. 

We think it’s important to continually listen to meeting planners to help stay current on trends and skills as the meetings industry is ever-changing. We are always working to be nimble with our plans and adjust based on trends. For example, we’re seeing an increasing focus on sustainability in event planning, as the reduction in carbon footprints, waste management, and eco-friendly practices has become the norm for meeting planners. It is no longer about “do you recycle?”  

We’re also seeing a greater emphasis on tailoring event experiences to individual attendee preferences, such as providing more customized content and networking opportunities. Attendees don’t want to go to a big meeting, they want a meaningful meeting. 

What are you most excited and concerned about going into 2025? 

What’s great about our destination is that there is always something new to get excited about. We are now only months away from the opening of Universal Orlando Resort’s highly anticipated fourth theme park, Universal Epic Universe, which will debut May 22. [It will] also feature a dedicated park entrance from the new Universal Helios Grand Hotel, which will be joined in the Universal Orlando’s hotel portfolio by Universal Stella Nova Resort, and Universal Terra Luna Resort, both opening in 2025. 

These amazing properties are just a stone’s throw away from the convention center, which will soon move forward with enhancements to the North-South Building that will include an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000-square-foot ballroom, along with a new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. 

Also, The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin announced the largest renovation and expansion in the property’s history a $275 million investment--highlighted by the addition of 120,000 square feet of event space to its current meeting and convention floorplan. 

I’ve long said that the travel and tourism industry is impacted by everything. For example, national and local policies have the potential to impact meetings, so it is imperative for us to help planners navigate how policy changes could impact their events and consistently share the message with planners that Orlando has always been and will continue to be a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive community. 

Visit Orlando has also become a gold partner of SocialOffset, an organization that enables charitable donations to “offset” tax dollars spent in a destination with policies that run counter to personal values. 100% of individual donations go to vetted local charities event organizers can select. 

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