According to a study by the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO), attendance at meetings organized worldwide by IAPCO members decreased in 2020 over the previous year. In 2020, the number of participants reached roughly 6.37 million, dropping from nearly 6.8 million in 2019. Overall, as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted the meetings industry worldwide in 2020, causing several events to be canceled, rescheduled, or hosted online, 2020 data for both the number of participants and the number of meetings organized worldwide included combined figures for in-person, hybrid, and virtual events.
Attendance at meetings organized worldwide from 2016 to 2020
(in 1,000 participants)
*2020 data include physical, hybrid, and virtual meetings.
**IAPCO is the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers. In 2020, it represented 139 member companies comprised of over 10,273 meeting professionals (congress organizers, meeting planners, managers of international and national congresses, conventions, and special events) from 40 countries.
2016: number of company members = 114
2017: number of company members = 116
2018: number of company members = 133
2019: number of company members = 135
Figures have been rounded. Data prior to 2019 were previously published by the source.
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IAPCO. (April 30, 2021). Attendance at meetings organized worldwide from 2016 to 2020 (in 1,000 participants) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1261314/attendance-at-meetings-worldwide/
IAPCO. "Attendance at meetings organized worldwide from 2016 to 2020 (in 1,000 participants)." Chart. April 30, 2021. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1261314/attendance-at-meetings-worldwide/
IAPCO. (2021). Attendance at meetings organized worldwide from 2016 to 2020 (in 1,000 participants). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1261314/attendance-at-meetings-worldwide/
IAPCO. "Attendance at Meetings Organized Worldwide from 2016 to 2020 (in 1,000 Participants)." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Apr 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1261314/attendance-at-meetings-worldwide/
IAPCO, Attendance at meetings organized worldwide from 2016 to 2020 (in 1,000 participants) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1261314/attendance-at-meetings-worldwide/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Attendance at meetings organized worldwide from 2016 to 2020 (in 1,000 participants) [Graph], IAPCO, April 30, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1261314/attendance-at-meetings-worldwide/
