Exclusive Survey: Planners Face Rising Costs and Uncertainty Amidst Trump Policy Shifts
Skift Meetings' exclusive survey of 103 meeting professionals* paints a picture of a confusing and challenging landscape for meeting planners as they adjust to new Trump Administration policies. While for some it's business as usual, others are experiencing rising costs from tariffs, cancellations in industries affected by government cuts, fewer international attendees willing to travel to the U.S., and concern about the impact of immigration policies on hotel staffing.
Almost a third of respondents (29%) have already changed the location of this year's meetings or incentive trips due to geopolitical conditions. When asked if they are considering changing locations for future events, 39% said yes, 21% were unsure, and 37% said no.
Tariff Impacts
Rising costs are plaguing the vast majority of planners: When asked about the main concerns impacting their jobs right now, 90% said potential cost increases and 66% said potential recession. A full 82% said they expect meeting costs to increase in 2025–2026 because of the tariffs.
Respondents also reported cost increases on promotional products and incentive gifts, combined with an increase in the length of time it takes to receive goods.
Certain Industries Hit Hard
Government meetings, academic and scientific meetings, and those with international attendees have been hardest hit. Said one anonymous planner: 'The government meetings industry has disappeared.'
Kyle Jordan, director of meetings at INFORMS, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, said that while he anticipates 10-15% lower attendance this year because 35% of his attendees come from outside of the U.S., 'As an academic-focused organization, we anticipate seeing a bigger hit to our domestic attendance in 2026 as universities shore up funding for potential long-term court battles.'
International Attendees Staying Home
International attendees now face a combination of visa challenges and concerns about border access and safety. 'Our international members have informed us that traveling to the U.S. for a conference is currently not in the cards,' said an anonymous planner. 'Many of our members have lost funding, and are having to cut back conference attendance. Overall, our registration pace is much slower than it has been the last three years.'
Mark Phillips, chief operating officer at LamontCo, said he has seen international attendance at U.S. meetings drop by 30% or more, 'especially those where the air tickets have not yet been purchased.'
As cross-border tensions have increased, plans for inbound meetings from Canada are getting nixed. Of those respondents with Canadian clients or divisions in Canada who were planning to meet in the U.S. this year, 18% have already changed their plans and 15% were considering doing so.
Hotel Staffing Concerns
Another concern among planners is the potential effect of immigration policies on hotel staffing, including kitchen help, housekeeping, and banquet servers. More than two-thirds of respondents (72%) said they expect hotel staffing to be impacted in 2025–2026, while 15% were unsure and 13% did not foresee any impact.
State of Confusion
A number of respondents, including LamontCo's Phillips, said they expected more regional meetings as a result of the falloff in international attendance. Other impacts mentioned by respondents included scaling back on using 5-star properties; looking for much lower rates than in the past; longer lead times for sourcing and contracting; challenges for students and attendees of color getting needed support to attend certain meetings; and tradeshow exhibitor cancellations.
Even for those planners who said they are not feeling any impact from Trump Administration policies, Tim Barrett, senior director, global meetings at Destination South, summed up the current state of confusion being felt by many respondents: 'It's chaotic, especially the whiplash of one day to the next and the differing totals and/or start dates.'
TOP 7 PLANNER CONCERNS
(ranked by percentage of respondents)
Potential cost increases (90%) Potential recession (66%) Entry challenges for incoming international attendees (57%) Job security (45%) Challenges with bringing U.S. groups internationally (44%) Challenges for LGBTQ+ attendees (28%) Pregnant attendees requiring emergency care (15%)
*Methodology: Skift Meetings' email survey of meeting planners was conducted between May 9 and June 9, 2025, resulting in 103 usable responses.
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