The average number of events increased by 52% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to a report from event operating technology company Bizzabo. This represents a record number of events for the first half of 2024, which Bizzabo attributes largely to a rise in small, field marketing events and the adoption of year-round event portfolios.
According to Bizzabo, this increase in event-hosting is most prominent among large and mid-size organizations. Between January and May, organizations with over 2,500 employees hosted an average of 16 events, which represents a 52.4% increase compared to 2023. Organizations with between 1,000 and 2,499 employees hosted an average of 11 events, a 112% increase.
In-Person Events Continue to Grow
Bizzabo reported that in-person events grew 40.3% overall in the first five months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The number of virtual events remained consistent, declining about 0.8%. While this growth of in-person events was observed across market segments, large and mid-sized companies underwent the most significant change, hosting 84.2% and 87% more in-person events, respectively.
[Related: These Are the Fastest-Growing Meetings and Events Destinations in the U.S.]
Growth of Smaller Events
Despite the fact that larger companies are hosting more events, many of these newly hosted events are small, regional, field marketing events, representing in-person events with fewer than 150 registrants. The first half of 2024 saw a 60% increase in these types of events, with larger companies hosting an average of nine and mid-sized companies an average of 10.
While many people associate spring as the start of the “event season,” many of the new in-person events hosted occurred in the colder first quarter of 2024. In January of 2024 alone, events increased by 84.5%, with an increase of 54.8% in in-person events in Q1 as a whole compared to 2023.
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