The Meetings Show 2025 brought together almost 6,000 event professionals last month for
meaningful meetings, enlightening education and collaborative conversations.
More
than 16,000 meetings took place between buyers and exhibitors over two days at Excel London on 25-26 June, with more than 9,000 of the meetings pre-scheduled, generating game-changing business.
Almost
600 exhibitors – from global destinations, venues, hotels, tech innovators and
more – were at the show to give the lowdown on their services and provide
updates to buyers seeking solutions to support their events.
Joanne Horobin of QHotels Collection, a long-time supporter
of The Meetings Show, said 2025 was ‘the best year ever’ with back to back
meetings and new and existing connections made: “It’s just so good to meet
face-to-face and connect at the show.”
Paul Tidy, Sandals Resorts, said: “The Meetings Show
provides a great chance to catch up with people you don’t see regularly because
they’re so busy. It’s the perfect opportunity to get in front of agencies and
do some networking. We’ve had some solid enquiries. We’re delighted with our experience.”
Meanwhile,
event professionals were informed and inspired through nearly 60 education
sessions. Delivered across two stages and the Blank Canvas over two days, the
keynotes, panel discussions and creatively delivered talks featured dynamic
speakers and experts covering pertinent topics such as sustainability,
workforce development, AI, gamification and event marketing.
With
a renewed commitment to inclusivity, accessibility and wellbeing, The Meetings
Show 2025 went above and beyond to ensure that the show was welcoming, valuable
and empowering for everyone. The
Playbook, in partnership with Lim, provides a visual guide to all the key
takeaways from the show, presented engagingly and clearly to support ongoing
learning. On the show floor, AI-powered live captioning from Speaksee made the
education sessions more accessible and digestible and with full summaries of each session available
online thanks to a partnership with Snapsight, attendees can further their
education on an ongoing basis.
This
year over half (58 per cent) of visitor buyers attending were newcomers to the show
while 42 per cent of the pre-qualified hosted buyers were also first-time
attendees.
First time visitor Susan Caldwell of Shepherd and
Wedderburn was impressed by the exhibitor mix and quality of the education
sessions.
“I attended some really interesting education sessions but
mostly met suppliers. It was great to meet with hotel groups we wouldn’t
necessarily have met before, to talk about the event spaces they have and we
caught up with existing contacts to hear about new locations, changes and
updates. It’s really good to go on the frontline and gather that information
face-to-face.”
Events buyer Oliver Martinez, of CUTT returned
to the show after a four year break.
“It has been great this year and the overall experience has evolved
significantly since my last visit. I have had very good meetings and have
attended education sessions on technology. It’s great to be able to access
Business Travel Show Europe and TravelTech Show too while I’m here.”
Jack Marczewski, portfolio event director at
The Meetings Show, said: “What a show! The atmosphere over both days
was electric and we felt the buzz across the show floor as connections and
collaborations were made. Thank you to everyone who attended, exhibited, spoke
and supported The Meetings Show 2025 to be such a success. We will see you
again next year!”
The Meetings Show 2026 will take place on 24-25
June 2026. Register your interest here: https://www.themeetingsshow.com/register
