Delegate expenditure has increased
by 75 per cent since 2017 according to the newly-released VisitBritain Business Events 2024 Delegate Spend Report.
The report offers a refreshed perspective on Britain’s business events landscape, seven years on
from the previous report. The updated findings offer insights into
expenditure patterns across different types of business event, the growing
trend of international delegates extending their trips, travel preferences,
intention to return and sustainability perceptions of their host destination.
One of the key findings from
the new report reveals a significant rise in average delegate spend for
business events in Britain, driven largely by increased overnight stays and
international delegates staying longer, alongside year-on-year inflationary increases.
Total trip expenditure per delegate has risen by 75 per cent since 2017 - from £359 to
£629 in 2024 (excluding registration fees).
Other key findings from the
report include:
- International delegates have
a much higher average spend per delegate than their domestic
equivalents (4:1) due to length of stay, with average spend reaching
£1,824 for non-European visitors, compared to £872 for Europeans and £328
for UK attendees.
- Looking at differences among
event types, the average trip spend for association events (£854) is
significantly higher than for corporate events (£651), and
both types are higher than exhibitions (£326). Incentive
trip spend in the UK averages £2,113 per delegate.
- Extending a trip increases
spend by a factor of 2.5. Among
those who extend their trip for leisure, the average spend is £1,760. Without
the extension, the same delegates would have spent £714 on
average.
- Intention to return following attendance at a business event is high.
62 per cent of event delegates say they ‘definitely’ hope to return to
the city/region for leisure, 60 per cent say ‘definitely’ to attend
another business event and 47 per cent say ‘definitely’ to invest or
grow business relationships
- The main motive to attend an
event is networking/collaboration (64 per cent), followed by
learning (53 per cent) and career development (33 per cent).
- Incentive trips continue to hold
considerable value for the UK
economy, with an average spend in the UK of £2,113 per delegate. The average is higher than in 2017
(£1,893), but only by 12 per cent in nominal
terms, while 13 per cent lower in real terms
when accounting for inflation.
The report concludes: "Average delegate spend at business events in the UK has risen well
above inflation since 2017 due to longer stays. The business case for
attracting events to the UK is now even stronger than before.
"Extending the trip increases spend by a factor of 2.5. It therefore
makes sense for organisations with an interest in the economic
return from hosting events in a destination to commit resources to
encouraging extensions.
"The field of ‘business events’ often gets stakeholders thinking of
conferences and delegates dressed in suits, but incentive trips are
highly valuable, generating spend per delegate which is more than
three times higher than for conferences and exhibitions."
