Meeting planners are heading toward 2027 with an optimistic outlook even as costs keep climbing, according to a new survey from American Express Global Business Travel reported by Business Travel News Europe.

The finding matters for sellers of travel because meetings and events represent one of the most rate-sensitive segments in corporate demand. When planners stay confident despite cost inflation, hotels, venues and intermediaries can expect volume to hold — but pricing negotiations will get harder.

What does the survey actually say?

Amex GBT, one of the largest travel management companies in the corporate market, surveyed meeting planners and found that the majority expect activity to grow through 2027. The headline result: optimism outweighs concern, even though planners consistently rank rising costs as their main pressure point.

That combination — rising volume expectations alongside rising prices — signals margin compression risk for buyers, and pricing power for suppliers, through the next two budgeting cycles.

For TMCs and agency sellers, sustained planner confidence supports group demand forecasts and strengthens the case for investing in meetings-booking technology and advisory services.

Why costs remain the central tension

The survey's framing — optimism "despite rising costs" — points to the core tension in the meetings market. Venue rates, food and beverage, and labour costs have all pushed event budgets upward in recent years, and planners do not expect that pressure to ease before 2027.

Planners who remain optimistic under these conditions are effectively betting that event ROI and demand from their organisations will outpace price increases. Suppliers reading the same data should note that volume is more secure than rate: planners will book, but they will shop harder.

The practical consequence for distribution: group business stays resilient, but every contract signed between now and 2027 will carry tougher negotiation over rates, cancellation terms and added-value concessions.

What it means for the meetings supply chain

For hotels and venues, the message is that demand is not the risk — affordability is. Chains that package transparent pricing and flexible terms are better positioned to convert planner optimism into signed contracts.

For intermediaries like Amex GBT, the survey doubles as a commercial signal: its meetings and events division has a client base that intends to keep spending, provided advisory support helps them manage cost inflation. That supports the TMC's push into meetings management as a growth line alongside transient corporate travel.

The takeaway for sellers

Amex GBT's data, as reported, gives the trade a workable planning assumption: group demand holds through 2027, while cost pressure shapes every negotiation. Sellers who treat 2027 volume forecasts as solid but rate-sensitive will price and contract accordingly.