We can hold a meeting across several continents without leaving the office. We can generate content in a matter of seconds, virtually enter almost anywhere and measure every interaction between audiences and brands with ever greater precision. But we still have not found a digital replacement for the moment when people come together in the same place. And precisely as technology changes almost every part of the communications industry, the value of that encounter is once again coming to the forefront.
New research by the Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics, published this year, shows just how far the business events industry is from being a secondary economic activity. During 2025, business events brought together 1.65 billion participants in more than 180 countries and generated USD 1.3 trillion in direct spending. When indirect and induced effects are included, their contribution to global GDP amounted to USD 1.8 trillion, while supporting 24.2 million jobs. Oxford Economics expects direct spending to rise to USD 1.6 trillion by 2028.
Behind the major economic figures lies perhaps an even more interesting finding. Seven out of ten respondents believe that building relationships through face-to-face communication is the event outcome that is most difficult to replicate through other channels. An additional 12 percent highlight community, trust and emotional connection. That may be where the greatest value of events lies today.
At an event, a brand moves beyond the frame of images, messages or a few seconds of attention and becomes a space we enter, a conversation we have, a person we meet and an experience we remember afterwards. And as the value of that experience grows, so do expectations of the people who create it.
Event industry research from 2026 shows that organizers are clearly shifting their focus toward the quality of connection. In a study conducted among nearly 450 event professionals, peer networking was identified as the most important driver of event success, while participatory formats such as roundtables and workshops are among the formats participants value most. Face-to-face interaction also remains in first place when it comes to building trust.
In its Outlook this year, PCMA notes another important shift: organizations are becoming more selective, event strategies more intentional, and decisions increasingly tied to measurable business and audience needs. Growth is being sought less through scale alone and increasingly through data, relevance and the quality of the experience. An event has therefore long ceased to be simply a question of production. Strategy, creative idea, space, technology, content, scenography, people, dramaturgy and execution must work as one whole. When they succeed, the audience does not observe the communication. They live it.
Where live communication measures itself against the best
For more than two decades, Best Event Awards World has belonged precisely to this industry.
This year, BEA World enters its 21st edition, carrying the reputation of being one of the international platforms where event agencies, companies and brands can compare their best projects with the work of peers from around the world.
Projects that pass the online selection appear before an international jury made up of leading corporate event professionals and present their work live. The idea therefore does not end with an edited case video. The authors must explain the problem they were solving, the strategy behind the project, the way it was executed and the results achieved. This is why BEA World truly becomes much more than an awards ceremony. For those competing, it is an opportunity to put their own work against an international benchmark. For those attending as delegates, the live presentations of finalists offer an overview of what the event industry is currently doing best: how brands build experiences, where technology truly contributes to an idea, how the relationship between physical and digital is changing, how communities are built and how creativity is turned into results.
A new chapter begins in Venice
After two decades of the festival’s development, 2026 also brings a new address. BEA World will take place in Venice for the first time on November 26 and 27. The change of location comes with this year’s festival claim:
Live is BEAutiful.
Perhaps by coincidence, or perhaps at exactly the right moment. Because in a year in which AI can accelerate preparation, personalize communication, analyze audiences and assist production, the most important thing at an event still happens between people.
PCMA’s research on the EMEA market for 2026 places precisely connection and relationship-building among the industry’s main priorities in a world where digital communication is becoming increasingly simple and sophisticated. Technology can give events new possibilities, but the reason we come is still distinctly human.
Just a few more days to enter
For agencies, companies and brands from our region that have an event behind them worthy of international comparison, the final countdown now begins.
Entries for Best Event Awards World close on September 30, 2026 at 18:00 CET. The organizer has clearly stated that the deadline will not be extended. Eligible projects are those delivered between August 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, while the standard entry fee currently stands at EUR 750 for the first category and EUR 550 for each additional category. But even without an entered project, there is a good reason to go to Venice. Two days among the projects, people and ideas shaping the international event industry can be more useful than ten presentations about its trends. After all, the event industry still explains its work best through an event.
Media Marketing brings readers a special benefit
Media Marketing once again invites agencies, brands and event professionals from the region to be part of the BEA World Festival. Anyone interested in going to Venice can contact redakcija@media-marketing.com and receive a special discount of EUR 100 per registration.
Enter a project, see the world’s best solutions, meet the people behind them or simply step outside your own market for two days and view the industry from a broader perspective. There are enough reasons. And Venice is simply an added one this year.
BEA World 2026 | key dates
August 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026.
Eligibility period for entered projects
September 30, 2026 by 18:00 CET
Final deadline for Best Event Awards World entries
October 23 – November 2, 2026.
Online voting by the international jury
November 4, 2026.
Finalists announced
November 26, 2026.
Live project presentations before the international jury
November 27, 2026.
Best Event Awards World ceremony
November 26–27, 2026 | Venice, Italy
Live is BEAutiful.
Reference:
Events Industry Council + Oxford Economics, 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events Study
https://eventscouncil.org/Leadership/Economic-Significance-Study
Forrester, The Next Era of B2B Events: Eight Data-Backed Shifts Defining 2026
https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-next-era-of-b2b-events-eight-data-backed-shifts-defining-2026/
Forrester, Interaction, Integration, And Measurement Define The Next Era Of B2B Events
https://www.forrester.com/report/interaction-integration-and-measurement-define-the-next-era-of-b2b-events/RES200718
