37% Revenue Dip: How Economic Pressures Are Hitting Conference Attendance.

For conference and event organisers, 2025 is shaping up to be a more cautious year.

Budgets are under scrutiny, travel approvals are harder to secure, and attendees, particularly corporate buyers, are being asked to justify every expense. In fact, 37% of business travel suppliers expect revenue to decline in 2025, reflecting growing uncertainty across the meetings and events ecosystem.

For organisers, this pressure shows up in one critical place: attendance.

When companies are unsure about future cash flow, staffing levels, or market conditions, committing to conferences months in advance feels risky, even when the event itself is valuable.

So how do organisers protect attendance without slashing prices or over-discounting tickets?

Increasingly, the answer lies in reducing perceived risk, not reducing ticket value.

Economic Uncertainty Is Changing Attendee Behaviour

Historically, conferences relied on early-bird pricing and fixed cancellation deadlines to lock in revenue early. But today’s buyers behave differently.

Corporate attendees are now asking:

When the answer is “no refunds” or “strict cancellation terms,” many simply delay booking, or don’t book at all.

This hesitation isn’t a reflection of declining interest in events. It’s a reflection of risk aversion.

When economic conditions feel unstable, buyers prioritise flexibility over commitment.

Attendance Risk Is Now a Shared Responsibility

Traditionally, attendance risk sat almost entirely with the attendee. If plans changed, the cost was absorbed by the individual or company.

In today’s environment, that model is increasingly misaligned with buyer expectations.

Forward-thinking organisers are recognising that:

This doesn’t mean offering unlimited refunds or undermining revenue predictability. It means giving attendees a safety net that allows them to commit earlier and with confidence.

Refund Protection as an Attendance Growth Tool

 This is where refund protection comes into play, not as a cost, but as a strategic lever.

Instead of:

Organisers can offer optional refund protection at checkout, allowing attendees to recover their ticket cost if they can’t attend for covered reasons.

From the attendee’s perspective, this:

From the organiser’s perspective, it:

Why This Matters More for B2B Events

B2B conferences are particularly exposed to economic pressure because attendance decisions often involve:

-  Multiple layers of approval
-  Travel and accommodation costs
-  Opportunity cost for staff time

When budgets tighten, even valuable events are delayed or deprioritised, not because the ROI isn’t there, but because the risk feels too high.

By offering refund protection, organisers help attendees justify the decision internally:

“We’re protected if plans change.”

That reassurance alone can be the difference between a tentative “maybe” and a confirmed booking.

A Smarter Way to Protect Revenue Without Discounting

 In uncertain markets, the instinct is often to discount tickets to stimulate demand. But price cuts can:

Refund protection offers an alternative:

• -  Protect attendance without eroding price
• -  Support buyer confidence without financial exposure
• -  Maintain revenue predictability while improving conversion

It’s not about being more lenient, it’s about being more strategic.

The Takeaway for Event Organisers

 Economic pressure isn’t going away anytime soon. But declining attendance doesn’t have to be the outcome.

As business travel revenue forecasts soften and companies scrutinise spending, organisers who adapt to the psychology of risk will outperform those who rely on rigid policies.

In 2025, the events that win won’t just be the most compelling, they’ll be the ones that feel safe to commit to.

Refund protection is no longer just an operational consideration. It’s fast becoming a competitive advantage.