How to Slay 2026 Event Budget Busters from a Maritz Event Veteran

January 2, 2026

The 2025 Maritz Industry Trends report started out sunny. “The post-Covid years have been characterized by steady recovery of business events with a positive trend in bookings and attendance.” Sounds good so far.

Then the ominous clouds blew in. “With new political administrations in the U.S. and elsewhere, event organizers faced tariff whiplash, federal funding cuts and shifting international dynamics. Words we hoped to leave in 2020 like ‘attrition’ and ‘cancellation’ re-surfaced.” Oh, wow. Inflation, government shutdowns and the return of force majeure conversations. That wasn’t the blue sky we were looking forward to a year ago at this time.

Read More: Maritz 2025 Industry Trends Report

We sat down with Martiz Vice President of Sales Jamie Murdock who has been watching the industry from perches at Hyatt Hotels, Gaylord Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company over the last 30 years and asked him how meeting professionals can win in a volatile world.

Take the Long View

Murdock stressed that regardless of current conditions, meetings and events are a relationship business. Talking to brands about a package that locks in concessions and savings for multiple years could be a win-win that will smooth out the short-term spikes in chicken and egg prices. “If you are talking about multiple properties over years, some of the consolidation happening in hospitality might actually help,” he said.

Another suggestion was to bring in the destination marketing organization as early as possible as they can help with finding the right location, incentives and connecting with local vendors. These local flavor enhancers can also introduce nonprofits for CSR events that add meaning to a gathering.

“This is an untapped resource that isn’t just for large events,” he said. They can’t help if they don’t know about the event.

Talking to local experts will be even more important in 2026 as they will know what dates and places are tied up with FIFA World Cup and other big sporting events and when those expanded facilities will be open for corporate events to reserve.

This might be the year you consider a “discovery destination” or second- or third-tier city as an alternative to the likely suspects. “Look at destinations that maybe are not on your radar, that could be more budget friendly,” Murdock suggested.

Bonus, the 2025 Incentive Travel Index from SITE Foundation and IRF found that participants are eager to see new destinations so finding previously unvisited cities might help keep the program fresh and within budget.

Plan for the Next Generation

Sometimes planners throw everything possible into the event mix to try and satisfy everyone, but taking a moment to ask potential attendees what they want could help to focus dollars where they will be most appreciated. “We encourage planners to invite constituents to the design table and include them in the dialog,” Murdock said.

This collaborative approach will be even more important as 2030 approaches when 75% of the workforce will be comprised of Gen Z and millennial participants. “If we don’t start preparing for what they are looking for and what’s going to attract them then the show floor could be pretty quiet because there are so many options out there for how people can spend their time,” he said. That includes asking people who haven’t attended before what would make them want to travel instead of relying only on serial attendee to rate the things that are already in place. “Diversity of thought is only going to help make the event better by building a road map that fulfills the business outcomes attendees want,” Murdock added.

Once you have an agenda that appeals to a wider audience, ease new attendees into the action with pre-event virtual calls and on-site first-timer gatherings. That way everyone leaves with some familiar faces to find in the crowd. “Set the foundation at the beginning so that those first timers feel welcomed,” he advised.

To ensure the first is not the last time, planners may have to “pull a Netflix” and immediately begin personalizing messaging based on attendee behavior about why they might like to sign up for the next experience. “AI making us smarter and faster. Let’s use that data to make events better,” Murdock concluded.