Listen, Learn, Lead: The 2026 State of Events Benchmarks Unpacked

A live executive discussion unpacking the 2026 event industry benchmarks and how leading teams are optimizing event strategies for focus, efficiency, and measurable impact.

Overview

As 2026 unfolds, event leaders are shifting from planning mode to pressure-testing their decisions. With expectations continuing to rise, the real challenge is ensuring event strategies are focused on the right priorities and flexible enough to deliver measurable impact. Industry benchmarks are increasingly shaping how teams evaluate success and plan for the year ahead.

Listen, Learn, Lead: The 2026 State of Events Benchmarks Unpacked brings together fresh event industry data, executive perspective, and real-world experience to help event leaders understand what’s actually changing and what to do about it.

In this live discussion, we’ll unpack insights from top event professionals, perspectives from executive leadership, and new platform benchmarks from high-performing event programs. This isn’t a slide-by-slide walkthrough of a report. It’s a conversation that pressure-tests the benchmarks against real-world realities to uncover what truly matters for 2026 planning.

You’ll hear how expectations from attendees and leadership are evolving, how leading teams are adapting their event strategies, and where event leaders should focus to drive measurable impact in 2026. Speakers will share candid reactions, practical guidance, and lessons learned from their own organizations and communities.

Join peers across marketing, events, and field teams for an honest, strategic conversation about what it takes to listen to the market, learn from the data, and lead with confidence in the year ahead.

Alon Alroy
CMO and Co-Founder
 Bizzabo

Bethany Murphy
Senior Director, Global Events
 SentinelOne

Dahlia El Gazzar
Сhief Ruckusmaker
DAHLIA+Agency

From growth to optimization

What the 2026 event benchmarks reveal about the industry’s shift away from expansion at all costs, and how leading teams are prioritizing efficiency, focus, and long-term impact across their event programs.

Fewer events,
higher stakes

How top-performing event programs are using data to run fewer, more intentional events, and what the benchmarks show about format mix, agenda design, and attendee engagement when precision matters more than volume.

Executive perspective on what comes next

Candid insight from industry leaders on which trends will shape event strategy in 2026, and how event teams can make smarter tradeoffs amid rising expectations, tighter resources, and increased pressure to prove impact.