As 2025 comes to a close, many in the meetings and events industry are looking back at the year with pride for what they accomplished. Meetings Today is celebrating the end of the year by sharing our 10 top-performing stories for 2025.
From our annual Meetings Today Trends Survey and new venues to industry trendsetters and the retirement of a longtime industry leader, a lot of newsworthy things happened in 2025. While you may have seen a few of these stories when they popped, the traditional holiday meetings industry slowdown will certainly allow you a few moments to peruse the full list. 
1. Top Takeaways and Planner Insights From the 2025 Meetings Today Trends Survey
Meetings Today started out 2025 on the right foot. Findings from the Meetings Today Trends Survey published in January was the most viewed story of the year. Meetings Today editors were particularly happy with the response level this year, garnering a total of 517 respondents for the survey that was conducted using Survey Monkey between October 2, 2024, and November 11, 2024.
Check out the survey results and takeaways from the Meetings Today editors.
2. The 2025 Meetings Trendsetters Stoking the Fire in the Events Industry
Meetings Today's annual Meetings Trendsetters list recognizes 20 outstanding individuals who have made an outsized impact in the meetings, events, conventions and incentives industry. Read the full article to find out which 20 MICE professionals have stepped up to lead the business events industry in a positive direction.
3. United Airlines Changes Check-In Timeframe: What You Need to Know
Ahead of the busy summer travel season, United Airlines changed the check-in cutoff time for its domestic flights. Beginning June 3, all passengers flying to a domestic destination had to check in at least 45 minutes prior to departure, up from the airline’s previous check-in cutoff time of 30 minutes. The domestic flight policy applied to customers both with and without checked luggage. Read this news story which features a comprehensive overview of other airline check-in timeframes.
[Related: Traveling Without Real ID? It’s Going to Cost You]
4. Experts Have a Bullish Outlook for 2025 Corporate Meetings
Despite the possibility of some gathering economic headwinds, good news is afoot in the corporate meetings segment, according to major industry studies. Tyler Davidson, vice president and chief content director at Meetings Today, took a look at four studies and their bullish outlooks.
5. Industry Leader Joan Eisenstodt Announces ‘Retirement’
After a meetings industry career that has lasted nearly 50 years, Joan Eisenstodt announced in May she was dramatically scaling back her work. In this Q&A with Tyler Davidson, Joan explained her latest career shift in her own words, as well as some parting wisdom as her career winds down.
6. The Z: 3 Trends Gen Z Is Setting in 2025
“The Next Gen is actually the Now Gen.”
That is according to Freeman’s 2024 Event Organizer Trends Report, which states Gen Z (17.5M) has officially overtaken Baby Boomers (17.2M) in the workforce. Freeman’s report also states “Now Gen” is shaping trends, driving innovation and redefining values at a rapid clip. In her The Z column, Taylor Smith explains how the world and the meetings industry, in particular, are keeping up with this societal evolution.
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For more coverage of the meetings industry's next generation, stay up to date with Meetings Today's Taylor Smith and Madeleine Willis as they grow coverage of these rising professionals in the workplace.
7. Reno-Tahoe Is Welcoming Major Resort and Event Venue Additions
Read this article in which Tyler Davidson delivers updates on a number of major developments in Reno and Lake Tahoe that will boost the destination's desirability for meetings and events. Reno welcomed a new $5 million, NCAA-sanctioned indoor track and field facility. The Ritz Carlton, Lake Tahoe completed a more than $20 million renovation, and more!
8. 8 Meetings and Events Contract Points for Turbulent Times
Meetings and hospitality industry legal expert Joshua L. Grimes assessed factors that increased demand for hotels and venues, shorter booking windows and rapidly increasing food and beverage prices, all of which made it difficult to achieve a contract on favorable group terms. Grimes' eight critical points offered a fresh review on meeting and event contracts during turbulent times.
9. Industry Intelligence: Meeting Trends and Event Data Every Planner Needs to Know
Each month, Meetings Today editors delivered some of the most interesting data points from recent industry reports to help planners stay on top of the latest intelligence around meetings and events. From airline data to travel budget cuts and new statistics around AI, Meetings Today delivered the latest statistics that were all the buzz.
10. 8 Easy Ways to Use AI to Plan, Expand and Measure Your Events
2025 marked a significant milestone in AI's mainstream adoption, from improvements in the core model of Open AI's ChatGPT to Manus, the first commercially available AI agent.
The potential impact of AI on event management is unparalleled, offering substantial efficiencies and returns for event organizations. For many, taking the first step in AI can be daunting, but it's simpler than many think. Mary Ann Pierce, CEO of MAP Digital: MetaMeetings, offers eight ways to use AI in event planning.
