The events industry in numbers — a portrait of the Benelux meetings sector

The sector that brings millions of people together each year keeps remarkably little track of itself. There is no central registration system for events in the Netherlands or Belgium. There is no single definition of what an "event" actually is. And there are no mandatory reporting requirements.

What does exist are estimates. Researchers, industry associations and governments all work with different definitions and methodologies. This portrait of the Benelux meetings sector has been built on the best available data — with the honest acknowledgement that such data has its limits.

Market size

The Dutch events market is estimated by the CBS and industry associations at €3.2–4.5 billion per year in direct expenditure. This encompasses venue hire, catering, AV services, logistics, communications and staffing.

Belgium contributes an estimated €1.2–1.8 billion to the Benelux total. Luxembourg is a relatively small market with a disproportionately large share of international events, driven by the EU institutions.

Total Benelux: €4.4–6.3 billion in direct expenditure. Indirect effects — hotels, transport, retail — roughly double that figure.

The number of events

An estimated 70,000–100,000 corporate events are organised in the Netherlands each year, ranging from meetings of ten people to congresses numbering in the thousands. The definition determines the figure.

More telling: the NBTC (Nederlands Bureau voor Toerisme en Congressen) counted more than 1,200 international congresses and conferences in the Netherlands in 2025 — a segment that contributes significantly to the economy through international attendees.

The people behind it

The Dutch events industry employs an estimated 35,000–50,000 professionals in the broadest sense: event managers, production specialists, catering professionals, AV technicians and venue staff. Here too, the definition shapes the figure.

Women are strongly represented: an estimated 65–70% of event professionals are female, with the exception of the technical production side — AV, lighting and sound — where men remain in the majority.

The venue sector

The Netherlands has an estimated 8,000–12,000 professional event venues, ranging from congress centres and hotels to castles, industrial spaces and outdoor locations. Amsterdam is by far the largest events city, followed by Rotterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag and Eindhoven.

Brussels is the Benelux's largest international events city, driven in part by the presence of EU institutions and international organisations.

What is changing

Three structural shifts characterise the period 2023–2026:

Consolidation among venues. Independent venues are being acquired by chains or affiliating with quality platforms. The number of standalone, independent venues is declining. The barriers to entry are rising as costs increase and quality expectations grow higher.

Professionalisation on the client side. Commissioners are becoming more discerning and more measurement-oriented. The "just sort it out" approach is in retreat; in its place comes a demand for transparency around outcomes and return on investment.

Digital integration as standard. Event management technology is shifting from a nice-to-have to a baseline requirement. Registration, communications, feedback, data — organisers who handle these manually are working less efficiently than their competitors.

The gaps in the data

This portrait is incomplete, and it is worth being candid about that. There is no Benelux equivalent of the comprehensive American Meeting Industry Research. NBTC, MPI Netherlands and eventbranche.nl each produce valuable reports, but they measure different segments using different methodologies.

That also represents an opportunity: meetings.nu will publish an annual sector portrait to help fill that gap, drawing on original research, industry data and conversations with professionals.

Because a sector that does not measure itself cannot improve itself.