Destinations International
Planning in 2026: A new reality for a new dawn
DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL EXPLAINS WHY DESTINATION INTELLIGENCE AND COMMUNITY ALIGNMENT MATTER MORE THAN EVER
A s the business events
landscape enters another year of transformation, meeting planners face mounting pressure to deliver programmes that remain relevant amid shifting traveller behaviours, economic uncertainty, climate concerns, and rapid technological advancements.
Attendees expect more meaningful experiences, stakeholders expect more substantial returns, and communities increasingly expect alignment with their values. To navigate this terrain, planners need more than operational expertise; they need deeper destination intelligence and stronger alignment with the places they choose to convene.
What the DNEXT Futures study reveals Destinations International’ s 2025 DestinationNEXT Futures Study, produced with MMGY NextFactor with support from the Destinations International Foundation, highlights how quickly destination organisations are expanding their role.
Beyond traditional marketing, they now influence critical factors such as air service development, workforce readiness, sustainability efforts and local policy. These evolving capabilities provide planners with deeper insight into a destination ' s readiness to support future events.
For planners evaluating where to place business in 2026 and beyond, the DNEXT Futures Study framework serves as an early-warning system by identifying the forces shaping destination readiness and long-term resilience.
This helps planners anticipate not only logistical feasibility, but strategic fit.
Reputation as a planning risk indicator Another study, Destination Reputation: Responding to Societal Issues, reinforces the critical connection between public sentiment and event viability.
Communities that understand and support their visitor economies create more stable conditions for planners, from political backing and resource availability to resident hospitality and perception of event value.
As reputation increasingly influences funding and local decision-making, planners must consider community sentiment in risk assessment.
Destinations with strong reputational foundations offer more predictable
“ Planners who align event goals with community priorities help strengthen rather than strain local ecosystems” environments – an increasingly important factor in a still-volatile global landscape.
Intellectual capital as a strategic advantage Destinations are also strengthening their ability to support planners in content development and audience engagement.
Tools such as Destinations International’ s Business Intelligence Certificate Program and Intellectual Capital Certificate Program equip destination professionals to identify and activate the expertise embedded in their communities, including academic leaders, innovators, industry clusters, cultural stewards and creative talent.
For planners, this unlocks opportunities to develop programming that is locally relevant and authentic. Leveraging intellectual capital can elevate an event from functional to transformational, creating experiences that resonate more deeply with audiences and demonstrate measurable value.
Aligning with community priorities Planners who align event goals with community priorities – through responsible tourism practices and intentional design – help ensure their events strengthen rather than strain local ecosystems. In the coming year, this alignment will increasingly influence what destinations can offer, how they support planners and how communities perceive event impact.
A new strategic infrastructure for planners Success in 2026 will depend on how well planners integrate destination intelligence into their decision-making.
The insights from the DNEXT Futures Study, the signals from reputation tracking, and the expertise unlocked through intellectual capital form a new strategic infrastructure, one that helps planners design events that are contextaware, community-supported and built for long-term relevance. n
ISSUE 140 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 19