The government market has seen an unprecedented level of change in the past year. From integrating new technologies to adapting to new policies, government professionals need opportunities for collaboration and learning now more than ever. The event market has been adapting to all of these changes; here are some key trends we're keeping an eye on for 2026.
Shutdown and Travel Restrictions
The disruption of an extended government shutdown threw a wrench in carefully crafted event plans. The annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), drawing director of events, shares, "We had 12-14 months to plan the event and then had two weeks to create alternatives and contingency plans." In the end, the event had full participation in terms of speakers and attendees. Brody is thankful that they now have solid contingency plans in place for any future disruptions, stating, "We now know how to operate in a shutdown."
For many organizations, contingency planning didn't begin in September or October. When the "Department of Government Efficiency" Cost-Efficiency Executive Order (EO 14222) was released in February 2025, event planners were already rethinking how to bring people to events. The EO aimed to reduce travel spending and required agencies to implement an online system where employees must submit "written justification for ... [non-essential] federally funded travel" before receiving approval. This applied directly to conference and event travel, adding new hurdles for attendance.
In response, event planners began lowering or eliminating costs for government employees to attend. They also shifted toward smaller, localized events to reduce or remove the need for travel. These adjustments helped teams prepare for and mitigate shutdown-related disruptions later in the year.
Travel restrictions and other uncertainties in government had an impact on the majority of our GovEvents clients, with most reporting attendance decline between 20%-60%. We expect these trends of lower-cost, localized events to continue to grow in 2026, as organizers seek to lower barriers to attendance for government speakers and attendees.
Networking
While the content of events is critical to drawing attendees, many report that the real value lies in the networking opportunities. The 2025 Freeman Experience Trends Report found that while planners think memorable experiences or moments are the biggest draw for attendees, those attendees say the experience they value most is connecting with fellow professionals.
AUSA's Brody agrees with this finding. "The matchmaking and networking aspects of our shows are consistently cited by attendees as the key value. This year, we integrated some additional networking time and got incredibly positive feedback."
In 2026, look for events to embed more structured networking opportunities--potentially facilitated by Artificial Intelligence (AI)--that empower attendees to connect around specific interests or challenges.
AI
AI is a hot topic for content. There were 1,644 artificial intelligence events posted on GovEvents this year, and 292 artificial intelligence assets are live on GovWhitePapers.
AI is also becoming more common at events. AUSA is exploring how AI tools can streamline the attendee experience by helping participants personalize their schedules and plans.
Across the event industry, AI is helping behind the scenes, automating manual, routine tasks, as well as becoming an attendee-facing feature with AI-driven session suggestions, networking match-ups, and even automated translation or captioning.
Event Content
With all the excitement around the promise of AI and other emerging technologies, government attendees are most interested in hearing about real-world practical use cases for these solutions. The bigger discussion should be about transformation and modernization rather than individual technologies. Sessions that highlight case studies of implementations, discuss measurable outcomes, and detail procurement paths will draw the most interest.
Cost Pressures
The event industry faces cost pressures from a number of vectors. Attendees are working with tight budgets for event participation. This means that even though expenses for putting on events are rising, the cost to attend cannot. Event organizers need to get creative to do more with less, just as their attendees are being asked to. Some creative solutions include:
- Localizing events in secondary markets to reduce venue and hospitality costs while also potentially decreasing travel expenses for attendees
- Looking at virtual or hybrid options to draw in additional people
- Repurposing content or decor across multiple events
- Investing in data tools that can clearly demonstrate event ROI to help attendees justify attendance and travel costs.
We'll be following all of these trends and more throughout the new year--both here on the blog and on our social channels. We'd also love to hear what you are doing and seeing in the government event market!
