The headline numbers
UK corporate events spend is reported at around £2 billion a year. Global experiential marketing sits at around £43 billion. The large majority of B2B marketers say they are increasing event spend in 2026. Experiential is reported to return roughly £3 to £5 for every £1 spent, well ahead of most digital channels. In-person is firmly back, with around 59% of planners expecting fully in-person events this year. And companies book Christmas in summer: roughly a third already have budget approved by then.
UK corporate events spend per year (reported)
Global experiential marketing (reported)
Reported return per £1 on experiential
Planners expecting fully in-person events in 2026
Companies with Christmas party budget approved by summer
What is changing underneath the numbers
Budgets are up but scrutinised. CFOs want to see the spend against something: retained accounts, expanded accounts, engagement scores, regrettable attrition avoided. That is why generic sponsorships and stand-in-a-hall spend are getting quiet questions. And it is why formats that hand back a short, honest report after the event are winning share.
What this means for you
If you are on the buying side, spend the money on formats you can point at. If you are on the planning side, buy from suppliers who report back on how the night landed, not just that it happened. If you are on the finance side, ask for the report before you sign off the next one.
The money is still there. It is just being asked to show its working, in a way it was not five years ago.
Corporate socials are moving from cost centre to retention and relationship spend. Priced against the cost of losing a key employee or a key client, one good night a year is one of the cheapest tools in the budget.