Articles tagged “Iran War”

Saudi Arabia has invested billions to become a global meetings hub, but Routes World’s decision to move its flagship event to Frankfurt shows that attendee confidence can outweigh even the most ambitious destination strategy.

Certain counties and regions are attracting interest as incentive destinations because they’re geographically distant from the Middle East and perceived as safe — but not the U.S.

A boycott threat against one of the world’s most important scientific meetings underscores a broader challenge: geopolitical tensions and cross-border travel barriers are increasingly determining where global events can, and can’t, take place. 

The effects of the Iran war are spreading beyond the immediate region, compounded by rising costs and attendee fears of travel.

As the war involving Iran drags on, the Middle East’s event calendar is being reshuffled, and a key World Economic Forum gathering on global collaboration is the latest postponement.

For many planners, budgets have struggled to keep up with rising costs — and now they face potential increases of 20% on air travel. 

Financial losses stemming from the Iran War continue to mount, with cancellations now pushing further into the 2026 calendar as uncertainty reshapes global event demand. 

Some companies with incentive programs scheduled in the Middle East region are staying put — at least, for now. 

Informa had a soft hold on hundreds of thousands of square feet of exhibition space as tensions escalated in the Middle East. Now that it has postponed one of the world’s largest tech gatherings and is using that space in August, it has to deal with the logistical fallout. 

As geopolitical instability disrupts travel and event planning in the Middle East, planners are rediscovering a hard truth: the fine print in their contracts matters. Many are finding force majeure protections are narrower than expected.