If budgets tighten, travel is often one of the first things to go.
Conferences get cut. Industry events become harder to justify. Leadership teams are asked to do more with less.
On paper, it makes sense. Information has never been more accessible. We can attend webinars, watch keynotes online, listen to podcasts, read recaps, and increasingly use AI to summarize almost anything we want to learn.
Which is why I’ve been surprised by what I’m seeing. At the same time many organizations are scrutinizing travel budgets more than ever, networking-focused events continue to grow. According to Eventbrite’s 2025 trends research, networking-focused events grew by more than 30% year over year, while over half of attendees said networking was the primary reason they returned to an event.
That doesn’t sound like people chasing information.
It sounds like people looking for perspective.
Over the last few months, I’ve spent time at conferences, retailer meetings, executive roundtables, and community events, and I’ve noticed a common pattern. The most valuable conversations rarely happen on stage.
They happen between sessions.
- A retailer sharing a challenge they haven’t solved
- A technology partner connecting dots across multiple organizations
- A leader being candid about what isn’t working
The value isn’t that the information is secret. The value is that it’s real.
And often it comes from people just outside your normal circle. Different industries. Different functions. Different experiences.
Close enough to understand the challenge. Far enough away to see it differently.
The irony is that as AI accelerates and business becomes more complex, these interactions may be becoming more valuable, not less.
I’m not suggesting every event deserves a budget.
But I do wonder if we’re sometimes measuring the wrong ROI.
Sometimes the return isn’t the keynote.
- It’s the partnership that accelerates a decision.
- The introduction that opens a door.
- The perspective that helps you see a problem differently.
Or the realization that others are navigating the same challenges you are.
In a world where information is increasingly available to everyone, I wonder if proximity is becoming a competitive advantage again.
Not proximity to information.
Proximity to people, perspectives, and possibilities.