oneworld relaunches Meetings & Events tool as Globetrender maps seven trends
The oneworld airline alliance has relaunched its Meetings & Events product, which gives event planners access to preferential fares across its 15 member airlines. The announcement coincides with a new report with travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender that identifies seven forces expected to shape international gatherings between 2027 and 2030.
- oneworld has relaunched its Meetings & Events product, offering preferential fares across its 15 member airlines.
- The product is designed for events with at least 50 individually travelling delegates meeting at one destination.
- Organisers get a dedicated booking link, and delegates book their own flights from their departure points.
- A Globetrender report produced with oneworld identifies seven trends shaping events between 2027 and 2030.
- The trends include The Human Premium, The ROI of Presence and Geocompression.
How oneworld Meetings & Events works
According to oneworld, the relaunched product is designed to simplify the organisation of international events. It gives planners access to preferential fares on the alliance's 15 member airlines, connecting attendees to a global network that serves almost 1,000 destinations.
The offer is aimed at events with at least 50 delegates travelling individually to a shared destination. Organisers receive a dedicated booking link, which they can share directly with participants or embed on the event website. Delegates then arrange their own flights from their home airports and pick connections that fit their personal schedules.
oneworld says the product was built for a broad range of occasions, from corporate meetings and industry conferences to international association congresses, religious gatherings and large private celebrations. The announcement was made in Las Vegas on 13 October 2026.
Roger Blackburn, Vice President of Commercial and Loyalty at oneworld, spoke at IMEX Las Vegas. He said that studies show the lasting value of in-person encounters, and that the best events create relationships, ideas and opportunities that are hard to replicate virtually. He said the relaunch will make it easier for organisations to bring people together for such networking opportunities.
Seven trends for events through 2030
The Globetrender report, produced with oneworld, examines seven forces that will change international gatherings between 2027 and 2030. The trends as described in the release are:
- The Human Premium: as AI makes information widely available, personal contact becomes an increasingly valuable currency in professional life.
- The ROI of Presence: rising travel costs push organisers to prove the value of attending in person, with meaningful outcomes taking priority over attendance numbers.
- Experience-First Events: conferences borrow from festivals, immersive entertainment and fan culture to turn passive listeners into active participants.
- Destination as Content: the host city becomes a main attraction, and local experiences increasingly influence the decision to attend.
- Geocompression: ultra-long-haul flights, expanding airline networks and geopolitical shifts are changing the map of possible event destinations.
- Loyalty Ecosystems: partnerships between airlines and hotels create more connected travel experiences, where recognition and rewards extend beyond the flight.
- Meeting at the Airfield: airports and their surrounding hotels are developing into destinations for conferences in their own right.
What the research says about attendance
The report argues that physical presence gains value as AI supplies information in abundance and makes digital communication effortless. At the same time, the economics of attending events are shifting.
Jenny Southan, CEO of Globetrender, said: "People will become more selective about where they travel, who they meet and what they hope to gain from the trip." She added that the research shows how this is reshaping the global events industry, from the rise of experience-led conferences to the growing importance of destinations as a reason to attend. By 2030, according to Southan, the most successful events will be those that give people a compelling reason to make the journey.
What it means for planners
For organisers, the relaunch offers a way to give attendees access to the alliance's network without managing individual bookings centrally. The minimum of 50 delegates sets the product apart from small meetings, while the self-booking model leaves travellers free to choose their own routes and timings.
The accompanying report gives planners a view of how expectations are changing, particularly around proving the value of travel and offering experiences that justify the journey. oneworld directs those seeking details or enquiries to its website, where the Globetrender report can also be downloaded.
The alliance's member airlines are Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian and SriLankan Airlines.
