Author: Leah Kenneally, APPA Marketing Manager
Post-pandemic corporate events are bigger and better funded but organisers are working to tighter deadlines than ever before
Executive assistants (EAs) – the professionals who coordinate corporate events, manage executive schedules, and support c-suite decision-making – are managing significantly larger event budgets while working to increasingly compressed timelines, according to the newly released 2026 Executive PA Corporate Event Organiser Survey.
The comprehensive study (the first post-COVID analysis since 2019) surveyed 102 executive assistants across Australia and reveals a corporate events sector that has recovered, but looks markedly different from the pre-pandemic landscape.
Bigger budgets, shorter timelines
While the proportion of organisations running more than 50 events annually has decreased slightly from 41% in 2019 to 36% in 2025, budgets have grown substantially. The percentage of EAs managing budgets exceeding $500,000 has more than doubled from 7% to 15%, with the overall proportion of large-budget events (over $250,000) remaining stable at 20%.
Perhaps most striking is the continued compression of planning timeframes. Two-thirds of EAs (66%) now receive less than three months' notice for events under 100 attendees – up from 60% in 2019. For larger events exceeding 100 people, 27% are given the same truncated timeline, compared to just 19% seven years ago.
Events are scaling up
One in five EAs (22%) now organise events for over 300 people, up from 17% in 2019. The proportion managing events exceeding 500 attendees has tripled from 5.5% to 15%.
Traditional venues (hotels, purpose-built facilities and retreats) have maintained or gained market share. However, interest in regional Australia as an event destination has softened from 73% in 2019 to 64%, possibly reflecting organisations' preference for familiar, lower-risk locations. Notable gains were seen in Brisbane and Adelaide, likely driven by major infrastructure projects.
Growing reliance on support agencies
EAs are increasingly using external support services. Convention bureau usage has nearly doubled from 13% in 2019 to 25% in 2026, while destination management company engagement has increased from 11% to 17%.
What this means for the promotional products industry
The growth in large-scale events – with 22% of EAs now coordinating gatherings over 300 people – combined with compressed planning windows creates significant demand for promotional product distributors who can scale quickly and deliver consistent quality across substantial delegate numbers.
The survey data makes clear that speed and efficiency are now critical competitive advantages. With two-thirds of EAs receiving less than three months' notice for events, and 27% working to the same tight timeline for events over 100 people, the ability to provide rapid briefings and fast turnaround on quotes has shifted from nice-to-have to essential.
The winners in this environment will be those who make it easy for time-poor EAs to say yes: clear pricing structures, rapid quote turnaround, flexibility around last-minute changes, and demonstrated reliability at scale. The fact that 95% of EAs report their preferred supplier choice is accepted by executives underscores a crucial insight – if you can win the EA's confidence through responsiveness and reliability, you've effectively won the business.
For promotional product distributors, this means streamlining briefing processes and building relationships with suppliers who can deliver at scale within compressed timeframes. The EAs managing these larger budgets and bigger events don't have time for lengthy back-and-forth – they need partners who understand the urgency and can deliver quality outcomes quickly.
Download the full 2026 Executive PA Corporate Event Organiser Survey
Executive assistants represent Australia's largest cohort of business event organisers, with an estimated population of 60,000 to 100,000 supporting c-suite executives. The survey confirms that 70% have event management as part of their job description, yet only 22% have received formal event management training.
