EVENTS are the most common reason for Millennial and GenZ employees to take business trips with 44 per cent ranking conferences, events and trade shows as the main purpose behind their corporate travel, according to a new research.
A global survey of 702 Millennial and GenZ workers by Corporate Travel Management (CTM) found that 86 per cent flew for business purposes at least once a year with 70 per cent flying between one and five times.
CTM said data from the research, which was carried out in March 2025, challenges the vew that younger people were more content to attend meetings and events on virtual platforms.
When asked about the main purpose of their business travel, the top three responses were:
1. Conferences, events and trade shows (44 per cent)
2. Training and education (42 per cent)
3. Customer/sales meetings (38 per cent)
Singapore was the only region outside North America were respondents ranked both “internal meetings” and “conferences, events and trade shows” among their top three reasons.
Hong Kong was the only region to include “supplier and partner meetings” as a top three reason for travelling on business.
The top three ranking of main purposes for business travel among North American respondents (36 per cent) was identical. In the UK, one and two remained the same with ‘internal meetings’ taking third place.
Meetings and events are going to remain essential touchpoints for building relationships, sharing knowledge, and supporting career growth as professionals advance.”
– Mike Leeson, CTM Meetings and Events
CTM also found marked differences in the responses from Millennials versus GenZ, with the three main purposes for travelling on business among Millennials matching the overall ranking. For GenZ, however, “customer/sales meetings” and “training and education” led the table.
“These findings challenge the once accepted view that the next generation of business travellers will be more content doing business digitally,” said Mike Leeson, general manager Europe, CTM Meetings and Events.
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“In fact, what we’ve seen at CTM M&E is the exact opposite. Spending so much time working from home or in a hybrid capacity in recent years has actually fuelled a desire for Millennial and Gen Z workers to meet face to face more, either with colleagues or for business, and this is driving a need for all types of events, whether team-building, internal meetings, sales rallies, kick offs, AGM, rewards and incentives, or conference and trades shows. And, of course, business travel is seeing the benefits, too.
“Although Gen Z respondents say conferences, events and trade shows are less important to them than Millennial respondents, I suspect this is simply because they are, generally speaking, not yet in the right roles to attend strategic events.”
CTM also asked Millennial and Gen Z respondents what they enjoy most about travelling for business. Overall, the top “perks” are seen as:
1. Experiencing new destinations (51 per cent)
2. Collaborating with colleagues and partners (47 per cent)
3. Taking a break from routine (46 per cent)
4. Meeting new people (37 per cent)
This top four ranking is mirrored among GenZ and Millennial business travellers.
“What we’re seeing is a strong alignment between the purpose of business travel and what younger travellers value most,” said Leeson.
“Conferences, events and trade shows remain a key driver of business travel, and they offer exactly what GenZ and Millennial travellers are looking for: opportunities to collaborate, build relationships and meet new people. These are the kinds of meaningful, in-person experiences that simply can’t be replicated virtually.”
