Posted on March 20, 2025
This article is based on reporting from Skift Meetings.
The wave of federal government layoffs is sending shockwaves through the events industry, with mass cancellations of government meetings and a steep decline in attendance at federally funded conferences. The impact isn’t just hitting hotels and meeting planners—it’s also affecting event technology companies that provide essential solutions for government events.
Pedro Góes, CEO of InEvent, has been tracking the fallout closely. As a company that works with high-profile government clients, including NASA, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the SEC, and the FDIC, InEvent is experiencing firsthand how these cancellations reshape the event tech landscape.
A Decline in Government Business: The Numbers Speak
In an interview with Skift, Pedro Góes shared that 13-17% of InEvent’s government business has already been affected, with more cancellations expected into late 2025 and early 2026.
“We work two to three years in advance and expect to see even more cancellations at the end of this year and the beginning of next,” Góes explained.
With the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leading the charge on cost-cutting, over 62,000 federal employees have already been dismissed, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. This wave of layoffs has triggered widespread uncertainty, leaving event organizers scrambling to adjust.
For event technology companies like InEvent, which support virtual, hybrid, and in-person federal events, these cuts reflect fewer meetings being booked—they also slow down new contracts, pause existing partnerships, and reduce attendance numbers across the board.
A Ripple Effect Across the Industry
The effects of these sudden budget reductions are being felt across the entire event ecosystem.
- Hotels & Venue Sourcing Companies:
Companies like Hotel Lobbyists have already lost $1.9 million in hotel revenue due to canceled government events. - Meeting & Event Planners:
Industry professionals like Carolynne Nowrouzi, founder of Toplandi Group, describe the situation as feeling like a “mini-Covid” with government event sourcing paused for 2025 and 2026. - Event Tech Companies:
In addition to InEvent, companies like Dryfta are seeing declining attendance. A Johns Hopkins University conference that expected 2,500 attendees ended up with only 1,000, as many government employees could not attend due to layoffs.
“Most attendees at these conferences come from government institutions. With recent layoffs, that number is going to go down drastically,” said Zeb Irshad Reyaz, CMO of Dryfta.
InEvent’s Outlook: A Path Forward Despite the Challenges
While the industry grapples with uncertainty, InEvent isn’t just watching from the sidelines—we’re providing real solutions. Our platform has already helped federal agencies and government organizations pivot to hybrid and virtual formats, refine event workflows, and maximize shrinking budgets.
Whether you need secure event registration, virtual engagement tools, or advanced analytics for government compliance, InEvent’s technology is built to support federal and government agencies through challenging times.
Explore how InEvent is helping government events thrive—even in uncertain times.
👉 Learn More Here
📌 This article is based on original reporting from Skift Meetings.
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