Socio-economic impact of the Indian events and experiences industry

The Socio-economic impact of the Indian events and experiences industry report assesses the economic contribution of India's events ecosystem using a Direct-Indirect-Induced (DII) framework. Based on primary surveys, stakeholder consultations and event analysis, the study examines the industry's impact on economic activity, tourism, employment and destination development.

Covering Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), live events and entertainment, sports events, and weddings and allied services, the report highlights how the events and experiences sector acts as a catalyst for spending across hospitality, tourism, transport, retail, media, technology and creative industries. It also estimates economic multipliers to demonstrate the wider economic value generated by events.

The report explores the sector's role in driving event-led tourism, technology adoption, sustainability, intellectual property creation and sponsorship growth, while identifying key challenges such as regulatory complexity, financing constraints and infrastructure gaps. It concludes with policy and industry recommendations to support the sustainable growth of India's events and experiences economy.

^{* Source: KPMG in India analysis 2026 based on primary survey}

Key highlights of the report

Events and experiences economy

India’s events and experiences economy spans multiple large and distinct ecosystems, including INR ~46,739 crore of organised MICE activity, INR ~13,600 crore in organised live events, INR ~18,864 crore in the commercial sports economy, and approximately INR 6.5 lakh crore of wedding-linked household expenditure (as per 2025 estimates)
Direct-Indirect-Induced (DII) framework

Applying the Direct-Indirect-Induced (DII) framework to representative events, every INR 1 of direct event-related expenditure is associated with approximately INR 1.46 to INR 2.03 of total economic activity across the four categories assessed
MICE

MICE generates the highest economic multiplier (2.03x) among the categories analysed, reflecting its strong linkages with tourism, hospitality and business services
Revenue growth

94.6 per cent of organisers reported revenue growth over the past two financial years, while 85 per cent plan to expand into new event categories or geographies over the next two years, indicating strong business confidence and sectoral growth
Regulatory simplification

80 per cent of organisers rate the overall ease of obtaining event-related permissions as difficult, highlighting the importance of regulatory simplification and single-window clearance mechanisms
Motivation for attending events

Professional and social connection was the most cited motivation for attending events, selected by 65 per cent of respondents, ahead of entertainment, personal development, and education or skills development
Outstation travel

54.4 per cent of visitors travelled from outside their city of residence to attend their most recent event, confirming that outstation travel is now a significant feature of India’s events ecosystem

Total scaled visitor spend

Outstation visitors account for nearly three-quarters of total scaled visitor spend (70.4 per cent), driven by materially higher expenditure on travel, accommodation and related visitor services
Economic impact

Visitor expenditure is the dominant component of direct economic impact, accounting for approximately 88-96 per cent of direct impact across the four modelled event categories
Sustainability

70 per cent of visitors indicated a willingness to pay a 5-10 per cent premium for environmentally sustainable events, while 68 per cent of organisers reported increasing requests for sustainability credentials from clients and sponsors
AI tools

44.8 per cent of organisers are already using AI tools for content creation, logistics or personalisation, while livestreaming and hybrid formats are the leading technology investment priority (25.7 per cent) for the next two years
Employment and livelihoods

Large-format events are important generators of employment and livelihoods, supporting a broad ecosystem of temporary, contract and freelance workers across production, hospitality, logistics and security functions
Driving tourism and visitor expenditure

51.5 per cent of respondents stated that the event was the sole purpose of their trip, demonstrating the growing role of events in driving tourism and visitor expenditure
Coordinated action agenda

The report calls for a coordinated action agenda focused on streamlined event approvals, social protection for the contract and gig workforce, continued investment in Tier-2 and Tier-3 event infrastructure, and stronger crowd safety and cancellation-risk frameworks

^{Note: The findings mentioned above are based on KPMG in India’s primary survey 2026 analysis of event organisers and attendees conducted as part of this study. Industry ecosystem estimates are based on published third-party benchmarks referenced in the report.}