Events, particularly corporate ones, are proving to be reliable traffic drivers and money makers for restaurants and hospitality venues delivering up to 20 percent higher margins than a la carte dining, according to Tripleseat data. Across the event management platform’s 19,000+ locations, corporate event revenue grew 14.6 percent in 2025 which is 1.5 times faster than weddings at 9.3 percent. The data saw strong growth in mid-tier occasions such as happy hours, holiday parties, graduations and birthdays. “We see that as a shift toward more frequent, smaller-format gatherings that are a natural fit for most hotels and restaurants,” explained Michelle Fischer, CEO, Tripleseat.”This mid-tier event expansion shows venues are creating many more incremental, repeatable revenue occasions, not just one-off big events.” Fischer believes the data underscores business events’ growing importance to the venue revenue mix. At the same time, average on-prem event counts and average event revenue increased in last year by more than four percent, showing venues are both booking more events and capturing higher per-guest spend. The Predictable Appeal of Packages Customers are bundling spend for food, beverage, room rental, A/V, and add-ons into pre-set packages that make revenue and cost much more predictable. Tripleseat’s data shows the average customer’s event revenue rose 4.4 percent last year, while catering revenue alone grew by almost $400 million, a more than 20 percent year-over-year climb “This is the proof that events are driving measurable top-line growth for venues,” said Fischer. Beyond revenue, events reduce operational waste and improve inventory planning by…
