- KPMG-EEMA: India’s events drive wider economic activity.
- MICE had the highest multiplier.
- Clearances, worker protection and infrastructure needed.
INDIA’S EVENTS AND experiences industry generated economic activity beyond direct event spending, according to a study by KPMG in India and the Event and Entertainment Management Association. The sector supports related industries including tourism, hospitality, transport, retail, logistics, media and technology.
The study examined 108 events attended by more than 1.8 million people and measured their direct, indirect and induced economic impact across MICE, live events and entertainment, sports and weddings. It found that direct event spending generated 1.46 to 2.03 times as much total economic activity across the four categories.
MICE had the highest multiplier at 2.03x, followed by weddings and allied at 1.61x, sports at 1.52x and live events and entertainment at 1.46x. The representative-event model estimated total impact at about $131,000 for MICE, $1.52 million for live events, $813,000 for sports and $202,000 for weddings and related activities.
The report did not provide a single market-size figure for India’s events economy because its segments use different definitions. Its 2025 benchmarks put organized MICE activity at about $4.90 billion, organized live events at $1.43 billion, commercial sports at $1.98 billion and wedding-linked household spending at about $68.2 billion.
MICE spending flows to convention venues, hotels, food and beverage businesses, transport operators, production agencies and other suppliers, then into household spending through wages and employment, the study said. Out-of-town visitors accounted for nearly three-fourths of visitor spending in the primary survey and spent more on travel and accommodation than local attendees.
MICE delegates spent two to three times more per day than leisure tourists and stayed longer. The report said 54.6 percent of surveyed visitors traveled outside their city of residence for their most recent event, while India recorded 34,086 live events in 2025.
Concerts also increased spending outside venues, according to Mastercard Economics Institute data cited in the study. In Mumbai, restaurant spending rose 21 percent on dates of concerts featuring domestic artists, compared with 13 percent for concerts featuring international artists. Government estimates cited in the report indicate that large-format live events can create about 2,000 to 5,000 temporary jobs each.
Meanwhile, the study called for single-window clearances, social protection for contract and gig workers and investment in event and hospitality infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Rating agency ICRA recently said India’s hospitality sector is expected to grow at a slower pace in fiscal 2026 after strong growth in the previous year. The West Asia conflict remains a key factor for the outlook.
