LiveCom Alliance (LCA) has released its European Industry Survey Follow-Up on internationalisation in live communication. The results show cross-border activity is accelerating, but many internationally active companies are reaching capacity limits and facing growing regulatory complexity. The sector needs stronger collective support to scale internationally.
Internationalisation is expanding
The initial survey, released in June 2025, established internationalisation as a major growth driver for the European live communication industry, with 56.6% of companies internationally active and an average 24% of revenue from outside the domestic market. The follow-up shows this trajectory is continuing. The findings indicate that nearly two-thirds of the sector is internationally active or expanding.
International growth is client-led, built through learning by doing
The study shows that client-driven internationalisation is a key success factor. Companies follow existing customers into new markets and build capabilities through learning-by-doing rather than rigid, predefined international growth plans.
Shared knowledge and strong networks
“The studies show the European live communication industry is reaching a turning point,” says Maarten Schram, founder & managing director of LiveCom Alliance. “For a majority of the sector, internationalisation is now a reality, but it comes with growing complexity and increasing pressure on organisations. There is no single blueprint for success: what works is phased growth, shared knowledge and strong networks. Learning from and working with each other is therefore a critical success factor for internationalisation. That’s where collective, pan-European initiatives like LiveCom Alliance can make a difference.”
Five internationalisation pathways across the sector
As stated earlier, the follow-up study shows that nearly two-thirds of the sector is internationally active or expanding. The study identifies five distinct development clusters, demonstrating that internationalisation is not a binary choice. It’s a progression with different speeds and support needs:
– Inward-focused companies: 13.5%
– National operators: 13.5%
– Aspiring explorers: 8.7%
– International players: 37.5%
– International advancers: 26.9%
Capacity pressure and rising complexity
Companies cite bottlenecks holding back further expansion, including:
– uncertainty around sustainable revenue growth
– limited capacity and resources
– complex requirements related to regulation, taxation, and staff secondment
– difficulty securing reliable local partners with equivalent quality and language capability
Strengthening international scale through strategic partnership Spotler
LiveCom Alliance announces a new strategic supporting partnership with Spotler, a European marketing technology group with over 350 employees and an established presence in Germany. Through its event management solutions Momice and Let’s Get Digital, with Let’s Get Digital already having a strong footprint in the German market, Spotler is further strengthening its position, building on the close connection between the Dutch and German event industries. The partnership was announced at BOE International in Dortmund, where LiveCom Alliance is an established partner., The partnership reflects the study’s findings that internationally active organisations increasingly need shared tools, data and reliable cross-border support to manage growth and complexity.
“Germany is a logical next step for us,” says Jasper Werkman, Business Unit Director Events at Spotler. “Together with LiveCom Alliance, we aim to support organisers operating internationally through technology, data and strong networks.”
A call for collective, pan-European support
A consistent message from the study is the need for stronger collective support. Particularly, access to trusted international networks, practical market knowledge, best practices, and hands-on legal, regulatory and operational guidance. Organisations in earlier internationalisation phases also ask for orientation on where to start and how to scale sustainably.
About the 2025 European Industry Survey and Follow-Up
Both studies were conducted by the renowned German R.I.F.E.L. Institute. The data were collected across multiple European markets to ensure a broad industry perspective. The follow-up study was conducted in autumn 2025 as an online survey among 176 companies (both organisers/agencies and suppliers) in eight European countries. It builds on LiveCom Alliance’s 2025 European Industry Survey, focusing on internationalisation as a strategic growth theme.
Find out more about the Livecom Alliance here.
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