The macroeconomic impacts of geopolitical events, such as pandemics, inflation, labor shortages, lack of access to capital, lack of consumer confidence, supply chain disruptions, and market volatility can pose risks to our and our customers’ business. Uncertainty about the duration of these negative macroeconomic conditions have impacted fiscal and monetary policy, including increases in interest rates, increased labor costs, and decreased corporate and consumer spending. The effects from a broadening or protracted extension of these conditions could result in a decrease in overall economic activity, hinder economic growth, or cause a recession in the United States or in the global economy. We sell our products throughout the United States, as well as in several international countries, commercial and non-profit customers. As a result, our business may be harmed by factors in the United States and other countries such as disruptions in financial markets; reductions in spending, or downturns in economic activity in specific countries or regions, or in the various industries in which we operate; social, political, or labor conditions in specific countries or regions; or adverse changes in the availability and cost of capital, interest rates, tax rates, or regulations. Further economic weakness and uncertainty may result in significantly decreased spending on our event marketing and management solutions, which may adversely affect harm our business.
Our business depends on discretionary corporate spending. Negative macroeconomic conditions may adversely affect our customers’ businesses and reduce our customers’ operating expense budgets, which could result in reduced demand for our product offerings or cancellations, increased demands for pricing accommodations or higher rates of delays in collection of, or losses on, our accounts receivable, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial position. During periods of economic slowdown and recession, consumers have historically reduced their discretionary spending, and our ability to sign new customers, and to upsell to and renew contracts with our existing customers may be significantly impacted. Additionally, challenging economic conditions also may impair the ability of our customers to pay for products and services they have purchased. As a result, our cash flow may be negatively impacted and our allowance for credit losses and write-offs of accounts receivable may increase. If we are unable to offset any decrease in revenue by increasing sales to new or existing customers, or otherwise offset higher costs through price increases, our revenue may decline. The extent to which the ongoing impacts of these negative macroeconomic conditions will impact our business, results of operations, and financial position is uncertain and will depend on political, social, economic, and regulatory factors that are outside of our control, including actions that may be taken by regulators and businesses (including our customers) in response to the macroeconomic uncertainty. Our business and financial performance may be unfavorably impacted in future periods if a significant number of our customers are unable to continue as viable businesses or they significantly reduce their operating budgets, or if there is a reduction in business confidence and activity, a decrease in government, corporate and consumer spending, or a decrease in growth in the overall market, among other factors.
Our business and financial performance are affected by the health of the worldwide meetings and events industry. Meetings and events are sensitive to business-related discretionary spending levels and tend to grow more slowly or even decline during economic downturns. Decreased expenditures by marketers and participants could also result in decreased demand for our product offerings, thereby causing a reduction in our sales. The impact of economic slowdowns on our business is difficult to predict, but has and may continue to result in reductions in events and our ability to generate revenue.