AI in Events: Promise vs. Reality

According to Conrad Mills, Principal Analyst, and Hannah Jachim, Researcher, AI has the potential to revolutionize event planning and execution. However, Forrester’s Q1 2025 State Of B2B Events Survey indicates that its adoption is currently limited. While some leaders express cautious optimism, concerns persist regarding safety, privacy, and vendor capabilities. One event leader described AI as “more of a promise than a reality.”

Survey data reveals that event content creation is the most common AI application, with 39% of respondents using AI to build event landing pages and write emails, and 21% leveraging it to repurpose content post-event. Usage varies: 47% of midsized organizations use AI for content creation, compared to 29% of the largest enterprises. In the financial services sector, only 19% use AI for this purpose, versus 40% of high-tech and telecommunications companies.

Attendee Experience

Only 7–15% of organizations currently use AI to enhance attendee experience through targeting, personalization, and assistance. Leaders prioritize AI for productivity and efficiency, expressing reservations about AI directly interacting with attendees. However, over 40% see significant potential but have no immediate plans to implement it.

Tech Budgets

Organizations with larger event technology budgets are more likely to have adopted AI and are exploring advanced applications. Among those spending over $250,000 annually on event technology, 68% use (or plan to use) AI for data analysis, compared to 39% of lower-spending organizations. High-tech spenders are also more likely to use AI to directly impact attendees, while low-tech spenders focus on AI for simple content creation, with 55% prioritizing this.

Enterprise event tech leaders are dissatisfied with vendor AI claims, leading some to develop their own AI capabilities. Younger marketers are enthusiastic about AI’s potential, especially in attendee assistance, predictive intelligence, and personalization, but older generations currently control adoption plans. Despite slow adoption, AI holds undeniable promise for event management. Some are experimenting with facial recognition to gauge attendee sentiment. As comfort with AI grows and its capabilities evolve, it will transform B2B events, enabling smarter, more personalized experiences. For now, AI remains a promise, but event teams must act to avoid being left behind.