How to Leverage AI Trends in Event Technology: A Practical Guide for Event Professionals
Gone are the days when event management was merely about booking venues and sending out invitations.
AI in event technology is changing everything — planning events, engaging attendees, measuring success, and predicting future trends.
Artificial intelligence has become commonplace in many industries, including the events industry. The global AI market is expected to reach almost $2 trillion by 2030, reflecting an extraordinary tenfold increase from its current value of around $200 billion. This phenomenal growth underscores AI’s pervasive influence and
How can you harness these AI trends in event technology to your advantage?
Organizing a conference, trade show, or corporate event? You can use this practical guide to get insights and actionable tips on which AI technologies or AI software to use for your event.
This guide will explore some exciting AI trends that you can use for your events. We’ll also discuss how you can boost your event success with these AI trends.
Let’s jump in and discover AI’s immense potential for the event industry.
What Are Some AI Trends in Events?
Event professionals can enhance attendee experiences, streamline operations, and gain valuable insights using AI in their in-person and virtual events. Several trends have emerged that can improve attendee and organizer event experiences.
Generative AI
Generative AI creates content — images, text, audio, and video — in response to given prompts. These models train on existing data. They use this input to generate new content based on the original training data. This tech can generate realistic images or human-like text for promoting events. You can use these AI tools to reduce the time and effort you spend creating content.
What’s more, you can even create professional headshots using generative AI. You can use these for your event planning portfolio and social networking sites like LinkedIn. This approach cuts the time and costs you would spend on studio photoshoots.
Voice Recognition
Voice recognition technology lets event attendees interact with devices using their voice alone. They can have hands-free navigation through event spaces. Or they can access information — all without needing to type or scroll on a device. This technology has become an efficient tool for managing larger events.
Facial Recognition
Facial recognition software adds another layer of event personalization by recognizing individual attendees’ faces. You can use this to enhance security to ensure that only attendees are allowed to enter. Facial recognition also allows for personalized greetings and services. You can base these on preferences identified from past behavior patterns.
Predictive Analytics
Predictive analytics tools offer valuable insights into attendee behavior patterns. These insights are from before, during, and after successful digital attendee experiences.
Predictive analytics can anticipate future outcomes. You can use these data for better decision-making for event planning by looking at historical data. This technology offers valuable insights into attendee behavior patterns.
Predictive analysis enables event planners to:
- Optimize scheduling strategies
- Enhancing marketing efficiency
- Streamlining check-in processes.
Chatbots and Virtual Assistants
Chatbot technology is changing customer service. Chatbots can provide round-the-clock help without requiring human intervention. This helps ensure immediate resolution of attendee queries. The result? Greatly enhanced overall attendee satisfaction levels.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
Two key applications, AR and VR, have become popular in recent years. These are useful, especially for virtual and hybrid events with remote attendees. These innovative technologies provide highly immersive booth experiences. These experiences closely mimic physical presence at in-person events. This transforms the way digital attendees experience events.
Moreover, they offer the potential for tailoring personalized interactions for each participant. These experiences can be through custom exhibitor booths and interactive product demonstrations.
How to Leverage AI Trends in Event Technology
Here are some ways you can use these technologies to host a successful event.
Targeted Event Marketing
You can use both generative AI and predictive analysis to create compelling marketing materials for your event.
With AI content generation, you can automate the creation of eye-catching posters, engaging social media content, and persuasive email campaigns.
Using predictive analysis, you can also target audiences based on historical data and user behavior patterns. You can use it to get valuable insights into attendee preferences, behaviors, and demographics.
You can then combine these methods to tailor your marketing materials. This tailoring ensures that the messaging and visuals align with what your attendees like.
Use these 2 methods to enhance the relevance of your marketing materials. Using good marketing increases the likelihood of attracting the right audience. And ultimately leads to more successful and well-attended events.
Expedited Check-ins
Facial recognition can accurately identify guests quickly. This technology allows attendees to breeze through the check-in process. They can simply walk through the scanners or tap their smart devices.
Expediting entry for your attendees can also bolster security measures by promptly detecting unauthorized individuals.
Virtual or Hybrid Events
By using AR/VR technologies, you can host virtual or hybrid events. In these events, you can immerse the participants in the event experience. They don’t actually have to be there.
You create an engaging experience that brings people together, no matter their physical location.
Consider using AR to enhance the physical world for remote attendees. Provide them with AR apps or tools. And they can unlock interactive elements and information right in their own environment.
You can also explore VR technology to make the experience even better. With VR headsets or even just a smartphone, remote participants can enter a virtual event space, complete with 3D booths, realistic avatars, and interactive sessions.
Hybrid events are all the rage these days, so why not embrace both physical and virtual attendees? Set up VR stations at your physical event location, allowing in-person attendees to experience the virtual dimension alongside their remote counterparts.
This way, they get the best of both worlds — the energy of being there in person and the additional digital features that VR brings.
And don’t forget to include networking opportunities. With AR and VR, you can create virtual networking spaces. Participants, regardless of their location, can mingle, share insights, and make connections within these spaces.
Intelligent Floor Plans
Event organizers can use predictive analysis to craft intelligent floor plans. These floor plans can enhance the event experience. AI can analyze factors like attendee preferences, traffic patterns, and spatial constraints to optimize the layout.
You can strategically position booths, stages, seating areas, and amenities for the best engagement and flow.
Predictive analysis can predict crowd density, anticipate potential bottlenecks, and adjust the floor plan dynamically. These will ensure smooth movement and safety. Adapting to changing circumstances, AI-generated floor plans contribute to a seamless event where:
- attendees can navigate comfortably,
- exhibitors can gain optimal visibility and
- you meet the event’s objectives.
You can personalize experiences by segmenting attendees based on their interests, demographics, or professional backgrounds. So you can create tailored zones or pathways.
Personalized Experiences
Event planners can use predictive analysis to provide personalized experiences to attendees.
Predictive analysis algorithms can expect individual interests and recommend relevant sessions, exhibitors, or content. You can curate personalized schedules for each attendee, enhancing their overall experience.
AI chatbots and virtual assistants can engage with attendees, answering their queries, providing personalized recommendations, and guiding them throughout the event.
You can create customized and engaging experiences that cater to each attendee’s unique needs and interests.
Automated Scheduling
Automated scheduling tools have changed event planning.
Event organizers can streamline their scheduling processes using predictive analysis. This technology can forecast optimal scheduling scenarios. It can also analyze past data, such as peak attendance times or popular session topics.
You can use automated scheduling to:
- anticipate peak attendance times,
- minimize conflicts and overcrowding,
- tailor session durations,
- recommend personalized itineraries for attendees and
- ensure a tailored and engaging experience for each participant.
Event scheduling then becomes not just a logistical task but a strategic tool that enhances attendee satisfaction and event success.
ROI Determination
Every event organizer wants to determine if their event was successful (often known as return on investment (ROI)). You can use predictive analytics to get data about the effectiveness of your event. This technology analyzes various metrics like ticket sales trends and social media buzz before, during, and after an event.
You can use these data to measure your ROI. Then, you can make informed decisions for future events. This ensures you get the best possible returns from every dollar spent.
Instant Customer Service
Event organizers can use chatbots and virtual assistants to offer instant customer service. This customer service enhances attendees’ experience. You can integrate these systems into your event website, mobile apps, or messaging platforms. So, you give attendees instant customer service and support.
Chatbots can handle a wide range of attendee inquiries, such as:
- Providing event information
- Assisting with event registration
- Answering frequently asked questions
- Offering personalized recommendations.
Chatbots can understand and respond to attendee queries in real time. Because attendees receive prompt and accurate information, their overall satisfaction with the event increases.
You can offer personalized and instant customer service, ensuring a positive and seamless experience for attendees.
Event Navigation
Event organizers can streamline event navigation. This provides attendees with easy ways to navigate the event space using AI technology.
One AI trend that can be particularly helpful is AR/VR (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality). You can develop interactive maps and navigation systems that overlay digital information onto the real-world environment.
You can use AR/VR to create virtual walkthroughs of the event venue. Attendees can use their smartphones or AR-enabled devices to access these maps. They can then receive real-time guidance on directions, session locations, exhibitor booths, and other points of interest. They can explore and familiarize themselves with the space before the event. The result is enhanced event navigation, minimizing confusion and ensuring attendees can easily find their way around the event.
Event organizers can also use voice recognition technology to streamline event navigation. You can provide hands-free, voice-activated navigation help to attendees with this technology. Attendees can ask questions aloud, and the system can understand and respond immediately.
You can also use chatbots and virtual assistants to offer personalized navigation help to attendees. Integrate chatbot technology into event mobile apps or messaging platforms. Now, your attendees have a user-friendly interface to ask for directions, find points of interest, or get real-time updates on schedule changes. The chatbot can understand attendees’ queries and offer relevant information or guidance.
How Can You Boost Your Event Success with AI Event Trends?
You need to understand the security considerations and ethical implications of using AI.
Moving forward with AI in your events requires strategic planning.
The more you understand potential challenges, the ethics involved, and ways to ensure security while using AI in your events, the higher your chances of success.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
Familiarize yourself thoroughly with different types of AI. Gain an understanding of the different types, such as predictive analysis, AR/VR, and generative AI, that can enhance the attendee experience at your event. Understand how these technologies function before incorporating them into your plan.
You can then see any potential issues during implementation and address them proactively rather than reactively.
Align the use of artificial intelligence with specific goals. Tailor-fit its application according to what you want to achieve within an event context – whether it’s improving audience engagement or streamlining check-in processes.
You shouldn’t adopt cutting-edge tech just to use tech. You should be strategic in using it. You want to use innovation where you will get the most out of its use. You want to get the most bang for your buck, so to speak.
Educate yourself on relevant legal frameworks and ethical considerations surrounding AI usage. You must follow regulations like GDPR if hosting events within Europe or CCPA for California audiences.
Provide clear disclaimers at registration points detailing how you will use attendees’ details throughout an event. Disclaimers, after all, are required under GDPR rules. These rules require explicit consent before collecting any form of personal info from EU citizens attending your events.
You must be transparent about the data collection methods you use. This transparency helps build attendees’ trust.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to use AI to maximize your events’ potential and gain attendees’ trust — all leading to successful events.
Select the event tech that you want to enhance. Then, use the correct AI tool to create a memorable event experience.
Be strategic in how you are using AI technology. And don’t forget the follow GDPR and CCPA regulations.
With the right knowledge and tools, you can use AI to guarantee your next event is awesome.
The author Ellen Cibula is the founder of EllenCibula.com. She helps businesses with financial technology, security, and payments. She has over 15 years of experience in the financial technology industry.
About the Author / Ana Almeida
