Events Industry Faces AI Adoption Gap Despite Widespread Recognition of its Value

EventsAir research finds that 72% of event professionals consider artificial intelligence valuable or essential, while 26% have yet to use it, with knowledge gaps and data security concerns among the main barriers.

Artificial intelligence is gaining recognition across the business events industry, but its practical application remains uneven. New research from event management software provider EventsAir suggests that while most event professionals see value in AI, a significant proportion have yet to incorporate it into their work.

The survey of 380 event professionals across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), and North America found that 72% consider AI valuable or essential for improving event outcomes. However, 26% reported that they were not using the technology at all.

The findings feature in AI in Events: Practical Guidance for Professional Event Planners, a guide examining current applications, the obstacles slowing adoption and approaches to implementing AI responsibly.

Marketing leads current applications

Among respondents using AI, event marketing emerged as the most frequently reported application, cited by 62.4%. Data analysis and reporting followed at 37.8%, while 15% said they used AI for logistics and operations.

Other applications included attendee engagement, reported by 14.5% of respondents, and attendee personalisation, at 13.2%.

The figures suggest that AI is already finding a place in activities such as marketing and reporting, while its application to operational planning and more personalised attendee experiences remains less widespread among those surveyed.

For event teams, the potential extends beyond content generation. AI tools can help process information, support routine administrative tasks and make event data more accessible, potentially allowing planners to devote more time to programme development, stakeholder relationships and participant experience.
 

Mehdi Khalili (cover photo), Chief AI & Technology Officer at EventsAir, identifies productivity and personalisation as two principal areas of opportunity.

The first involves using AI as an assistant for tasks such as retrieving information from event management systems, preparing post-event reports and adjusting agendas. The second concerns the ability to analyse attendee interests and use that information to develop more personalised agendas, networking opportunities and communications.

The latter could help planners address personalisation at a scale that would be difficult to achieve through manual processes alone. Its effectiveness, however, depends on the quality of the available data and how responsibly that information is used.

Knowledge and security remain barriers

Despite the perceived benefits, the research points to practical challenges that continue to limit adoption.

A lack of knowledge or expertise was identified as a barrier by 62.7% of respondents, making it the most frequently cited obstacle. Data privacy and security concerns followed at 52.9%. Cost or budget constraints were reported by 31.4%, while 24.1% cited resistance to change among staff or leadership.

The results indicate that wider adoption is not simply a question of making AI tools available. Event professionals also need the skills to assess where the technology is useful, understand its limitations and integrate it into established workflows.

Privacy and security are particularly relevant in an industry that handles registration details, attendee preferences, payment information and other potentially sensitive data. The research identifies these concerns as a significant barrier, although it does not establish which specific security issues respondents consider most pressing.

Khalili argues that the next stage of adoption should focus on developing AI literacy, identifying practical use cases and testing applications that can demonstrate meaningful value, rather than introducing the technology across every aspect of event delivery at once.

EventsAir's guide includes a beginner's playbook with role-based experiments and example prompts intended to help event professionals explore potential applications.
 

From experimentation to event operations

The findings come as event technology providers increasingly incorporate AI into management platforms. EventsAir has introduced Planner Assistant as part of its Air Intelligence suite, allowing users to interact with live and historical event data through natural-language questions.

The tool is designed to help planners retrieve information and identify operational insights without manually building reports or navigating multiple dashboards. Examples provided by the company include reviewing revenue by registration type and payment status, identifying sessions approaching capacity and, where requested, taking action such as moving a session to a larger room.

Such applications illustrate how AI could move beyond generating text or supporting marketing tasks to assist with decisions within the event planning workflow. The extent of that contribution will depend on the capabilities of individual tools, the data available and the level of human oversight retained.

For event professionals, the immediate challenge is therefore twofold: identifying tasks where AI can make a practical difference and building the expertise required to use it with confidence.

The EventsAir research also points to a distinction between recognising AI's potential and being ready to deploy it. With knowledge gaps and privacy concerns still prominent, progress may depend as much on training, governance and carefully selected use cases as on the technology itself.

EventsAir has also opened its 2027 State of Events survey, inviting event professionals worldwide to share information about their programmes and working practices. The survey is in its third year, with participants offered early access to the findings and entry into a draw for a US$200 gift card.
 

The AI in Events: Practical Guidance for Professional Event Planners guide is available free of charge from the EventsAir website.
 

Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.