Situatie
The event landscape is evolving rapidly, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a fundamental component of successful strategy. Event leaders who aim to remain at the forefront of innovation must act now to align next year’s budgets with accelerated technological advances. According to data from this year, half of corporate professionals managing meetings plan to integrate AI in 2026. This adoption demonstrates that AI enhances data-driven experiences while complementing human creativity. A global Amex GBT survey shows that 42% of respondents expect to use AI in the coming year, with adoption particularly high in Asia-Pacific at 57%, compared to 42% in North America.
Event organizers worldwide recognize the importance of integrating technology. Updating technological capabilities is the area where 38% of respondents focus most intensely to improve their meeting programs. If budgets were to increase by 10%, 19% of planners would allocate the additional resources to technology adoption, placing AI at the top of investment priorities.
Solutie
The data explosion: How AI transforms events into ROI engines
Events generate unmatched first-party data, providing essential insights into participant preferences and behavior. With the imminent reduction of digital cookies, adopting a digital-first strategy becomes critical. Integrating AI and machine learning with event-collected data automates execution and enhances attendee experience.
Event leaders adopting a data-first mentality approach their programs as data-driven enterprises. This approach enables precise targeting and advanced personalization. Success in 2026 will depend on combining data intelligence with human insight to ensure each participant feels valued. AI is central to accurately measuring event impact and demonstrating return on investment (ROI) to management, addressing challenges created by rising costs and constrained budgets.
Personalization and operational efficiency: Applying AI across the event lifecycle
AI optimizes every stage of an event, from pre-event planning to real-time engagement. Event leaders are increasingly using AI to tailor communications at scale, deepening audience engagement and enhancing brand connection.
A B2B survey conducted earlier this year indicates AI adoption across key event functions. Half of respondents are using or planning to use AI for event data analysis, while nearly half (49%) leverage AI for participant personalization, including session recommendations and networking facilitation. Around 39% apply AI to content creation such as landing pages and email campaigns, and 44% integrate AI in pre-event management tasks including venue selection and budget administration. Generative AI adoption is also growing, with 56% of marketers planning to expand its use during in-person events, demonstrating its role as a growth driver.
Event leaders planning budgets for the coming year should allocate resources to integrated technology platforms that support AI. Such investments transform events into scalable engines of growth and data generation, ensuring measurable impact from every dollar spent.
AI enables event leaders to deliver personalized, engaging, and efficiently executed programs while providing clear metrics to justify investment decisions. Allocating budget to AI in 2026 strengthens competitiveness, enhances attendee experience, and ensures programs are prepared to meet the evolving demands of the industry.
Event leaders who invest in integrated AI platforms can turn events into scalable engines of data, engagement, and measurable impact, ensuring every dollar spent delivers value.
Curious how technology can elevate your events? Discover how Enjoee brings AI to life for organizers and participants in a live demo: enjoee.it
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