AI for Event Planning: What Event Professionals Are Truly Doing With It (and What They’re Not) | InEvent

Imagine a robotic helper that by no means will get drained. It can write, kind, rely and plan in a couple of seconds. Sounds superb, proper? But does it actually work that means for the individuals who plan actual occasions, with actual purchasers, actual budgets and actual deadlines?

We needed a straight reply. So on the InEvent Open House on October 8, 2026, known as “The AI Narrative vs. AI Reality,” our co-founder Vinni Neris sat down with two individuals who use AI for occasion planning of their every day work: Katie McIntyre, Director of Technical Architecture at Opus Agency in Portland, Oregon, and Wendy Porter, Founder and Chief Event Strategist at Wendy Porter Events in Minneapolis.

The brief model: AI helps so much when the info is nice and an individual stays answerable for the consequence. That is our view too, and the remainder of this text explains why. The narrative says AI will do all the pieces. The actuality is quieter, and we predict extra helpful. AI is a powerful helper for the roles no person enjoys and a poor boss for the roles that want a human.

Below are the true examples Katie and Wendy shared, plus our tackle every. Want the product view too? Read about synthetic intelligence in occasion administration at InEvent.

What is the distinction between generative AI and agentic AI?

Generative AI makes issues whenever you ask. Agentic AI can take a job and do it by itself.

Generative AI responds to your prompts and tries to match what you requested for. It could ask you questions alongside the way in which. Agentic AI has some autonomy: you hand over a request, and it decides its personal subsequent steps and acts on them with out checking in each time. Like Katie mentioned, the clue is within the title. Agentic AI has company, which suggests it could possibly act by itself.

Here is a solution to image it. Say you ask a helper for a birthday card. A generative helper asks, “What color should the sun be?” and waits in your reply. An agentic helper hears “make a birthday card,” then picks the colours, attracts the image and arms you the completed card. (That instance is ours, not Katie’s.)

Why does this matter? We assume it is among the most helpful variations to know, as a result of it adjustments what you owe the device. The extra a device decides by itself, the extra it’s essential to test its work. Keep that in thoughts, as a result of it comes up once more under. Want the technical model? IBM has a clear explainer on agentic AI vs. generative AI.

Is AI a risk or a chance for occasion professionals?

It is each, and which one you get will depend on who’s holding the device. Wendy leans towards alternative. Katie answered “yes” to each.

Wendy appears to be like at AI as a enterprise proprietor. She needs it to take over the guide, time-hungry elements of operating an organization, like going by her emails every day and itemizing what wants a follow-up. Less busywork means extra time for the elements solely she will be able to do.

Katie’s hammer is the image we preserve coming again to. A hammer could be very helpful to a talented carpenter. In Katie’s personal arms, she joked, it means a fast journey to the emergency room. Same device, totally different consequence, as a result of talent and intention change the result. Would you hand a hammer to somebody who has by no means constructed something and count on a home? Probably not.

Our take: we land with Wendy on alternative, with Katie’s warning connected. Vinni made the same level through the session. Every new know-how brings a chance, and a risk for anybody who doesn’t reply. Event professionals have already discovered loads of new instruments over the previous decade, and AI is the following one. We’ve written extra about the place AI is taking the occasion business. Our information to AI developments in occasion know-how reveals what’s already on the market. The greatest a part of the job can be the half AI can’t do. Events are the place the private facet prospers, and human interplay will not be one thing a machine can substitute.

How are occasion planners truly utilizing AI immediately?

They use it for the sluggish, repeat-it-again work, then add their very own judgment on high. Here are six actual examples from the session. What struck us is how unglamorous they’re, and we imply that as a praise. There isn’t any robotic butler right here, simply hours handed again.

1. Project plans, budgets and summaries

Wendy makes use of AI to construct venture plans, draft budgets and write notes and summaries, the guide jobs that eat a lot time in occasions. Here is a tip from the session: AI can take the plan from an older, related occasion and replace it for immediately’s. Add the important thing dates, and it could possibly work backward to fill in the remainder.

It will not be magic, although. The day earlier than the Open House, Wendy gave AI her personal price range template plus a shopper’s numbers and requested it to fill the template in. It “didn’t actually do as well as I had hoped,” she admitted, and she or he plans to coach the device extra. For now, it’s hit and miss.

This was our favourite second of the entire session. Anyone can present an ideal demo. A professional with years of expertise admitting {that a} check fell brief tells you much more about the place AI actually stands immediately.

2. Proposals and RFPs

A proposal is the doc you write to win a shopper’s enterprise. Assessing a request and writing one used to take Wendy about 30 hours. Now it takes about 5 (“let’s say,” she added), a determine she plans to trace by loading in timesheets from previous occasions. Even as a tough estimate, that may be a huge hole. It lets her reply extra requests, quicker, and get some work-life stability again.

Katie’s group takes a extra hands-on route: let AI get you a couple of quarter of the way in which there, then usher in individuals. “Human passion is just about the most attractive thing on the planet,” she says, and she or he would fortunately hearken to somebody discuss their stamp assortment for hours if they honestly liked it. Proposals work the identical means.

So what occurs in that first quarter? AI lays the inspiration: who the shopper is, what they’ve needed prior to now, and the way your providers line up. Then individuals add the half that wins the work.

We agree with Katie. In our view, the sensible query will not be “How much of this can AI write?” It is “Which part should only a human write?” For extra on writing proposals, see our occasion proposal information.

Ready to construct your individual? Our occasion RFP template information covers the customer’s facet of the method, and our occasion proposal template offers companies a construction for responding.

3. Boring setup work with no choices in it

Katie’s favourite use is occasion logistics. She used to sort a thousand selections right into a dropdown menu, one after the other. With newer connections known as MCPs (they let AI instruments work inside different software program), she will be able to now hand over a listing and say, “please add these.” It is “literally put thing A into place B.”

Why does that excite her? That job wants no human curiosity, as a result of there isn’t any choice in it. We assume that makes a terrific rule of thumb. If a activity has no choices in it, hand it to AI. If it takes judgment, preserve it for your self.

4. Finding info hiding in 50 locations

Planning an occasion means gathering particulars from all over the place: a prospectus from the present proprietor, emails from purchasers, messages from distributors. Wendy counts about 50 locations she has to toggle between to drag the puzzle collectively. She hopes agentic AI can scan all of it, pull out the essential nuggets and drop them into one venture plan. Think of a tidy-up helper for a really messy desk. We assume this can be the place agentic AI earns its preserve for occasion groups. It will not be flashy. It merely gathers scattered info so individuals can get on with pondering.

5. Spotting blind spots

Clients with well-organized information get probably the most out of AI, Katie has discovered. They use it to problem their very own assumptions and to floor issues that “quietly fell off the grid” years in the past with out anybody noticing. Run the identical occasion yr after yr, and people gaps get simple to overlook.

AI is excellent at discovering patterns. So her purchasers additionally use it to check final yr’s attendance, plan schedules, shut the gaps between periods, select session lengths, and analysis markets, worth factors and rivals.

Here is our take: that is the strongest argument for getting your information so as. A device that finds patterns throughout years can solely work with years of knowledge you’ll be able to belief.

6. Choosing who will get the VIP invite

Every occasion with an government program has the identical downside: every salesperson argues that their shopper deserves a seat. Katie described a fairer method. Take your CRM information (the information of who your clients are and what they do), make it partly nameless for privateness, and ask AI who is definitely lively and exhibiting indicators they wish to purchase. You cease selecting the particular person with the fanciest job title or probably the most well-known firm. She known as this a “silo buster,” as a result of it will get groups out of their separate corners and looking out on the identical details.

We like this one as a result of it swaps workplace politics for proof. We would nonetheless need an individual to make the ultimate visitor listing.

Where does AI save occasion planners probably the most time?

The viewers guessed content material. The two consultants picked logistics and planning. In our dwell ballot, attendees selected content material and communications first, then information reporting and follow-up.

Katie and Wendy gave totally different solutions. Katie picked logistics, for the thousand-options motive above. Wendy picked venture planning, estimating how lengthy a job will take, and budgets. She additionally likes AI for brainstorming and for sharpening her writing. A math main by coaching, she doesn’t consider herself as a terrific author. But she is aware of what she needs to say, and AI helps her tighten it so it feels like her, solely crisper.

Surprised? Our guess is that content material is the seen work, so it will get the eye, whereas the unseen jobs quietly give probably the most time again.

We see the identical factor with follow-ups at InEvent. A generic “thanks for coming” e mail is simple to ship and simple to disregard. We have been attempting one thing totally different with commerce present leads. We have a look at what conversations we had with a lead, and which periods or dinners they joined. Then AI helps us write a message about what they really skilled. The purpose is a follow-up that feels private, not copied. For starter templates, see our post-event e mail information. Working commerce reveals? Our information to tradeshow lead administration covers the entire journey, from capturing a result in nurturing it.

What separates groups that get actual worth from AI?

Good information, clear intentions and curiosity. That is Katie’s formulation, and it’s the drum she bangs at any time when AI comes up. We assume she is correct, and the order issues.

Start with the info. “I don’t want to have the AI conversation with you if we haven’t already had the data conversation,” Katie says. It is a case of rubbish in, rubbish out. Think of baking a cake: begin with spoiled eggs, and no oven on this planet can put it aside. Some of her purchasers feed AI messy info, get messy solutions, and determine AI is a rip-off. “It’s not the tool,” as she places it. “It’s the wielder.”

Then add the previous. AI can’t predict the long run by itself. It wants context, like what a shopper requested for earlier than and what occurred at earlier occasions. We have seen this in our personal work. Our group makes use of AI to identify the questions clients preserve asking and the locations the place our solutions fall brief.

Next, know what you need. Katie’s purchasers with the perfect outcomes know what they’re in search of, after which let AI kind the wheat from the chaff. An individual nonetheless has to style the wheat and say, “Yes, this is good.”

Finally, play. Curiosity and experimenting assist individuals get snug with these instruments, Katie agrees, so long as you go in with a reasonably clear concept of what you wish to discover. Our recommendation: strive issues, however know your purpose.

Which AI instruments do occasion planners use?

There isn’t any single winner, and we predict that’s the trustworthy reply. Katie’s view is that the perfect device will depend on the job. Here is what every particular person makes use of.

• Wendy makes use of ChatGPT. She began there, and she or he has a lot info inbuilt that she is reluctant to change. Recently she had it lay out a menu for a shopper, then moved the consequence into Canva to tidy it up and make it excellent. ChatGPT’s graphics have improved so much since final yr, she observed. AI gave her a fast place to begin, and she or he added the human ending touches.
• Katie makes use of a number of AI instruments and likes to pit them towards one another. She will inform one device what one other one mentioned and ask what it thinks. Each has its personal persona, she jokes. She additionally enjoys Adobe Firefly for photos.
• At InEvent, our group works in Google Workspace, the place Gemini helps us make shows and pull in information from Google Drive and e mail.

So which device do you have to choose? Katie’s reply was trustworthy, and a bit of humorous. She sometimes doesn’t suggest “a hammer unless I understand the carpenter.” Whether one device beats one other will depend on what you want, how a lot you wish to change the completed product afterward, and what you’re keen to pay.

Our take: cease asking “Which AI is best?” and begin asking “Which job do I need done?” These instruments additionally change quick, as Wendy’s graphics instance reveals, so immediately’s favourite will not be subsequent yr’s.

How ought to occasion groups deal with AI, information privateness and transparency?

Be open about it, let individuals select what they share, and produce it up early. Would you hand your diary to a stranger with out asking first? Attendees really feel the identical means about their info.

Katie’s method is transparency and empowerment. Let attendees determine how a lot of their info your AI will get to see. Plan easy methods to anonymize the info earlier than it arrives, so you’ll be able to slice it in a means that protects every particular person’s privateness. And have an actual solution to act when somebody asks to choose out. She additionally named a worry that goes past information leaks: the web may construct a convincing pretend model of you out of your information, one which could be very exhausting to disprove.

Wendy retains guardrails in place so her work stays personal and doesn’t feed the broader studying fashions. She anonymizes information wherever she will be able to, so she will get the final patterns she wants with out pinning something to a named particular person. And she believes these talks belong on the very begin of a shopper relationship.

She was trustworthy about one hole. When Vinni requested whether or not she tells purchasers that she makes use of AI, she admitted these conversations haven’t occurred a lot but, and that they should.

This will not be solely a small-team query. BizBash’s report from Dreamforce 2026 reveals one of many greatest conferences in tech dealing with the identical difficulty. An government at Left Field Labs, the experiential company behind the present ground, mentioned the manufacturers that deal with AI controversy greatest don’t gloss over it. They face it head-on.

Our take: put AI and information on the kickoff agenda, proper subsequent to price range and timeline. The dialog feels awkward solely the primary time, and it protects everybody’s belief. If your group has not had it but, you’re in good firm, and now is an effective time to begin.

What ought to AI not substitute in occasions?

Human evaluation and human connection. Both visitors agreed that AI ought to by no means run on autopilot, and that face-to-face occasions will not be going anyplace.

Wendy’s story reveals why. A shopper as soon as despatched her analysis with the be aware, “Here’s what I found.” When Wendy double-checked it, the data was improper. The AI had pulled very previous details, and the shopper was about to decide based mostly on them. Her rule is easy: “anything it spits out, it needs human oversight and review.” Think of AI as a really quick pupil. It arms in homework in seconds, however somebody nonetheless has to test the solutions.

Relationships matter too. “I don’t think we’re ever going to get away from face to face events,” Wendy says, and we agree. Human engagement is human engagement, and no device replaces it. That is why we like instruments that assist attendees discover the best individuals to satisfy, reminiscent of AI-powered matchmaking. The device suggests the match. The dialog continues to be human.

Then Katie requested the query we preserve fascinated by. Instead of “What can AI do?”, she asks, “What should it do?” She described an concept she had examine: an AI assistant that works like a contextual pockets. It is aware of what you want, appears to be like by the session listing, picks the perfect periods for you and even books them. That sounds helpful, like one other door into the occasion. But as Katie puzzled, “At what point does it stop being a door and start being a gatekeeper at the door?”

Imagine your AI decides you don’t like sponsors, so it by no means reveals you something from them. What do the sponsors and exhibitors get for his or her cash? Our take: this is among the greatest open questions in occasion know-how, and anybody constructing these instruments ought to take it significantly. Katie admitted she doesn’t have a remaining reply but. For how personalization works when attendees give their authorization, see our put up on AI and customized attendee experiences.

She additionally made a case for retaining a bit of friction. Friction is the bumpy, sluggish a part of studying, like working towards a talent till it sticks. “Friction is how we learn,” she says. As an online developer, she doesn’t memorize each element, as a result of she is aware of the place to look issues up. But handing off all the pieces makes the expertise much less human, much less helpful and fewer memorable.

We assume she is onto one thing. Remove the friction from chores, like typing a thousand dropdown choices. Keep it the place studying and connection occur, like conversations and discovery.

How can occasion planners begin utilizing AI?

Start small, begin with clear information, and preserve an individual in cost. If you’re questioning easy methods to use AI for occasion planning, listed below are six steps drawn straight from what Katie, Wendy and Vinni shared. If you solely do one, do the primary.

1. Have the info dialog first. Before you strive AI, test that your info is organized and reliable. Good components make a superb cake.
2. Begin with boring, no-decision jobs. Importing lists, updating an previous venture plan and writing summaries are good locations to begin.
3. Let AI get you a part of the way in which. Then add your individual voice, your ardour and what makes your group totally different.
4. Check all the pieces it offers you, particularly analysis. Old or improper details can look very convincing.
5. Agree on privateness and AI-use guidelines with purchasers at first. Anonymize information the place you’ll be able to, and provides attendees a say in what they share.
6. Stay curious and match the device to the job. Try issues out, however know what you are attempting to get completed first.

Frequently requested questions

1. How can you utilize AI for occasion planning?

According to the Open House visitors, planners use AI for venture plans, budgets, summaries, first drafts of proposals, importing lists and pulling scattered particulars into one plan. They recommend beginning with repetitive jobs that want no choices, then reviewing all the pieces the AI produces earlier than it goes out.

2. Will AI substitute occasion planners?

The visitors didn’t predict that. Wendy known as AI a chance, whereas Katie mentioned it’s each a risk and a chance, relying on the talent and intention of the particular person utilizing it. Both mentioned AI output wants human evaluation, and Wendy mentioned face-to-face connection can’t be changed.

3. What is the distinction between generative AI and agentic AI?

Katie defined that generative AI responds to your prompts and tries to match what you ask for. Agentic AI has some autonomy: it takes a request and acts by itself, with out checking in at each step. Because of that, agentic AI wants cautious evaluation of its work.

4. What instruments do occasion planners use for AI?

Wendy makes use of ChatGPT for writing, concepts and first drafts, then finishes designs in Canva. Katie makes use of a number of instruments, together with Adobe Firefly for photos. Vinni mentioned InEvent makes use of Gemini by Google Workspace. Katie confused that the perfect device will depend on the use case.

5. What information do you want earlier than utilizing AI in occasions?

Katie mentioned to have the info dialog earlier than the AI dialog, as a result of poor information produces poor outcomes. Clients with mature, well-organized information use AI to search out gaps of their assumptions and patterns throughout years. Both visitors additionally advisable anonymizing attendee info the place doable.

Join us on the subsequent Open House

The greatest a part of this session was the trustworthy back-and-forth, and we wish extra of it. Join us on the subsequent InEvent Open House to listen to occasion leaders discuss what’s working, what will not be, and what’s nonetheless a giant query mark. And in case you are curious how AI suits into occasion software program, discover AI in occasion administration at InEvent.