Elevate Your Events: The 2026 Guide to Adopting Smart Technology

:Smart technology is no longer just a buzzword in the events world. In 2025, it became one of the most powerful tools available to event professionals, helping to save time, cut costs and deliver better experiences for attendees.

Technology isn’t replacing event professionals. Instead, it’s amplifying what you do best... designing memorable, meaningful experiences. The real opportunity lies in using smart tools to take away repetitive work, surface data-driven insights and create more personalised journeys for attendees.

The Big Picture: Where Smart Tech Stands Now

Smart technology is already embedded across the industry. A recent survey from Zipdo and Gitnux found:

• 63% of event planners use AI to increase attendee engagement
• Up to 80% of attendee queries are now answered by chatbots
• 70% of organisers deliver personalised experiences through AI-driven tools
• AI analytics can raise ROI by as much as 30%
• Automation is projected to save the industry over USD 15 billion in 2025

These findings align with what industry leaders are seeing on the ground. At Event Tech Live's "Practical Applications for AI in Events" panel, Mohammad Yunus from VFairs revealed that AI adoption has reached a tipping point, with 45% of event organisers now actively using AI tools, while over one third are customising attendee content with AI for better engagement.

This tells us something important: these technologies are not a future trend. They’re already reshaping how events are planned and delivered today. For those wanting more depth, we cover this in our guide on Exploring the Impact of AI on Events.

Real-World Impact: What Leading Organisations Are Achieving

The shift from theory to practice is evident in how companies are measuring success. VFairs, which dedicates a team of 30 AI specialists within its 270-person company, has achieved measurable productivity gains by enabling the same staff to manage more events. Their AI chatbots now answer up to 95% of attendee queries, dramatically reducing email volume and freeing staff for strategic work.

At JP Morgan Chase, the impact is even more tangible. Speaking at the "From Insight to Impact" panel, Felicity Saras explained how their events team integrated the STOA platform across multiple business lines to create a unified, data-driven event management system. By aligning event strategies with business priorities and measuring incremental benefits of attendees versus invitees, they've been able to demonstrate clear revenue impact—shifting the conversation from defensive budget requests to proactive business partnership.

Smarter Planning and Delivery

Event planning has always been detail-heavy. Timelines, budgets, logistics and suppliers all demand attention. AI is now taking on much of this legwork:

• Aisle Planner generates schedules, budgets and supplier matches in seconds
• Zkipster streamlines guest management with fast check-in and CRM integration
• Stova adapts hybrid and virtual formats dynamically, based on predicted engagement levels
• Eventbrite recommends dates, times and prices most likely to succeed

But not all technology is event-specific. Many platforms are built on generic datasets, which means planners still need to provide detailed prompts and context to get value. That’s where Hire Space 360 stands apart.

Built on over a billion pounds of event enquiries, it combines venue sourcing, booking and event support in one streamlined package. The platform already contains the context and data points unique to the events industry, so it can deliver tailored results without the heavy lifting.

Beyond venue search, the platform’s new AI-powered assistant can respond to briefs in real time, recommend best-fit venues, negotiate with suppliers and even build proposals automatically. These features cut the event planning cycle from weeks to hours.

Pre-Event Automation Tools

Industry professionals are also leveraging specialised tools for targeted outreach. Mohammad Yunus recommended Clay as an essential tool for building targeted sponsor and buyer lists at scale by combining LinkedIn, ZoomInfo and email campaign data. For presentation creation, tools like Gamma can reduce initial draft time from hours to under three minutes, while workflow automation platforms such as Relay enable personalised attendee meeting recommendations based on registration data.

Smart Content, Marketing and Engagement

The other side of events is communication, and technology is just as powerful here. The challenge is no longer creating content, but creating content that is relevant, timely and engaging.

• Spark (by Gevme & PCMA) produces instant event summaries and takeaways so delegates leave with clear insights
• Grip helps attendees make the most of their time by matching them to the right people and sessions
• Murf and Synthesia create professional voiceovers and multilingual videos that would once have required full production teams
• DALL·E, Canva Magic Studio and Adobe Firefly give planners the ability to design visuals and branding in minutes
• Runway Gen-2 brings video production within reach of even the smallest budgets
• Omneky and Predis.ai power marketing campaigns and social listening, ensuring planners can spot trends, adjust messaging and build momentum in real time

Video Content: Adapting to Shorter Formats

The way audiences consume video content is evolving rapidly. Hannah Van Nostren, Senior Content Production Manager at CTO Craft, shared at the "Technology Crystal Ball" panel that on LinkedIn, short 15-30 second videos get significantly more engagement than longer formats. While longer videos still serve a purpose for websites and newsletters, they're increasingly viewed as "fluff pieces" rather than high-engagement content. This shift is driving event teams to focus on bite-sized, snappy content that captures attention quickly.

The takeaway? Smart technology isn’t just saving time. It’s levelling the playing field, giving smaller teams access to capabilities once reserved for those with big budgets.

Enhancing Attendee Experience and Accessibility

Perhaps the most exciting impact of intelligent tools is on the attendee experience itself.

• Personalisation at scale: Platforms like Grip and Stova recommend sessions and connections tailored to each individual.
• Live translations and captions: Tools such as Wordly and Kudo provide instant transcription and multilingual translation, helping non-native speakers engage fully with both in-person and virtual sessions.
• Smarter navigation: AI-powered route planners help delegates move around large venues, taking into account accessibility needs, personal preferences or even live crowd data.
• Always-on support: Chat assistants can provide round-the-clock help, answering questions about directions, sessions or accessibility requirements.
• Neuroinclusive design: Tools like EventWell flag environments that may be overstimulating and suggest layout, lighting or sound adjustments to create calmer, more inclusive spaces.

Breaking Language Barriers

Language accessibility is becoming a reality at scale. At Event Tech Live, Colin from the "AI as the Catalyst" panel revealed that AI translations are being tested for up to 10 languages, allowing attendees to listen in their preferred language through headphones. This technology is already being deployed at major events, particularly targeting EMEA audiences, and addresses a significant barrier for non-native speakers.

VFairs has also implemented voice AI solutions for customer support to handle off-hours inquiries, with their AI voice assistant handling 90% of inbound queries outside business hours—such as pricing and product information—while maintaining a human fallback for complex issues.

This is where smart technology moves from back-of-house efficiency to front-of-house transformation, shaping how people actually feel and engage at events.

How to Begin Your Smart Tech Journey

The question for planners is not whether technology will change the industry, but how to start making it work for you. A phased approach works best:

1. Start small – use tools for quick wins like drafting copy or generating visuals
2. Automate attendee touchpoints – chatbots and networking tools save time and add value
3. Experiment with content creation – video and audio tools can extend your marketing reach
4. Adopt analytics – platforms like Cvent, Hire Space 360 and Eventbrite offer deeper insights into what works and why
5. Focus on value for attendees – tools like Spark turn data into personalised insights that enhance the delegate journey

The learning curve is lighter than many expect, and most tools are designed with simplicity in mind.

Looking Ahead: What to Expect in 2026

The story of smart technology in events doesn’t end here. Over the next few years, we can expect:

• AI-led sustainability tools: Carbon tracking is becoming automated, with AI recommending greener venues, suppliers and travel options. This is not just a future trend; it’s already happening. Take a look at our blog on how AI is transforming sustainability in the events industry.
• Real-time adaptive agendas: Agendas will shift dynamically based on engagement data, so sessions are extended, shortened or reshaped in the moment.
• AI co-creators: Generative AI will move beyond content production into creative direction, helping design event themes, set concepts and even speaker scripts.
• Immersive AI experiences: Expect more AI-driven VR and AR environments that blend digital and physical seamlessly.
• Ethical AI frameworks: As adoption grows, industry standards will emerge around bias, transparency and responsible use, ensuring AI serves all audiences fairly.

The Future is More Human, Not Less

At the "Death of Imagination" panel, Anton Notman from allpoints AI offered a compelling vision: by 2035, technology will be less visible, seamlessly working in the background to enable deeper human connection and hyper-personalised experiences. Content will become fully adaptive, with technology knowing who you are and what you need—even telling you when to leave the house to get to the event on time.

Max Fellows emphasised that AI is enabling agencies to complete about 60% of a typical two-week pitch process in an afternoon, generating 100 ideas instead of three or four. However, he stressed that humans remain essential as "conductors" of AI—providing understanding, exploration, direction, refinement, and final decision-making.

In short, technology will move from supporting individual tasks to orchestrating whole event ecosystems. To read more on The Future of Event Tech, check out our latest blog.

Smart technology is reshaping the events industry in real time. It is improving efficiency, driving smarter decision-making and opening new creative possibilities. Most importantly, it is helping organisers deliver experiences that are more personal, more inclusive and more memorable.

For planners, the real opportunity is to embrace AI not as a threat but as a partner. The professionals who experiment now, adopt selectively and focus on attendee value will be the ones who set the standard for events in the years ahead.

And for those looking for a practical first step, Hire Space 360 offers a ready-made way to bring intelligent, events-specific technology into your planning process today. Book a call with our team today.

Author

Gemma Baker

Gemma loves all things social media and keeps busy by creating lots of Hire Space content. When she’s not creating content, you'll find her shopping, exploring or at the gym!

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