Future-Proofing Events: Key Tech Trends for 2026

Event Tech Live 2025 delivered two days of some of the sharpest thinking the industry has seen, and a strong indication that 2026 will be one of the most transformative years yet for event technology. Across two days of panels, one thing became obvious: we’re no longer talking about emerging technology; we’re talking about embedded technology.

AI isn’t a side activation anymore. Immersive experiences aren’t novelties. Data governance isn’t an afterthought. And VR isn’t a shiny distraction.

Across all sessions, the same themes emerged again and again: personalisation, purpose, accessibility, emotional design and measurable impact. Here’s the definitive breakdown of the recurring trends shaping the future of event tech.

1. AI Becomes Multimodal, Human and Everywhere

Across panels, speakers emphasised a shift from AI as a tool to AI as an integrated layer of the event experience. But what came through most clearly — and what many planners miss — is that multimodal AI isn’t really about technology. It’s about reducing cognitive load.

Max Fellows from allpoints ai, described it as:

“The reality is AI isn't here to replace… It’s very much an enabler.”

This aligns with a recurring behind-the-scenes theme from vendors this year: AI’s biggest wins are invisible.

Where multimodal AI is actually delivering ROI:

• Real-time session recommendations based on attendee movement data
• Intelligent queues that dynamically redirect crowds before queues form
• AI-driven heatmaps that help organisers adjust staffing in real time
• Behaviour-based push notifications (not just schedule reminders)

This isn’t just cool tech — it’s operational optimisation at scale.

2. Personalisation at Scale: From Novelty to Infrastructure

Personalisation came up in almost every conversation, but this year’s insight was different. Panellists repeatedly emphasised that true personalisation doesn’t happen at the event. It happens before it.

Hidden trends planners aren’t talking about:

• Attendee intent scoring is becoming the new baseline for pre-event segmentation.
• Content pathways are increasingly built using AI clustering rather than manual tagging.
• Personalisation is shifting toward goal-based journey design rather than demographic profiles.

Sarah Kill from Carers UK shared, "At our most recent conference, we had less than a 10% dropout rate. Personalisation really made a huge difference… going from about an average of a 30% dropout rate down to less than 10%"

The message: personalisation isn’t a nice-to-have… It’s a revenue lever.

3. Accessibility Goes Global with Live AI Translation

One of the most transformative themes for 2026: the mainstream arrival of real-time AI translation. But here’s where it gets interesting… Planners usually think of translation as an attendee benefit, but panellists highlighted something far more strategic: that translation isn’t localisation. It’s market expansion.

Another insight was that translation tools are finally shifting from stage-only to whole-journey accessibility, including:

• Signage
• Apps
• Networking
• Safety instructions
• Q&A tools

This creates truly global-first events, not just English-led events with translated edges.

4. Immersive Tech Evolves: Emotion First, Tech Second

A powerful recurring message, immersive technology only works when it’s tied to a human emotion. But here’s what most summaries miss: emotional design is becoming data-driven.

Peter Clarke from INVNT explained:

"Ask what the human emotion is that we're trying to invent? Is it curiosity, pride, or empathy? Develop the technology around that theme. Because if you start with software tech, you'll only get noise. If you start with storing it, you'll get meaning."

Planners are beginning to use:

• Biometric feedback (heart rate, movement, dwell time)
• Sentiment analysis from facial recognition (opt-in)
• Sound-triggered emotional mapping

"I think you'll be able to track behaviour instead of feedback, and behaviour will tell you how successful they found the event." — Robin Booth, EMAP

This allows teams to design immersive experiences based on real behavioural data, not assumptions. The standout insight:

Immersion is shifting from ‘wow factor’ to ‘behaviour design’.

5. The Rise of Co-Creation: Attendees as Storytellers

Co-creation was a major theme across panels, but there’s a deeper shift planners should pay attention to. Attendees increasingly expect creative experiences. They want to shape the experience, not just consume it. The real unlock: co-created outputs have dramatically higher social amplification.

Examples shared:

• Generative music tracks are uploaded automatically to attendees’ phones
• Custom artwork instantly shareable via event apps
• Personalised AI recaps stitched using attendee-specific data

This isn’t just engagement, it’s distribution.

6. VR Steps Into Its Mature Era

VR saw a notable shift in tone: less hype, more practicality. The consensus across panels was VR’s value isn’t spectacle, it’s simulation. Because of this, VR is moving firmly into three categories:

1. Technical training (engineering, manufacturing, energy)
2. Risk-based education (health, safety, crisis response)
3. High-value sales (demoing products too large, dangerous or expensive to transport)

For 2026, the smart money is on hybrid VR, using both headset and on-screen experiences to solve the accessibility barrier.

7. Data Governance Takes Centre Stage

A consistent theme across multiple panels was that AI is advancing faster than most organisations’ governance structures. Planners face increasing pressure to demonstrate transparency, build opt-in points, protect attendee information and ensure data isn’t accidentally used to train external models. AI personalisation is only as powerful as the policies that safeguard it.

Prioritise:

• Legal alignment
• Privacy-first design
• Clear consent flows
• Audit trails
• Avoiding cross-model data leakage

The takeaway: as AI scales, so do the risks. But with robust governance, the rewards far outweigh them.

8. Event Data Becomes a Connected Ecosystem

From JPMorgan Chase’s STOA platform to CRM-integrated attendee journeys, data integration was one of the strongest cross-panel insights.

Key themes included:

• CRM-enforced invitation processes improving data quality
• Attendance rate as a primary indicator of event success
• Linking event engagement to revenue and client outcomes
• Data dashboards blending quantitative and qualitative insights

For 2026, events are no longer standalone moments; they’re data-rich touchpoints feeding broader business strategy.

9. Start Small, Scale Smart: The New Innovation Mindset

Across every panel, one message reappeared… Don’t wait for perfect. Start small, test, learn, scale. Whether implementing new AI features, trying immersive technology or experimenting with VR, planners were encouraged to adopt iterative innovation. Try to pilot one new AI feature per event: a translation feature, a micro-personalisation moment, or an AI concierge. Build internal confidence before scaling.

Final Takeaway: The Future of Event Tech Is Holistic, Human and Data-Driven

Across all panels, one overarching trend stood out. Technology is no longer the star of the show; people are.

The future is:

• Human-led
• Emotion-driven
• AI-powered
• Data-validated
• Globally accessible
• Continuously evolving

2026 will reward planners who:

• Design purpose-led immersive moments
• Build multilingual accessibility
• Strengthen data governance
• Integrate event and business intelligence
• Use AI to enhance—not replace—human creativity
• Iterate through small, strategic experiments

Events are becoming more personalised, more accessible, more measurable and more meaningful. And the planners who embrace this shift now will lead the industry into its most innovative decade yet.

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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