Technology Integration in Event Coordination

Earlier this week, I saw something that might end one of my frustrations as an audience member watching a speaker: scribbling illegible notes while trying to capture a bad phone photo of an interesting PowerPoint slide. At Cvent Connect in San Antonio, thousands of attendees experienced a breakthrough in real-time speech transcription. As speakers talked, their words appeared instantly in the event app with virtually zero lag. When someone heard something worth remembering, they simply tapped a button—and the system captured a full minute of context around that moment. According to McNeel Keenan, Cvent's VP of Product Management, a future version of the app will capture the accompanying visual, like a PowerPoint slide, along with the text. I like this. No scribbling in the dark required. No trying to remember what my cryptic note was supposed to mean later on. Instead, one click saves a few paragraphs of what the speaker said, labeled and summarized by AI. This feature has another benefit: it reduces cognitive load. When you're simultaneously trying to listen, write, and photograph content, your brain is managing multiple competing tasks. What happens? You often miss the insights you're trying to capture. Cvent's solution eliminates this friction. Attendees can focus 100% of their cognitive capacity on listening and engaging, while AI handles the capture, summarization, and organization. From a behavioral perspective, there's something even more valuable happening: every tap creates revealed preference data. Instead of relying on sketchy post-event surveys, organizers can see exactly which moments resonated enough for people to save them. As a frequent speaker, I know when I see phones go up to capture my slides that I've hit something important to the audience. But after an hour on-stage, I can't always remember in detail which ideas sparked that response. Or, which didn't. Now, that engagement becomes quantifiable data. The friction we've accepted as "just how conferences work" isn't inevitable, it's a design problem waiting for a solution. What are your conference pain points? Can technology fix them?

Can technology stop the next crowd disaster before it starts? Recent tragedies at large events have made one thing clear: crowd safety must evolve. As we step into 2025, technology is offering powerful solutions that can help prevent crises before they unfold. Incidents like Astroworld 2021 and Itaewon 2022 are painful reminders of how quickly mismanaged crowds can lead to tragedy. These events have sparked a renewed focus on proactive crowd management strategies. While risks can’t be eliminated entirely, cutting edge technologies now provide a level of anticipation and control that was previously unimaginable. Imagine testing your entire event layout before a single attendee arrives. Digital twins make this possible by creating a virtual replica of the venue, allowing planners to identify bottlenecks, stress test crowd flow, and optimise layouts for safety and efficiency. By simulating real world scenarios, event organisers can anticipate pressure points and fine tune operational plans before the doors even open. This kind of pre-event modelling is becoming an essential tool for reducing risk and improving crowd safety. Looking ahead, integrating real time crowd behaviour analytics into digital twins will become common place. This will allow organisers to monitor crowd dynamics as an event unfolds, providing deeper insights into density, movement, and potential congestion points. With this data, event staff will have the ability to make informed, proactive decisions to keep attendees safe. While real time analytics are still evolving, smart sensors and AI driven simulations are already transforming how events are planned and managed. Sensors can track foot traffic patterns, environmental conditions, and unexpected surges, providing insights that inform better decision making. AI can analyse historical and live data to predict where congestion might occur, helping event staff proactively manage flow and reduce crowding risks. In high traffic areas, this can mean adjusting layouts, opening additional exits, or deploying staff where they’re needed most. While technology provides powerful tools, human expertise remains crucial. The most effective crowd management strategies combine advanced tech with experienced professionals who can interpret data and make informed decisions in real time. Collaboration across industries, governments, tech providers, security experts, and event organisers is key to developing standardised safety protocols that make the most of these innovations. In 2025, crowd safety is no longer just about reacting to problems, it’s about anticipating and preventing them. By embracing digital twins, AI-powered simulations, and smart sensor technology, the events industry can create safer, more seamless experiences for everyone. Technology may not eliminate risk entirely, but it is giving us better tools to stay one step ahead. And that’s a step worth taking.

Here's who's actually using AI for event planning in 2025 After my AI timeline generator unexpectedly went viral, I analyzed the backgrounds of 800+ event professionals who requested access to understand who's leveraging AI for event planning today. What the data reveals: • Corporate dominance (29%): Tech companies and corporate teams now handle the majority of event planning in-house, with one SaaS event manager sharing: "I've never been the sole lead planner on ALL things for a user conference and with my new job, I am... The big user conference timeline is what I struggle with." • Agency specialization (22%): Agencies represent under a quarter of the professionals interested in AI, with many offering comprehensive, highly specialized services across multiple formats. As one agency professional explained: "I work with an experiential event agency... we curate and produce events of all sizes for all types of verticals/clients. Multi day tech conferences, brand activations, incentive experiences, and way beyond." • Event planning democratization: From university advancement officers organizing "campus-wide block parties to campaign launches" to healthcare administrators running conferences with "100 breakout sessions, therapy dogs, and trade expos with 31 exhibitors" — specialized planning skills now exist in virtually every department. • AI solving real pain points: Planning professionals across all sectors report similar challenges that AI can help solve: "It's excel sheets, outlook reminders and lots of meetings" and "tracking agenda timing overall for constant changes, accommodations and space allocation" being common frustrations. What does this mean for the industry? The dominance of in-house planning over agencies reflects broader digital transformation trends, with companies seeking to control customer experience while reducing costs. Corporate or not, everyone in the events industry seems to be stretched thin and trying to find ways to do more with less. What can you apply right now? If you're managing events as part of a broader role, consider exploring AI planning tools that integrate with your existing workflows and save time for high-leverage, critical tasks. For agency professionals, this data suggests focusing on high-value creative services rather than competing with in-house teams on logistics management. Has your organization's approach to event planning evolved with AI? Does your experience align with these findings?

In the world of corporate events, the integration of AI is no longer just a trend—it's becoming the foundation of how we plan, execute, and engage. From real-time data analytics to personalized attendee experiences, AI is transforming events in ways we couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. 🔹 Event Planning Efficiency: AI-powered tools streamline logistics—whether it's selecting venues, optimizing budgets, or creating customized agendas based on attendee preferences. No more spreadsheets and endless emails; AI handles it all, saving time and reducing human error. 🔹 Enhanced Engagement: Imagine chatbots providing real-time support for attendees, or AI suggesting relevant sessions and networking opportunities based on individual interests. This level of personalization creates deeper engagement and a more meaningful event experience. 🔹 Data-Driven Insights: AI takes post-event analysis to the next level, delivering actionable insights that help us understand attendee behavior, measure ROI, and refine strategies for future events. The corporate events space is evolving fast, and those who embrace AI will stay ahead of the curve. Whether you're looking to drive better audience interactions, optimize operational efficiency, or deliver unforgettable experiences, AI is the future of events. 💡 How are you incorporating AI into your events? Let’s discuss how this technology can elevate your strategy! #AIinEvents #EventTech #CorporateEvents #Innovation #FutureOfEvents

Too often, events and congresses are treated as standalone activations, disconnected from the larger engagement ecosystem. But in reality, they should be an integral part of a broader, data-driven engagement strategy, seamlessly integrated into systems like Veeva Systems, Salesforce, and omnichannel CRMs. How, you may ask: • If an HCP asks a specific question during a congress panel, that data should trigger tailored content recommendations in the CRM, instead of a generic post-event email. • Ensure that digestible short-form key learnings from live sessions flow into on-demand content libraries, allowing non-attendees to engage later. • A Veeva-integrated chatbot could automatically send relevant whitepapers, webinars, or advisory board invites based on what an HCP engaged with at the event. • A Salesforce-powered HCP journey map could ensure that a congress attendee automatically receives digital touchpoints (e.g., follow-up emails, LinkedIn discussions, or small-group webinars) aligned with their specific interests. • A company using Veeva Vault CRM (or other CRMs) + Events Management + Salesforce Einstein AI (or Copilot) can dynamically adjust post-event outreach strategy based on how an HCP interacted with content at the congress. • Sprinklr + Salesforce CDP for social listening enables Digital Opinion Leaders (DOL) Activation by tracking and analyzing post-event conversations across various social and digital platforms. The key takeaway is that events and congresses should be fully integrated within the CRM, digital engagement, and omnichannel ecosystem—ensuring that every interaction contributes to a seamless, long-term engagement strategy rather than just a single event touchpoint. Check the full episode with Pierre Metrailler at Onomi / SpotMe on demand: https://lnkd.in/dwg7BYiu And if you want to learn more about our expertise at The Palindromic across "Next-Gen CX Strategy" and "Expert Engagement & HCP360 Enablement" - drop me a note at claude.w@thepalindromic.com