The Evolving Role of AI in B2B Events
Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds significant potential to revolutionize various aspects of event planning and execution. However, data from Forrester’s Q1 2025 State Of B2B Events Survey indicates that current adoption rates remain low. While some industry leaders express cautious optimism, concerns about safety, privacy, and vendor capabilities persist. As one event leader noted, “Right now, AI is more of a promise than a reality.”
Current AI Adoption in Events
Analysis of the survey data reveals several key insights into the current state of AI adoption in B2B events:
- Content creation leads the way: Among organizations experimenting with AI, event content creation is the most common use case. Thirty-nine percent of survey respondents use AI for tasks such as building event landing pages and writing emails, while 21% leverage AI to repurpose content post-event.
- Variation in uptake: Adoption varies significantly across different organization sizes and industries. Forty-seven percent of midsized organizations use AI for content creation, compared to 29% of the largest enterprises. The high-tech and telecommunications sectors show higher adoption rates (40%) compared to financial services (19%).
- Low uptake in enhancing attendee experience: Despite high interest, the current adoption of AI to improve attendee experience through better targeting, personalization, and assistance remains low, with only 7-15% of organizations utilizing AI for these purposes. Leaders are more focused on exploring AI for productivity and efficiency improvements.
Factors Influencing AI Adoption
Several factors influence AI adoption in B2B events:
- High spenders lead the AI charge: Organizations with larger event technology budgets are more likely to have adopted AI or plan to do so within the next 12 months. Sixty-eight percent of those spending over $250,000 annually on event technology use or plan to use AI for data analysis, compared to 39% of low event-tech spenders.
- Younger marketers show enthusiasm: Gen Z and Millennial marketers express greater enthusiasm for AI’s potential, particularly in areas like attendee assistance via AI-powered chatbots and predictive intelligence for targeting. However, their interest has yet to translate into action due to older generations controlling adoption plans.
The Road Ahead for AI in Events
Despite slow uptake, AI’s potential in event management is undeniable. Trailblazers are experimenting with cutting-edge applications such as facial recognition to understand attendee sentiment. As organizations become more comfortable with AI and its capabilities evolve, the technology is poised to play a transformative role in B2B events, enabling marketers to deliver smarter, more personalized, and impactful experiences. While AI remains a promise for now, event teams must act quickly to avoid being left behind.
For Forrester clients, guidance sessions are available to explore how to best utilize AI to maximize event program value.
