Planners share how they’re using AI as a backstage partner, helping them deliver more meaningful face-to-face experiences. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Irina Strelnikova
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been quietly present in the background at events – it’s every planner’s silent attendee. With its ability to instantly transcribe discussions, translate, summarise sessions, analyse and support logistics, it’s easy to see why AI’s appeal at events is growing.
But to what extent is AI changing the efficiency of in-person events/meetings and are concerns that it could reduce audience engagement justified? Like any tool, the key in using AI lies in how it’s integrated. For planners, it’s important to set clear expectations upfront about AI’s role.
“If an AI assistant is recording or summarising a session, inform participants so it becomes a facilitation tool, not a distraction,” says Luther Low, regional operations director, Asia Pacific at CWT Meetings & Events. “Thoughtful integration, where AI supports engagement rather than competes with it, is essential.”
Low adds that for large-scale events, AI helps with logistics. For example, chatbots can answer attendee questions on the fly, manage schedules, and flag conflicts which reduces the burden on event staff.
“Onsite, AI supports faster check-ins and personalized recommendations, improving the flow and focus of an event,” he says.
For Atika Rosli, chief and founder at Beyond Events, AI’s strongest impact is seen before and after the event.
“AI helps optimise agenda creation, guest matching, and resource planning,” she says. “Post-event, it speeds up reporting, lead scoring and content delivery. In the fast-paced corporate scene, where decisions need to be made quickly and data matters, these tools have been game changers.
Francis Cheong, group CEO at Aavii Worldwide says AI can be productive when it ‘disappears’ into the experience, for example by enabling good stage lighting. When AI becomes the main star of the show, however, it risks distracting from the people gathered at the event.
“The question is always: ‘Is this AI tool helping people connect more meaningfully?’ If yes, it belongs,” he says. “One of the most exciting uses of AI is at the very beginning, during the first design pitch and ideation phase. We use AI to gather insights, visualise themes, map audience preferences, and even simulate possible journey flows based on objectives. It helps us test concepts faster, prototype bolder ideas and tailor our narratives to each client, all in record time.’
Rather than just automating admin, Cheong sees AI as a co-creator that frees the team to focus on storytelling and strategy.
Catch-up or distraction
But can the knowledge that ‘AI has it covered’ lead to a lack of engagement in real-time, if delegates know they can simply use the tech to catch up later?
“It can if we’re not careful or self-aware - there’s a risk of people passively consuming content; but when events are designed to be experiential and emotionally resonant, people want to be present,” says Cheong. “AI is a safety net, not a substitute. We encourage our clients to design for presence, not just purely data analytics, with creativity and storytelling as the forefront, live interactivity and sensory experiences, which make being there irreplaceable.”
While Cheong says that some meetings have become multiple transcribed calls, they’re rarely the ones that matter most. “You can’t replace the trust, chemistry, or energy that’s built when people share space and intention. In-person meetings as the premium platform for high-stakes collaboration, alignment, and celebration. AI should support that, not cannibalise it. The future isn’t less face time; it’s more meaningful face time, made sharper by intelligent tools.
CWT’s Low adds that the best meetings are not just about content, they’re about connection and the presence of AI should never replace the value of being in the room, reading the room, or having serendipitous conversations.
“If anything, AI should take care of the admin, so participants can be more present,” he says. “That said, planners do need to be mindful about over-reliance on digital tools. AI might make certain meetings more efficient virtually, but it can’t replace the depth of rapport or creative energy that comes from being face-to-face.”
Rosli adds that in-person meetings remain essential for trust-building and collaboration and that in Asia, where hospitality and relationship-building are key, physical presence is still highly valued.
What planners want from AI
And if AI were to move from the ‘silent’ attendee to the ‘perfect’ attendee, planners have a wishlist for what AI should be achieving.
“As planners, we’d love to see AI used more proactively to enhance networking, match interests, and even support accessibility – for example, through real-time translation, captioning, or neurodiverse-friendly content delivery,” says Low.
For Rosli, AI should evolve into a silent co-pilot for each delegate, helping them connect, engage, and get the most out of their time at an event.
“AI can personalise the attendee journey in ways we haven’t fully tapped into yet,” she says. “From tailored agendas to smart networking prompts and real-time translation, the potential is huge.”
Aavii Worldwide’s Chong believes AI can help personalise content paths, suggest who to connect with, adapt delivery styles to different learning needs and support multi-language fluency.
“I would love to see AI used more to support empathy at scale, helping introverts navigate networking, or busy leaders optimise their experience,” he says.