TL;DR — The Role AI is Playing in the Future of Events
In this episode of The Event Exchange, EMC Meetings & Events CEO, Jody Wallace, sits down with Cvent Founder and CEO, Reggie Aggarwal, to discuss the evolution of event technology, a 22-year partnership between EMCME and Cvent, and the role AI is playing in the future of events.
Reggie shares the story behind founding Cvent, explains how the company grew from a simple online registration tool into the world's leading event technology platform, and offers a direct answer to a question many event professionals are asking: Will AI replace event planners?
His answer is clear. AI will make planners more efficient, more strategic, and more effective, but it will not replace the human relationships, trust, and creativity that make events successful.
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From Corporate Lawyer to Event Tech Pioneer
Like many successful entrepreneurs, Reggie Aggarwal didn't start by trying to build a software company.
Before launching Cvent in 1999, he was practicing corporate law while running a nonprofit organization that hosted dozens of events each year. As attendance grew, so did the administrative burden.
His event management toolkit?
- Excel
- Outlook
- Yellow sticky notes
The process became increasingly difficult to manage, so Reggie built a simple online registration system to solve his own problem. That solution became Cvent.
His philosophy was straightforward: Find a pain point and create the aspirin. What began as a single registration tool eventually became one of the most influential event technology platforms in the industry.
How Cvent Built a Market-Leading Platform
One lesson that stood out from the conversation was Cvent's intentional approach to growth. Rather than launching multiple products simultaneously or expanding internationally too quickly, Reggie focused on becoming the best at one thing first.
For nearly a decade, Cvent concentrated on:
- Online event registration
- Mid-market customers
- The U.S. and Canadian markets
Only after establishing leadership in that area did the company begin expanding into adjacent solutions. Over time, customer feedback drove product development, leading to innovations such as:
- Venue sourcing tools
- Mobile event apps
- Onsite check-in solutions
- Badge printing technology
- Virtual event platforms
- Strategic meetings management tools
- AI-powered event technology
Instead of chasing trends, Cvent listened to customers and built solutions around real event challenges.
The Product That Changed Everything: Onsite Badge Printing
When Jody asked Reggie to name one of Cvent's most impactful innovations, the conversation quickly turned to onsite badge printing.
For today's event professionals, printing a badge on demand feels routine.
But anyone who managed events before the technology existed remembers boxes of pre-printed badges, sorting hundreds of names alphabetically, last-minute registrations, and handwriting badges with marker when plans changed.
On-demand badge printing transformed the attendee experience while reducing operational complexity for planners. Sometimes the most valuable innovations solve surprisingly simple problems.
Inside Cvent IQ: How AI Is Already Changing Events
According to Reggie, AI is not a temporary trend. It represents a fundamental shift in how event technology will operate moving forward.
Through Cvent IQ, AI is being integrated across the platform to help planners, attendees, and organizations work smarter. Examples include:
Faster Global Event Support
AI-powered translation can quickly localize event websites and communications, making international event management significantly easier.
Smarter Venue Sourcing
Planners can use natural-language prompts to find venues based on event requirements rather than relying on complex search criteria.
Better Attendee Experiences
AI assistants can answer attendee questions instantly, such as:
- Where is tonight's dinner?
- What sessions should I attend?
- What should I wear for the reception?
This reduces repetitive inquiries while improving the attendee experience.
More Actionable Insights
AI can summarize feedback, analyze event performance, identify trends, and provide recommendations for future events.
Instead of spending hours compiling data, planners can focus on strategic decision-making.
Will AI Replace Event Planners?
This was the central question of the episode.
Reggie's answer was immediate: No.
In fact, he believes AI will make in-person events even more valuable. As business interactions become increasingly digital, opportunities to build genuine trust and human connection become more important, not less.
According to Reggie:
As everything gets digitized, live events become one of the last places where authentic human relationships can be built. AI may automate tasks, personalize experiences, and improve efficiency, but it cannot replicate:
- Human trust
- Relationship building
- Creativity
- Emotional intelligence
- Strategic judgment
Instead of replacing planners, AI allows them to spend less time on administrative work and more time creating meaningful experiences.
Why In-Person Events Become More Valuable in an AI World
One of the most compelling insights from the episode was the connection between AI and the growing importance of live events.
As remote work expands and digital communication becomes the norm, organizations increasingly need environments that foster authentic engagement.
Reggie predicts that:
- In-person events will become more strategically important.
- Event ROI will continue to increase.
- Human connection will become a competitive advantage.
- Trust will become harder to establish virtually and more valuable in person.
At the same time, AI will make events more personalized and effective by helping attendees find relevant content, build connections, and maximize their experience. The result is a future where technology enhances (not replaces) human interaction.
The Future of Event Technology
The conversation also explored emerging technologies shaping the next generation of events. Topics included:
Facial Recognition
From faster check-in processes to attendance tracking, facial recognition technology could streamline event operations and improve data collection.
Community Building Between Events
Rather than treating events as isolated moments, organizations are looking for ways to maintain engagement year-round through content, networking, and personalized experiences.
AI-Powered Personalization
Future event experiences may offer increasingly customized recommendations based on attendee interests, behavior, and previous event participation.
AI Avatars and Holograms
While these technologies are advancing rapidly, Reggie believes audiences still strongly prefer real human interaction when it comes to speakers and presenters.
Novelty may drive interest, but people continue to value authentic human presence.
What Reggie Is Most Excited About
Looking ahead, Reggie is optimistic about two things:
1. The Growing Importance of Events
He believes events are becoming one of the highest-performing marketing channels available, driving engagement, relationship-building, and measurable business outcomes.
2. The Opportunity Created by AI
By increasing efficiency, personalization, and insights, AI gives event professionals the ability to deliver stronger experiences with greater impact.
Most importantly, he sees AI as a tool that empowers people - not replaces them.
Turning Technology Into Better Human Experiences
The biggest takeaway from this episode is that technology and human connection are not opposing forces. The most successful organizations will use AI to remove friction, improve efficiency, and create more value for attendees.
But relationships, trust, creativity, and strategic thinking will remain uniquely human.
As AI accelerates, the event industry's greatest strength may become even more important: bringing people together.
One Action to Take Right Now
Take a close look at your event planning process and identify one repetitive task that consumes significant time. Ask:
- Can AI automate it?
- Can technology simplify it?
- Can that time be redirected toward strategy, creativity, or attendee engagement?
The future of events isn't about replacing people. It's about giving people better tools to create exceptional experiences.
Plus, if you're curious whether you're getting the most from your event technology stack, then schedule a complimentary Event Tech Audit or Cvent setup review with the EMC Meetings & Events team.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will AI replace event planners?
No. AI can automate repetitive tasks and improve efficiency, but human skills such as relationship-building, creativity, strategic thinking, and trust remain essential to successful events?
2. What is Cvent IQ?
Cvent IQ is Cvent's suite of AI-powered capabilities designed to help planners, attendees, and organizations work more efficiently and deliver improved event experiences.
3. How is AI being used in events today?
Current applications include content translation, attendee support, venue sourcing, event analytics, insights generation, and personalized recommendations.
4. Why are in-person events becoming more important?
As communication becomes increasingly digital, live events provide opportunities for authentic human interaction, trust-building, networking, and relationship development.
5. What event technologies are expected to grow in the future?
Facial recognition, AI-powered personalization, community platforms, attendee intelligence tools, and improved onsite experiences are expected to play larger roles in future events.
6. What was the biggest takeaway from this episode?
AI is changing how events are planned and delivered, but the future belongs to organizations that combine technology with meaningful human connection.
