The Event AI Index

Where AI can transform events,
and where it actually does today

An interactive look at the gap between AI's theoretical capability and real-world adoption across 8 core event management functions.

Curated by Highbar.ai Updated: March 2026 Sources: PCMA, Forrester, AMEX GBT,
Northstar Meetings Group
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The radar
Theoretical vs. observed adoption
The blue area represents what AI is technically capable of handling across each event function. The red area shows where organizers are actually deploying it today. The gap between them is the opportunity.
Theoretical AI capability
Observed AI adoption
Key findings
71%
AI is ready
AI can augment or handle 71% of event workflows today, with some functions further along than others.
22%
Adoption is still early
Real usage remains a fraction of what's technically possible. The industry is early, not behind.
49pt
The opportunity gap
The gap between what's possible and what's deployed is where early movers build an edge. The time to start is now.
Category breakdown
Exploring the gap, function by function
Each category maps to a core event management workflow. Scores reflect quantitative data from Forrester's 2025-2026 B2B events research, the PCMA/Gevme AI Pulse Check, and qualitative assessment of current AI capabilities and market adoption.
Why we built this
A note from the founder
We all feel it. Things are changing faster than ever. Too fast for comfort.
As a startup building an AI-native product, it often feels like building on quicksand. And if it feels that way for us, we know it feels that way for the event professionals trying to figure out what to adopt, what to ignore, and what to worry about.
This report exists to help. More data, better mental models, quick-start guides, and honest scoring of where AI actually delivers today.
If the event community finds this useful, we'll keep it updated and expand it with new research, frameworks, and actionable content as the landscape evolves.
-Michael, Founder @ Highbar.ai
How we scored it
Methodology and sources
This index was inspired by Anthropic's research on AI's labor market impact. That work maps the gap between what AI can theoretically do and what's actually being used across job functions. We thought the framework was too useful to stay in labor economics. So we applied it to events.
We scored 8 event management functions on two dimensions. Theoretical capability is our assessment of what AI can handle right now across each function. Actual adoption is what event professionals report they're using, drawn from multiple industry surveys totaling over 1,800 respondents.
The gap between the two is the implementation gap. It's not a failure. It's a map of where the opportunity is.
This is directional, not definitive. We plan to update these scores quarterly as new data comes in, and we're actively collecting feedback to make each version more accurate. All sources are listed below.
Sources & research
What this is built on
The scores and framework in this index draw from a combination of published research, survey data, and industry observation. Here are the primary sources.
Data
Forrester Q1 2025 State of B2B Events Survey
Forrester Research · 2025
Survey of 147 B2B marketing professionals with responsibility for events. Primary source for observed adoption rates across 8 event-related AI use cases, from content creation (39%) to attendee chatbots (7%).
147 respondents
8 AI use cases measured
4 adoption stages tracked
Read the research
Data
Why an AI event strategy is becoming a leadership issue, not a technology one
Forrester Research · March 2026
Updated adoption figures showing year-over-year growth: content repurposing up from 21% to 43%, data analysis from 23% to 40%. Also provides market context on budget pressures and audience shifts.
60% flat or declining budgets
71% expect costs to increase
63% cite data quality as a barrier
Read the research
Data
How event planners are really using gen AI
PCMA / Gevme · December 2025
AI Pulse Check survey of 92 business events professionals. Validates Forrester adoption figures from a different community. Shows 46% using AI for content, 35% for data analysis, 11% for customer service/support. Also reveals that 65% are "middle majority" using AI in fragmented, non-strategic ways.
92 respondents
91% using AI in some capacity
15% are strategic "leaders"
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Data
Meetings Industry PULSE Survey Results
Northstar Meetings Group / Cvent · Sept 2025 - Feb 2026
Largest sample in our source set. Two survey waves (Sept + Dec 2025) across corporate, association, and agency planners. 65% report using generative AI, but only 16% say it has significantly improved planning and execution. Reinforces the gap between experimentation and impact across all categories.
1,000+ respondents
65% using gen AI
16% seeing significant improvement
Read the research
Data
2026 Global Meetings & Events Forecast
Amex GBT / YouGov · October 2025
Most granular AI use-case data in our source set. Covers planned AI deployment across the full event lifecycle: communications (35%), matchmaking (35%), creative concepts (34%), content creation (31%), engagement tracking (31%), logistics optimization (29%), chatbots (29%), post-event evaluation (28%), translation (23%), and registration (23%). Key caveat: these are "plan to use" figures, not confirmed active usage.
601 respondents
8 countries surveyed
50% integrating AI into planning
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Framework
Labor market impacts of AI: A new measure and early evidence
Anthropic · March 2026
Introduces "observed exposure," a measure combining theoretical LLM capability with real-world usage data. We adapted this two-layer framework (theoretical capability vs. observed adoption) from occupational categories to event management functions.
Read the research

Help us refine the index

Are you using AI in your event workflow? We want to hear what's working, what's not, and what we're missing.

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