Three Quarters of UK Businesses say that clunky corporate events need to be better managed by AI-powered technology

Three quarters (75 per cent) of CEOs and business decision makers feel that AI-enabled technology is needed to improve the events industry, according to research from EventsX.

Virtual events provider EventsX, via Censuswide, commissioned a poll of 500 CEOs and business decision makers around how technology can help further the events industry following the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A common complaint by decision makers was that 62 per cent felt the process of signing up for an event, including speaking and sponsorship opportunities, was overly time-consuming and difficult.

This feeling was particularly high in the finance, healthcare and IT industries where 73 per cent were put off by how complicated the sign-up process was for an event.

The research showed a direct correlation between popularity of event and an easier sign-up process, with 71 per cent of decision makers saying they’d organise and attend more events if the process was easier.

In total, over three quarters (77 per cent) felt that utilising technology in the sign-up and management process, along with technological features such as a summarised report of a speech or event would, would improve the events industry.

This was particularly important for large businesses with over 500 employees, with 83 per cent seeking more technology at events in a bid to streamline the process and manage larger crowds.

Shoaib Aslam, Founder of EventsX, commented on the research saying: “The pandemic saw technology inundate our lives, from working from home to weekly family zoom calls, the benefits and potential of tech were realised, and the events industry was no stranger to this. While online and hybrid events are still on the rise, reaping the benefits of technology, virtual events across the board should now look to optimise technology enabled services to improve the quality of events.

“Using technology, and in particular AI, to provide enhanced tools and features prior to, during and after an event can allow for processes to be seamless, regardless of whether the event is online or hybrid. Making speaking and sponsorship opportunities easier to access and attain using technology to help endorse references and take these opportunities a step further is hugely important for growing the industry.

“For those attending events, leveraging AI capabilities for services such as event summaries helps attendees focus on getting out there, enjoying the event and meeting people, whilst still staying in the loop” he added.