Artificial intelligence – that all-encompassing technology that is sweeping the world faster than a speeding bullet; transforming industry in every aspect of our lives. Is it insidious? Will we event planners be replaced by a ‘bot some day?
For event planners, I would argue that artificial intelligence is a valuable tool. It helps us restructure administration, stimulate new ideas, and simplify communications. Although our work becomes less administration-heavy, the risks around privacy, precision, local perspective, and over-reliance on computer-generated concepts have all of us worrying about the impacts on our final product and on our businesses.
Successful incorporation of AI into your business requires leaning into your professional judgment and considerable oversight to ensure events remain safe, faithful to your client’s vision, and tactically sound.
Why are we drawn to AI?
• Budget management: Why hire a marketing agency to develop your concepts, newsletter content, and social posts. AI can pull that information together in an instant.
• Streamlining workflow: Who does not want to spend less time creating proposals, timelines and other tracking and planning details to please your clients!
• Generating ideas: End of the day and I need to develop three new concepts to present to a client at a meeting tomorrow? No problem – Get Mr. AI to “brainstorm” some themes and engagement activities.
• Report preparation: Less time researching trends, analyzing data, and prettying up post event reports.
Does the real world need real live human event planners? Unequivocally YES!!!
Moving past one-size-fits-all solutions
The real world is a fickle bride—warm and tender when skies are clear, then crashing our outdoor celebrations with tempestuous fury, leaving even the most seasoned planner clutching their head in despair.
Weather conditions, local rules and regulations, and site-specific limitations and so much more affects the success of your event. These uncertainties need the skills of a senior event planner to analyze the consequences of AI’s suggestions. For instance in Saskatchewan, Indigenous reconciliation is an important part of our culture where the Calls to Action Articles for Truth & Reconciliation are top of mind for every event from local corporate headquarters’ press conferences, to government meetings, to community gardening gatherings. Missing these nuances can cause gaffs that could quickly take an event from fantastic to failure.
For any event planner, you know client planning meetings are important. It’s like a short-term romantic relationship – you get to know each other (the honeymoon phase), the ideas blossom (exploration) and you feed off each other (decision and planning for the future). Once an event is over, there is an aftermath – the bittersweet parting with the client and the event that, if all goes right, leaves positive memories for your business and your client and their patrons. Developing this relationship is one of the opportunities that I enjoy the most!
What are the AI traps for event planners?
Overuse of AI can lead to:
• Skill deterioration – Like all our muscles, our brains need exercise, too.
• Tone deaf communications – human overview ensures you hit the mark and avoids reputational damage to our business and our clients’ businesses.
• Making events all seem the same.
• Accuracy lapses — interpretation errors, lack of clarity and insincerity.
• Blind spots – There’s no substitute for walking the site with your team to gain a shared understanding of the space and identifying operational considerations that could impact your event.
• Relationship building – Face to face (and even virtual) meetings create positive energy that is palpable. You know how you feel after a good one and a bad one. Contagious positive energy ripples through us humans and advances cooperation towards a shared strategy.
In the late 1980s, I recall skepticism about the internet – text heavy and used by researchers. And there certainly is a lot of deceptions and trash on the internet these days. But humanity has figured out how to manipulate that tool to become ubiquitous in our lives with everyday solutions that make our lives simpler: banking, grocery shopping, cooking, quick communications, training, telemedicine and so much more.
So yes, there is no ignoring AI and the impacts on our businesses. But used cautiously, AI can help you diminish the drudgery of repetitive tasks – coordinating suppliers, aligning timelines, seating charts, drafting contract drafts and sponsorship proposal – you know — the manual detail work that takes hours and hours of our precious time. Manage AI as you would a junior event planner: your oversight on every aspect of the work. It can boost your efficiency, strengthen your ability to do more for your clients in less time and improve your bottom line. That leaves more time for the creative aspects of our profession that make event planning so much fun.
Kim Ali is owner of On Purpose Events, a leader in the design, planning, management and execution of events, meetings and conferences. A skilled and experienced professional she dedicates herself 100 per cent to client service and satisfaction.
*With help from Microsoft Co-Pilot
