While mostly still relying on her personal experience and expertise, the work Fiona Nieman, CMP, HMCC, performs as a meeting planner is nevertheless enhanced by the continued integration of artificial intelligence (AI). 

“There are some tasks in our industry where AI truly makes a difference and can save a ton of time,” says Nieman (MPI Tennessee Chapter), founder and principal planner for Indaba Events. “Some of these include comparing rooming lists against registrations, building out food and beverage budgets, menu planning, developing SOP manuals, event workbooks and creating a comprehensive run of show.”

AI can also assist when the brain is tired and weary, according to Nieman.

“AI can provide inspiration for curated and unique experiences at any location around the globe. There truly is no limit as to what AI can offer,” she says. “At the end of the day, though, we are human beings creating experiences for human beings, and no amount of AI can offset the personal touch that comes with this.”

The rapid increase of AI in the meeting and event industry has been tracked over the past couple of years in MPI’s Meetings Outlook survey. In Q4 2023, 22% of respondents reported regular use of AI on the job, which nearly doubled by Q1 2025 (43%) and hit 70% in Q1 2026. So, this seemed like a great time to touch base with Nieman and other MPI members about how they’re engaging with AI right now.

GUT CHECKS

While she uses AI sparingly, Kristen Collins says it does supplement her work in a few ways.

“Currently, I use Hopskip for hotel sourcing, which I absolutely love, but I have used AI to supplement my search,” says Collins (MPI New England Chapter), chief event officer for Typecast Meetings + Events. “For example, it’s helped me find a few unique, off-the-beaten-track properties and a new hotel that I wasn’t aware of.”

AI also helps her with quick brainstorming, preparing a registration rate analysis and forecast tool, putting together a quick-yet-polished summary of gifting ideas that she’s sourced or with “gut checks” when she’s negotiating a specific contract clause.

“I’ve even used it to get turn-by-turn directions when I was temporarily lost trying to find a function room in a huge Vegas hotel last year,” Collins says.

She is careful to never upload an entire contract or event registrants’ details or other proprietary information and also has deep concerns about sustainability as it relates to AI.

“This is especially true when I hear about all the natural resources it uses. So, part of me feels guilty when I do use it,” Collins says. “Looking ahead, if I can find a sustainable AI solution, I’d love to have it help me with preparing data-backed event strategies, building automations in my business or a secure/closed, knowledge-based AI agent for a specific event that can pull all my specs, BEOs, lists, etc., in to help make onsite management even more seamless. That would be amazing.”

EVERYTHING ALIGNS

In the early planning stages, Erin Bellwood (MPI Ottawa Chapter) uses AI to brainstorm event themes, session titles and attendee experiences.

“It helps me quickly generate fresh, audience-focused ideas and refine messaging, which is especially valuable when working on tight timelines or trying to differentiate an event,” says Bellwood, manager, conference and events for Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario. “For content and communications, AI significantly improves efficiency. I use it to draft and tailor email campaigns, social media posts, sponsor packages and speaker briefs. Instead of starting from scratch, I can focus on refining tone and strategy, ensuring everything aligns with the audience and brand.”

Operationally, AI supports logistics by helping build timelines, run-of-show documents and contingency plans, Bellwood says.

“It’s also useful for summarizing vendor proposals, comparing options and organizing complex information into clear action plans,” she says. 

During and after events, AI helps Bellwood analyze feedback and survey data.

“It can quickly identify trends, key insights and areas for improvement, allowing me to deliver more strategic post-event reports and continuously elevate future events,” she says.

Overall, Bellwood says, AI hasn’t replaced any part of her role but enhanced it.

“AI allows me to spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on high-value work like relationship building, creative direction and delivering meaningful attendee experiences,” she says.

A GAMECHANGER

Caitlin Gaborow, CMP, CMM (MPI Upstate New York Chapter), project manager for Delaney Event Management, has been using AI as an occasional resource for a couple of years and says the AI tool she employs depends on the task at hand.

“I love PCMA’s Spark tool for its contract clause review feature, which can analyze a clause and offer insight on how to make the language/contract terms more balanced,” she says. “It also allows me to frame the analysis from either the planner or venue side, giving me insights into what perspectives a venue might have. These insights enable me to approach contract negotiations feeling better informed and more aware of potential negotiation points.” 

While she has experimented with ChatGPT for brainstorming and idea generation for events (“such as creating unique, themed menus for a special event”), Gaborow has often struggled with creating prompts.

“That has been changing recently since I started using a tool called Prompt Cowboy that I learned about during a session at the MPI European Meetings & Events Conference,” she says. “It’s been a gamechanger in helping me create prompts that generate more detailed (and nuanced) results that fit my event needs. I always have to adjust the output responses a bit before using, but having the start of a solid idea is a huge help when my creative brain is tapped out.”

INNOVATIVE AND ON TREND

At Event Services Group, partner Jeff Gold and team leverage AI across multiple areas to improve efficiency, creativity and overall workflow.

“At a foundational level, AI assists our team in drafting clear, professional email communications,” he says. “Beyond that, it plays a significant role in the creative development process. For themed events, AI allows us to quickly generate visual concepts that can be shared with clients for initial approval. This enables us to align on direction early, before engaging our graphic arts team to produce refined, to-scale renderings.”

AI also supports data analysis, according to Gold, as he can input spreadsheets and key metrics and then quickly identify trends and insights that help guide strategic decision-making and determine the best path forward. And AI also serves as a creative brainstorming tool.

“By inputting event themes, we can generate fresh and relevant ideas for entertainment, including bands, dancers, choreography and custom-designed visual elements,” he says. “This helps us stay innovative and on trend.”

Overall, Gold says AI allows him to establish strong creative direction more efficiently, without overextending internal resources.

“Clients can react to and approve concepts early in the process based on AI-generated imagery and storytelling, which streamlines production and enhances collaboration,” he says. “While we are still in the early stages of fully utilizing AI, it has already proven to be a valuable asset.”

BRIDGE THE GAP

AI has quickly become an integrated part of how Rick Weaver, CDIP, thinks, not just how he works.

“As a consultant working across strategic planning, association management and leadership/board development, I’m constantly moving between big picture vision and detailed execution,” says Weaver (MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter), principal strategist for TRANSFORM. “AI helps me bridge that gap more effectively. On a practical level, I use it to refine communication by turning rough ideas into clear, concise messaging for boards, stakeholders and members.”

AI has been most valuable to Weaver because it sharpens his thinking. 

“I’ll often use AI to stress-test strategic ideas, surface blind spots, identify gaps or explore different ways a decision might play out across an organization,” he says. “It allows me to walk into conversations better prepared, with a more well-rounded perspective.”

AI has also become a powerful tool in developing content for Weaver, whether he’s building workshops, facilitating board discussions or creating leadership materials.

“Instead of starting from scratch, I can quickly generate structure and direction, then apply my experience to tailor it to the specific organization and audience,” he says.

It’s important to Weaver that AI doesn’t replace judgment, context or relationships, but rather enhances them.

“It gives me more space to focus on the human side of my work: guiding leaders, navigating dynamics and helping organizations move forward with clarity and purpose,” he says. “In many ways, AI hasn’t changed what I do, it’s elevated how well and how efficiently I’m able to do it.”