AI in Event Planning: What Will Apply Starting in August 2026 and Where Artificial Intelligence Really Helps
The Quiet Second Project Lead
It is now more than just a hunch that generative AI can save time on certain knowledge-based tasks. In a controlled experiment involving 453 working professionals, participants with access to ChatGPT took an average of 40 percent less time to complete typical writing tasks. At the same time, independent evaluators rated the quality of their results as 18 percent higher.
Another study analyzed the use of an AI assistant among 5,179 customer service employees. Productivity increased by an average of 14 percent. Less experienced employees benefited particularly strongly, with their performance increasing by 34 percent. Among highly experienced specialists, however, the measurable effect was significantly smaller.
These figures cannot be applied directly to the event industry. However, they do show where the benefits are most likely to be realized: in clearly defined, language-based, and repetitive tasks. And there is no shortage of exactly those in event planning.
AI can generate a to-do list from a long meeting minutes document. It can derive initial guest information from an event concept, formulate that same information in various tones, and then translate it into different languages. It can compare different daily schedules, prepare questions for a briefing, or sort hundreds of open-ended feedback responses by recurring themes.
This not only saves on paperwork. It frees up time for those tasks where experience, relationships, and judgment are crucial: developing the right narrative flow, understanding a client, managing service providers, resolving conflicts, and reading the room’s atmosphere on the day of the event.
That is the appealing side of technology. The other side becomes apparent when a convincingly worded result is mistaken for a correct one.
The line isn’t drawn where you’d expect it to be
Researchers at Harvard Business School studied the use of generative AI among 758 management consultants. For tasks that fell within the capabilities of the system used, participants with AI support completed 12.2 percent more tasks, worked 25.1 percent faster on average, and achieved higher-quality results. However, for a complex task that was beyond the system’s capabilities, individuals with AI support were 19 percent less likely to succeed than the control group without AI.
The researchers therefore refer to an irregular technological boundary. Two tasks may seem similarly difficult to a human, while the AI solves one of them excellently and the other surprisingly poorly.
For event planners, this insight is more important than any list of supposedly indispensable AI tools. Because it explains why the same application produces an excellent draft in the morning and, in the afternoon, presents a nonexistent regulation, an incorrect capacity figure, or a fabricated source citation.
AI does not automatically verify the truth of its statements. It generates the most appropriate answer possible based on statistical correlations. This answer may be correct. However, it may also sound plausible and still be incorrect. That is why AI is ideal for developing possibilities. It is significantly less suitable for making binding decisions without verification.
It can generate three options for the schedule of a conference. A human must assess which option works from a technical, financial, and operational standpoint. It can suggest a checklist for an approval process. Whether this checklist is complete and accurate for the specific venue must be verified by the relevant authorities. It can translate a menu. However, when it comes to allergens, food intolerances, or medically relevant information, its wording must not be adopted without verification. The sensible division of roles is thus surprisingly clear: AI provides speed and options. Humans bear the responsibility.
Where Artificial Intelligence Really Helps in Everyday Event Planning
The greatest benefit usually arises not on stage, but in the many hours before and after. AI can structure research questions, develop initial concept proposals, and turn disorganized information into a usable working basis. It can highlight which questions need to be clarified during a site visit to an event venue in Zurich or what information a technical partner is still missing.
It’s particularly helpful when dealing with variations. What changes if 450 guests are suddenly expected instead of 300? Which program items can be rescheduled if a speaker arrives late? What additional information do international participants need? What wording is appropriate for employees, customers, or the media? AI does not replace robust capacity planning or a technical expert. However, it can help identify potential scenarios early on.
There is also significant potential in communication. Invitations, reminders, confirmations, speaker briefings, schedules, and frequently asked questions usually follow clear structures. AI can generate different versions from a reliable information base and reduce language barriers. For conferences and meetings with an international audience, this can significantly simplify preparations.
On the day of the event, AI-powered systems can assist guests with simple questions. Where is the coat check? When does the next session start? How do you get to the venue by public transportation? A well-configured chatbot can answer such standard questions and take some of the load off the event team.
After the event, transcripts, survey results, and open-ended comments can be analyzed more quickly. Instead of reading through hundreds of responses individually, AI can group recurring themes, points of criticism, and positive patterns. The final interpretation, however, remains a human task. This is because what often matters isn’t how often something was mentioned, but by whom, in what context, and with what significance.
AI can thus support nearly every phase of the guest journey. However, it should not intervene unnoticed between the organizer and the guest. This is precisely where the EU AI Act will take effect starting in August 2026.
Transparency Will Be Mandatory Starting August 2, 2026
The AI Act follows a risk-based approach. Most everyday AI applications are considered to pose a low or minimal risk and are not subject to extensive additional obligations. However, specific transparency rules apply to certain interactive systems, biometric applications, and artificially generated content.
For event planners, the chatbot is the primary concern. If a guest interacts with an AI system on an event website or in an event app, it must be clear to them that they are not communicating with a human. This transparency requirement takes effect on August 2, 2026.
A name, a profile picture, and a friendly tone of voice must not give the false impression that a member of the event team is actually behind the chat. A clear notice such as “You are communicating with our digital AI assistant” creates transparency without unnecessarily complicating the user experience.
Artificially generated or manipulated images, audio recordings, and videos may also be subject to labeling requirements if they appear to be deepfakes. The same applies, under certain conditions, to AI-generated texts published to inform the public about matters of public interest. Not every AI-assisted invitation letter or abstract event image therefore automatically needs to be accompanied by a warning notice. The decisive factors are content, use, and the risk of deception. In June 2026, the European Commission published a voluntary code of conduct intended to support the practical implementation of transparency obligations.
A concrete example from event communication: If a clearly artificial, illustrative key visual is created for a product launch, the situation must be assessed differently than in the case of a video in which a real executive appears to be giving a speech they never actually gave. At that point, at the very latest, clear labeling is not only legally relevant but also a matter of credibility.
Since February 2, 2025, the AI Act has also required covered providers and operators to possess an appropriate level of AI competence. Employees and others who work with AI systems on behalf of an organization should have a sufficient understanding of their capabilities, risks, and limitations. The EU does not prescribe a specific course or a standardized exam for this purpose. The required level of knowledge depends on the technology used, the context, and the potential impacts.
For an event team, AI competence does not mean that all employees must be able to program. However, they should know which systems are used within the company, what data may be entered into them, why results must be verified, and when an application becomes legally or ethically sensitive.
What the AI Act Means for Swiss Event Planners
Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. The AI Act therefore does not automatically apply to every Swiss event agency, venue, or company. However, the legal framework may also apply to public and private entities outside the EU if they offer an AI system on the European market, put it into operation there, or use it within the EU. Anyone based in Switzerland who organizes events in an EU country or deploys AI systems there should therefore have the scope of application specifically reviewed.
For purely Swiss matters, there is currently no comprehensive, standalone AI law. The Federal Office of Justice is working on a draft bill for public consultation, to be completed by the end of 2026. Among other things, the draft includes provisions on transparency, data protection, non-discrimination, and oversight.
However, this does not mean that AI can be used in Switzerland in a legal vacuum. The existing Data Protection Act applies directly to data processing involving artificial intelligence. The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner expressly reminds companies that, before using such systems, they must determine which data is being processed, for what purposes, and in what manner. Data subjects must be informed in a transparent and understandable manner.
For event planners, this concerns a particularly sensitive area. Guest lists contain names, contact information, roles, and sometimes details regarding dietary requirements, mobility, or health needs. Such data should not be casually copied into a freely available AI system simply because it allows for faster creation of a seating chart, attendee analysis, or personalized messages.
Before use, it must be clarified where the data is processed, whether it is stored or used for other purposes, what contractual provisions exist, and who has access to it. Where the task can be accomplished using anonymized or aggregated information, no identifiable guest data should be used.
Things get tricky when it comes to images, voices, and personnel decisions
The event industry works with emotion, staging, and visual storytelling. That is precisely why generated images, voices, and videos are particularly appealing. Within minutes, a stage set can be visualized, a fictional event scenario created, or a voiceover recorded in multiple languages.
However, the technical capability does not equate to an unrestricted right of use. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property states that, in Switzerland, only human creations are generally protected by copyright. If AI is merely prompted to generate content, the result may lack the necessary human creative character. At the same time, AI-generated content may contain protected elements and thereby infringe on the rights of third parties. The Institute therefore recommends checking content for potential legal infringements before using it.
Anyone who uses an AI-generated key visual, an artificial voice, or a manipulated portrait commercially for an event should therefore not only ask whether the result looks good. Personal rights, terms of use, trademark rights, and possible similarities to existing works or real people must also be clarified.
The use of AI becomes even more sensitive when it not only supports but also evaluates people. The AI Act classifies systems for analyzing and filtering job applications or for evaluating candidates as high-risk applications. For event companies, this can be relevant, for example, when recruiting temporary staff.
Even supposedly innovative applications for emotion recognition require the utmost caution. According to the AI Act, emotion recognition in the workplace is generally prohibited unless it serves medical or safety-related purposes. A system that purports to detect staff motivation, satisfaction, or stress via camera footage is therefore not a harmless analytical tool.
For guests, the legal situation varies depending on the application but is equally sensitive. Just because software claims to be able to measure enthusiasm, attention, or mood in an audience does not mean that the measurement is reliable, permissible, or actually helpful for the event.
Sometimes, a conversation at the exit is still the better analytical tool.
Five Questions to Ask Before Every AI Deployment
Event planners don’t need a hundred-page AI strategy before having a text summarized or an initial concept structured. But they do need a reliable decision-making framework.
Before each use, five questions should be answered:
First: What specific task is the AI supposed to solve?
Second: What data is required for this, and is it permissible to process this data in the selected system?
Third: What would be the consequences of an incorrect or incomplete result?
Fourth: Who will review the result from a technical standpoint and assume responsibility?
Fifth: Do guests, employees, or other affected individuals need to be informed about the use of AI?
The greater the potential impact on safety, rights, finances, or individual people, the less the decision should be automated. AI may scan a workflow for inconsistencies. It should not decide on its own whether a room can be safely occupied. It may suggest wording for a quote. Prices, services, and legal commitments must be based on reliable data. It may group guest feedback. It should not independently evaluate individuals or derive far-reaching profiles from individual statements. This boundary is not a barrier to innovation. It is the prerequisite for AI to earn trust in the long term.
Technology belongs behind the scenes
The best digital tools at an event are barely visible to guests. They streamline processes, improve information, reduce errors, and give the event team more time for personal attention. That is precisely where the potential of artificial intelligence lies.
It can make event planning faster, but not automatically better. It can generate numerous ideas, but cannot judge which ones fit the brand, the audience, and the moment. It can formulate a friendly response, but cannot feel genuine hospitality. And it can optimize a program down to the last detail without understanding what it feels like to actually be in that space.
At JED Events, we therefore view technology as a support, not as the star of the show. Whether it’s conferences and conventions, a product launch, a general meeting, or a staff event: The key is ensuring that the venue, content, catering, technology, and people come together to form a harmonious whole. Artificial intelligence can be an excellent assistant in this regard. It should not, however, take the reins.
