Everything feels possible… until event day arrives and reality hits at the check-in counter.

The long lines. The scrambling staff. The “Why is this taking so long?”

But in most cases, the real cause isn’t standing at the venue.

It was set in motion weeks earlier by a decision made during preparation. A form that collected too much data, a system that didn’t sync, a peak hour that wasn’t planned for.

That’s why this month, we’re zooming out.

In this edition, we’re breaking down how check-in success starts long before event day, and how early decisions at each stage add up to calm, confident arrivals.

Let’s rewind before the doors open.

In This Issue, We Cover:

• Spotlight: Step-by-step tips to plan smooth check-ins, from registration setup to post-event analysis. Plus, key decisions to consider at each stage.
• Fresh From the Pod: Ben Costantini explains why event success starts weeks earlier, and how exhibitors should rethink preparation time and ROI.
• Reads Worth Your Time: Learn ways to prevent bottlenecks at event check-ins, how QR codes make check-ins quicker, and the 12 best event check-in apps to explore.

Spotlight: Why Check-In Planning Starts Long Before the Event

By the time event day arrives, check-in isn’t something you’re fixing.

You’re seeing the outcome of the choices made weeks earlier, starting with registration (the very first touchpoint) and carrying through every decision made along the way.

That’s why this framework looks at key decisions to make at each stage, so everything runs smoothly long before your first attendee walks in.

Stage 1: Registration Setup

The form you build, the data you collect, and the tools you choose now will shape how fast people move through the door later.

• Keep forms lean: Every extra field adds friction. Fewer questions mean faster walk-ins and quicker badge printing on-site.
• Segment early: Use form logic or tags to separate VIPs, press, exhibitors, and general attendees upfront, so you’re not sorting it out on-site.
• Make sure your tools sync: If registration and check-in systems don’t automatically sync, expect delays. Pick tools that integrate or use one platform that does both.

Stage 2: The Week Before

By now, registrations are closed (or close to it), and this is your chance to pressure-test everything before the doors open.

• Do the math: Analyze registration data to estimate attendance and use the agenda to predict peak times. E.g., peaks at a food festival may happen 2 hours before a concert, not at opening. This helps plan the right mix of staff and devices needed.
• Test everything: Run a full check on scanners, printers, badge previews, and syncing. Fix issues now, not in front of attendees.
• Plan for failure: Have contingencies for Wi-Fi drops, failed devices, or printer jams. Offline modes and backups aren’t optional; they’re essential.
• Match digital to physical: If attendees are segmented digitally, reflect that on-site with signage and separate lines.
• Train for real scenarios: Walk staff through common problems, like walk-ins, scanning errors, and reprints.

Stage 3: The Event Day

Event day is when your planning pays off… or falls apart.

All your preparation leads to this moment, so it’s important to stay focused and be ready for anything.

• Manage your lines: Clear signage, visible line managers, and separate check-in flows for VIPs, exhibitors, and walk-ins keep things moving.
• Rotate your team: Fresh staff make fewer mistakes. Build shifts and role changes into the day to avoid burnout.
• Stay flexible: Peak hours come unexpectedly. Extra tablets, backup printers, or overflow lanes can save you when they do.

Stage 4: Post-Event Analysis

When the event ends, the work doesn’t.

The data you review now makes your next event smoother, faster, and easier to run.

• Audit your data: Review registration and check-in data for accuracy. Fix errors, gaps, and inconsistencies that could’ve caused delays.
• Analyze traffic patterns: Spot peak check-in times and late-arrival trends to staff smarter next time.
• Track no-shows: Look for patterns in who didn’t attend so you can refine event expectations and improve your registration process.
• Gather team feedback: They saw the friction firsthand. Their feedback is critical to improving event flow for next time.
• Evaluate your tools: Note what worked, what lagged, and what needs upgrading before your next event.

Here’s the complete checklist that brings every stage together, so nothing slips through the cracks before, during, or after event day:

️Fresh From the Pod: Exhibiting Is a Commitment, Not a Checkbox

Exhibiting at events often looks simple on paper.

Book a booth. Show up. Talk to people.

But in reality, it’s one of the most demanding channels a startup can invest in. It takes time, budget, and careful planning long before the event doors open.

That’s exactly what came up in our recent conversation with Ben Costantini, founder of Sesamers, a platform that helps startups choose the right B2B events and prepare well for them.

Ben believes early-stage teams underestimate the work that happens before the event.

The basic formula is: double the number of event days you’re exhibiting to get your minimum prep time. So a 2-day event requires at least 4 days of prep. Traveling or bringing team members? Apply an x2 multiplier for each additional factor.

Ben Costantini

Founder and CEO at Sesamers

He also shared a few other lessons for first-time exhibitors who want to drive real outcomes, without overspending:

• Focus on pipeline, not just presence: Startups should exhibit early, even before Series A. Not just for brand awareness, but to identify potential customers and foster real conversations that could lead to sales.
• Find formats built for startups: Events like startup villages, delegation booths, and shared spaces reduce cost while creating a fairer playing field.
• Make every hour count: Have a plan for before, during, and after the event. From training staff to following up on leads, well-planned execution matters at every stage.
• Swag + engagement = ROI: Use swag, especially wearable items like t-shirts or tote bags, as an engagement tool to attract people to your booth and boost brand recall.

Want Ben’s full checklist and ROI playbook for first-time exhibitors? Listen to the full episode on the Epic Events Podcast.

How Smart Events Create Real Business Impact | Ben Costantini | Epic Events by vFairs

Reads Worth Your Time

Still treating check-in like a last-minute task? These reads will help you take it off your pre-event planning checklist by explaining how to simplify check-in (before it becomes a problem).

• What’s the fastest and easiest way to check attendees in? Learn how QR code check-ins reduce wait times and keep lines moving.
• Want to avoid long lines and chaos at the door? This guide explains how to prevent bottlenecks at event check-in.
• Not sure which tool to use for check-in? Here’s a breakdown of the 12 best check-in apps for faster entry.

Here’s to running events that bring people together.

See you next month

Not loudly. Not all at once. But in ways you can feel if you’re planning anything in 2026.

Attendees are behaving differently.
Budgets are moving differently.
Teams are making decisions differently.
And the playbooks we trusted for years just aren’t landing the same anymore.

At vFairs, we’ve powered more than 30,000 events and spent the last year talking to the people shaping this industry: strategists, CMOs, event architects, community builders, and the experts.

In every conversation, the same signals kept appearing.

AI has quietly become the engine behind the fastest, most efficient teams.
Networking has become a primary reason people leave their homes.
And late buying behavior is rewriting how planners forecast, message, and activate.

These aren’t small adjustments.
These are foundational shifts that will define who thrives in 2026 and who gets stuck planning events for a world that no longer exists.

In this issue, we’re breaking down the trends that matter most and how to use them before your competitors do.

Let’s get into it.

In This Issue, We Cover:

• Spotlight: The shifts that are already deciding who wins in 2026.
• Must-Have: The 2026 Planner Readiness Checklist
• Reads Worth Your Time: Learn how to sharpen your registration process, create better experiences led by tech, and Gen Z proof your events.

Spotlight: The Shifts Reshaping Events in 2026

We’re not making predictions. What’s about to come is the patterns already showing up across the thousands of events we support and the conversations we’ve had with the sharpest minds in the industry. If you plan events in 2026, these are the shifts you cannot afford to ignore.

1. AI Becomes Your Event Co-Pilot

The experimental phase is over. AI isn’t coming. It is already here. Roughly half of the industry is now actively using AI to run its operations.

If you are not integrating AI into your workflow today, you are voluntarily choosing to work slower than your competition.

But there is a difference between using AI and using it well.

Muhammad Younas, CEO of vFairs, recently shared how event planners can practically use AI at Event Tech Live.

He demonstrated lots of use cases, from using the Relay app to send personalized recommendations to the vFairs App chatbot to answer attendee questions.

In fact, there’s a practical application of AI for each stage of the event lifecycle. This infographic summarizes his presentation.

2. Late Registrations Rewrite the Playbook

This trend showed up in every single conversation we had.

Attendees are registering later than ever, often in the final month, sometimes in the final weeks.

Not because they’re uninterested, but because budgets, travel, and the economy make everyone hesitant to commit early.

As Gina Kay from International Confex told us:

More than 60 percent of our registrations come in the last three weeks.

Gina Kay

Marketing Manager at International Confex

This means planners need:
• Pricing discipline (not decreasing pricing under pressure, which discourages early buyers)
• Emotional value messaging
• Progressive registration (collect basics first, details later)
• Simplified forms

3. Networking has become the Main Onsite Value

People still care about great content, but they’re not coming to sit through endless sessions anymore. They’re coming to connect.

When we asked Katherine Tooley, VP of Global Events at HubSpot, whether content or networking matters more today, she told us:

If you had asked me three years ago if content mattered more than networking, I would have said content for sure. Now, we’re seeing a big shift to more of our attendees wanting networking.

Katherine Tooley

VP of Global Events at HubSpot

This is why small formats are winning: roundtables, curated meetups, walk-and-talks, cohort discussions, and spaces designed for real conversation.

4. Hyper-Personalization is the New Standard

The era of the single-track agenda is over. Attendees now expect their event experience to feel like their Spotify feed. Curated. Intuitive. Built just for them.

This is especially true for Gen Z. They are now a huge part of the workforce, and they have zero patience for friction.

If your registration form asks for too much or your agenda feels generic, they tune out. You have to meet them where they are.

Here’s how you can keep up:

• Start by breaking up your content. Swap the hour-long lectures for “micro-experiences” and twenty-minute sprints.
• Build DIY stations and hands-on labs where they can actually create something instead of just listening.
• Use AI to push smart suggestions. Send them a nudge about a session that matches their job title exactly so they don’t have to hunt for it.
• Gamify the floor. Give them quests. Make exploration fun.

Make them feel seen or watch them leave.

5. Events Are the New Company Offsites

Remote work didn’t just change the office. It changed the event floor.

We are seeing a surge in distributed teams attending events together.

They aren’t just there to learn. They are there to actually see each other. The event is their annual reunion.

This is a golden opportunity for planners.

Stop thinking about individual ticket sales. Start selling “Team Bundles.” Create private lounges. Offer dedicated workspaces. Give these teams a place to bond, and you become their default annual destination.

6. Email is Still the Undisputed King

Email continues to be the heavyweight champion of event marketing. Yet most teams put it on autopilot.

That is a mistake.

According to Julius Solaris’ 2026 research, a simple 10 percent bump in open rates can lift your registrations by 30 percent.

That is massive leverage.

This means writing sharper subject lines. It means timing your sends exactly around your price cliffs. And it means using AI to personalize every single note.

If you optimize one thing this year, make it your inbox strategy.

There’s more that’s changing in the events world. Read our full report on the trends shaping events in 2026.

The planners who adapt to this reality early are the ones who stay calm when everyone else is sweating.

If you wanna gauge your preparedness, here’s a checklist to see where you’re ready for 2026 and where your strategy needs a refresh. 

[Give me the Checklist]

Reads Worth Your Time

The right mindset to enter 2026 is to use a blend of the right approach, along with the right tech. Here are some reads that will gear you up for both avenues.

1. Want your registration form to convert better? Learn all the do’s and the don’ts to ace registrations.
2. How can you use event technology to create a thoughtful attendee experience in 2026? Experts are betting on these strategies.
3. How to create event experiences that connect with Gen Z? Here are all the key trends you need to capture NOW.

Your turn. What kind of event trends will we see in 2026? Reply to this email to share your thoughts. 

See you in 2026

Because here’s what your attendees remember first:
Not your headliner.
Not your stage design.
Not your beautiful sponsor booths.

They remember whether they were stuck outside… waiting… watching another line move faster than theirs.

However, the good news is that check-in bottlenecks are fixable. 

With a bit of foresight and the right workflow, you can turn your entry from “Uh-oh…” to “Wow, that was fast.”

In this edition, we’re breaking down simple ways to eliminate bottlenecks, smooth out your flow, and create a check-in experience that sets the tone for the entire event.

Let’s get into it.

In This Issue, We Cover:

• Spotlight: Steal-worthy moves to prevent check-in bottlenecks
• Fresh from the Pod: Laura Lilley decodes how smaller and intimate event experiences can do big.
• Reads Worth Your Time: Learn why check-in tech works, how QR-code check-ins are quick and efficient, and the top 12 platforms for the best check-in solutions.

Spotlight: Your Anti-Bottleneck Check-In Playbook

Check-in chaos rarely comes from too many attendees.

It comes from unclear flow, wrong tech, unprepared guests, or uneven staffing.

Here are the top 5 most important moves that stop bottlenecks before they start. Share them with your team before your next show.

1. Map the Flow Before Anything Else

Bad layout is the root of most entry congestion.

If walk-ins, printed tickets, mobile tickets, and VIPs all pile into one line, nothing moves.

Try this:

Map the guest journey from door → scanner → exit and separate every flow with signs and vertical poles.

A clean path prevents early pileups.

2. Forecast Your Peak 30-Minute Window

Bottlenecks don’t happen across the whole day.
They happen in the sharp surge where 60 to 70 percent of attendees arrive at once.

Use the following data points to estimate your peak window:
• Registration data
• Past event data
• Group booking patterns

Know your real peak, not your total attendance.

3. Choose Tech Your Audience Can Actually Use Quickly

Right tech = speed.
Wrong tech = delay.

Your cheat sheet:
• QR scanning → best universal option
• Onsite badge printing → eliminates sorting
• Self-check-in Kiosks → great for tech-comfortable groups
• RFID / NFC → fastest for high volume
• Offline mode → non-negotiable for weak WiFi

Pick the tools your attendees can move through confidently.

4. Use the Station Formula Instead of Guessing

Most planners underestimate how many check-in stations they need.

Salman Saeed, Director of Product at vFairs, shared a simple way to calculate it:

Let’s say you are expecting 300 attendees arriving in a 30-minute window, then you need enough devices to process 10 attendees per minute. Quality check-in software allows you to check in someone in 5-8 seconds, meaning 2-3 tablets can handle the load.

Salman Saeed

Director of Product at vFairs

Test → estimate → adjust. Always do a mock check-in with at least 20 test attendees to ensure your setup works.

5. Train Staff and Assign Clear Roles

The fastest check-ins happen with confident teams.
Confused staff = stalled lines.

Train your team on:
• Scanning
• Redirecting
• Handling walk-ins
• Troubleshooting
• Switching to backup plans

Assign roles like: line manager, scanner operator, kiosk helper, and help desk support.

A well-trained team keeps the flow moving even when surprises pop up.

Here’s a checklist that you can follow to make sure your check-in experience is smooth:

Fresh From the Pod: Designing Experiences That Make Attendees Feel Seen

Check-in matters. It kicks things off. But it’s really just the start. 

Once people are in the room, the real work begins. They need to feel engaged, not just impressed.

While a lot of B2B companies are chasing bigger, flashier events, that doesn’t automatically mean they’re creating better experiences.

Our conversation with Laura Lilley from Hootsuite, one of the leading social media management platforms, revealed a different picture.

According to her, the strongest experiences come from smaller moments that feel personal, intentional, and human.

Here’s her take:

You don’t need 2,000 people to create impact. Sometimes 20 of the right people in the room drives deeper engagement and better outcomes.

Laura Lilley

Senior Manager, Global Event Marketing at Hootsuite

Here’s how Laura curates small experiences that work big:

• Curate the room, don’t fill it: The right mix of customers, prospects, and a limited number of staff leads to more authentic conversations. Her team keeps dinners to around 20 people with tight ratios so the room feels balanced, not salesy.
• Match formats to local behavior: Breakfasts thrive in London. Dinners win in Paris. Morning events often drive higher attendance because they’re pre-planned into the day. A simple timing shift can lift your attendance and improve the overall vibe.
• Focus on quality over quantity: Small-format events feel more intimate, less overwhelming, and far more memorable for attendees. They also encourage customers to naturally advocate for your product in front of prospects without forced facilitation.

Want more from Laura’s playbook on building attendee-first experiences? Listen to the full episode on the Epic Events Podcast.

How to Make Small Events Work Big for You | Laura Lilley | Epic Events by vFairs

Reads Worth Your Time

Are you still wondering how to ace that perfect check-in experience? These reads will clarify all the confusion.

• Which check-in method is the most reliable? Learn why QR-code check-in is fast, efficient, and never fails
• Which software is best to streamline event check-ins? Here’s a review of the 12 leading check-in platforms today.
• Does check-in software really help? Here’s a real example of how it saves money, time, and improves the attendee experience.

Here’s to running events that bring people together.

See you next month

It’s also when attendee anxiety reaches truly spooky levels. Which  means your attendees’ inner monologue sounds like this:

How do I even start a convo? ‍

There’ll be so many people…

Won’t everyone already know each other?

When nerves win, the number of quality meetings drops. 

Shy attendees don’t book slots, great prospects drift past booths, and your team fields a flood of “we kept missing each other” messages. 

Fewer meaningful chats = softer ROI.

Exhibitors feel it, sponsors notice it, and your post-event survey wears it. 

The good news is, this is a fixable problem. That’s why we created a ready-to-send networking survival guide for your attendees. It walks them through what to do before, during, and after the event. Forward the checklist and watch those meeting bookings climb.

In This Issue, We Cover:

• Spotlight: Quick moves you can steal and forward to attendees so they can make real connections.
• Fresh from the Pod: Gina Kay on designing events for networking and why “meetings made” is the KPI to watch.
• Read Worth Your Time: Get best-practice playbooks for attendees, exhibitors, and organizers; a quick lead-capture app comparison; and a shareable job-fair networking guide.

Spotlight — The Attendee Networking Survival Guide

There is just a growing sense of wanting human connection at events

Katherine Tooley

VP of Global Events at HubSpot

1. Build a 10-Name Hit List: Make a short list of about 10 people or companies you want to meet. Skim their recent posts, panels, or products so you have a relevant opener and a reason to connect.
2. Warm It Up with a Killer Profile: Before you reach out, set a networking profile on the event’s app, so people see the fit fast: your interests, what you’re there for, and who you are. Then warm things up on LinkedIn or email with a genuine question about something they’ve shared.
3. Send the Two-Option Invite: Your meetings should be lined up before the event. Don’t send “Let me know when you want to connect.” Instead, offer two concrete times up front to make saying yes easy, for example: “Quick hello Tue 11:30 or Wed 2:15?”
4. Make It About Them, Not You: People love talking about themselves. A great approach can be to start conversations by asking, either “How’s it going?” or “Which session are you most excited about?.  When the conversation gets flowing, customize your pitch to the listener. One line that maps your value to their role beats a generic spiel. For example: “You’re focused on exhibitor ROI. I help teams turn booth chats into booked demos.”
5. Qualify First, Then Exchange Details: Don’t scan every badge. Start with one or two quick questions to see if there’s a fit: “What are you hoping to get out of today?” or “Is exhibitor ROI a priority this quarter?”  If the answer sounds relevant, then swap QR or lead info and jot one note (problem, timeline, next step). If it isn’t a fit, point them to a useful session or person, thank them, and keep moving.
6. The 24-Hour One-Ask Follow-Up: Skip the recap novel. Send one clear next step, for example: “Great chat about onboarding. 15-min compare-notes Wed 10:00?”
7. Label by Intent, Win by Relevance: Keep follow-ups targeted by labeling each contact Buyer, Partner, or Peer with one line of context, for example: “Buyer, exploring EU exhibitor ROI, Q1 budget.”
8. Post a 3×3 Recap: Momentum fades once everyone travels. Share three takeaways and tag three new connections to reopen threads, for example: “3 ideas from <EventName> that changed my mind → [post]. Thanks @X @Y @Z.”

Grab the full checklist: Event Networking Checklist Encourage attendees to use it, check items off, and bring it along as their personal networking playbook. Of course, knowledge alone doesn’t guarantee connection; the right environment does. That’s where event technology bridges the gap. Features like smart matchmaking, in-app chat, and easy QR swaps quietly remove the awkward barriers that stop people from connecting. When organizers pair clear direction with digital enablement, every attendee, introvert or extrovert, gets the chance to find their people.

️Fresh From the Pod – Turning Attendance into Connections

While technology makes connecting easier, great event design makes it natural. So how do you create an environment where people don’t just have the tools to connect, they actually want to? That’s exactly what Georgina Kay, Marketing Manager at International Confex, explores in our latest conversation. One theme kept coming up: design your event so people can actually find each other, and track whether that’s happening.

Time and time again, people want to connect with people… that makes it the highest priority for me as a KPI.

Georgina Kay

Marketing Manager of International Confex

• Set the definition and the target: Agree on what counts as a meaningful meeting for your show, set a realistic per-day goal, and add it to the run of show and daily huddles.
• Lower the social lift: Add two or three low-ask spaces like hosted lounges, small roundtables, or “meet your peers” moments with a gentle prompt.
• Make the tech do the heavy lifting: Turn intent into action with interest tags and smart matchmaking, a meeting scheduler with availability, and fast QR or lead capture so notes and next steps don’t get lost.

Want more? Listen to the full episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuXuoiMTiBg&t=1557s

Reads Worth Your Time

Still confused about how to create a networking environment that attendees won’t forget? Here are some reads that have all the insights to help you:

• Want to know best practices to network as an attendee, exhibitor, and organizer? Here are 30 expert-led tips.
• Confused about which lead capture app to use to promote networking? Here are the leading ones.
• Worried if your attendees will make the most out of your job fair? Share this guide with them.

Here’s to running events that bring people together. See you next month

Attendees are signing up later, sponsors are holding back, and budgets are tighter than ever. 

Add in AI hype and tech confusion, and it’s no wonder planners feel like they’re constantly bracing for the next curveball.

Among all this chaos, “reacting fast” as a strategy isn’t enough anymore. The planners who are thriving today are those who anticipate challenges before they arise. That’s how you stay calm, confident, and in control, even when the chaos comes knocking.

In this edition, we’re breaking down the biggest headaches event pros are facing in 2025, and sharing ideas, tools, and lessons from the field to help you stay a step ahead.

Let’s dig in!

In This Issue, We Cover:

• Spotlight: The toughest event planning challenges of 2025 (and how to fix them)
• Fresh From the Pod: Beat those challenges with a strategic design mindset
• Field Notes: Content vs. networking, what should take center stage?
• Tools & Templates: Try our AI tool for a personalized run of show
• Reads Worth Your Time: Discover how to perfect your event timeline, plan outdoor experiences without surprises, and budget for an event without breaking the bank.

Spotlight: 5 Burning Challenges Planners Must Tackle in 2025

Foresight sounds great in theory, but what exactly should you be watching for? 

The reality is, certain challenges keep showing up for planners everywhere in 2025. Some are new, some are old headaches in new disguises. Together, they’re shaping what it takes to pull off a successful event this year. Let’s shed some light on each:

1. Late Registrations

Gone are the days when attendees registered months in advance. Now, most sign up in the final weeks, leaving planners sweating over fixed costs and empty seats until the eleventh hour.

Before COVID, our customers shared that 70% of registrations came months in advance. Now it’s flipped — most come in the final stretch.

Muhammad Younas

CEO at vFairs

This shift isn’t just about procrastination. It reflects changing attendee behavior. People weigh their options longer, wait for schedule clarity, or simply expect flexibility.

To counter this, start nurturing interest much earlier. Use tiered pricing or early-bird perks to create urgency, but don’t stop there; keep momentum with drip campaigns, sneak peeks of your content or speakers, and personalized reminders. Most importantly, make registration feel like a benefit, not a chore, so sign-ups trickle in steadily instead of flooding your inbox last minute.

2. Making Sense of AI

No challenge looms larger in 2025 than AI. On one hand, it promises to transform planning with predictive analytics, personalized agendas, and automated engagement. On the other hand, it brings confusion, inflated promises, and the risk of depending on untested tools.

AI is changing the way we do business. You’re not going to do business the same way — you’ll be faster, more nimble, and data will be more real-time.

Dahlia El Gazzar

Event Innovation Strategist at DAHLIA+Agency

The opportunity is massive, but so is the risk. 

With every vendor claiming “AI-powered” features, planners must separate true innovation from marketing noise and decide which tools genuinely add value versus which just add clutter.

A great approach is to start small. Pilot AI for a single use case like content recommendations or attendee matchmaking, measure its impact, and scale only what proves its worth. This helps you cut through the noise while staying agile.

3. Tech Overload & Integration Woes

With more than 400 event tech vendors flooding the market, planners face choice paralysis. Too many demos, too many features, and “native integrations” that rarely work as promised have left organizers drained instead of empowered.

This overload often happens because the search starts with features, not purpose. A better approach is to step back, define what success looks like for your event, map your attendee journey, and then explore platforms that fit those needs. 

Once you know what truly matters, it’s easier to see past flashy sales pitches and focus on tools that integrate smoothly and actually reduce your workload.

From there, dig deeper into integration claims, ask for proof, real client feedback, and examples of seamless workflows. Skip the shiny distractions and choose a platform that actually connects your systems, saves you time, and scales as your events grow.

4. Engagement Drop-Off

Capturing attention is hard; sustaining it is harder. Audiences are quick to disengage if sessions feel dull or irrelevant. Virtual attendees multitask, in-person attendees zone out, and content that doesn’t resonate is forgotten minutes after it ends.

The fix? Start by understanding what your audience truly values, through polls, registration data, or past feedback. Then, build moments of interaction into every stage: live Q&As, breakout sessions, gamified polls. Partner with tech that makes it easy to personalize content tracks and measure engagement in real-time so you can adapt on the fly.

5. Speaker & Vendor Management

Speakers confirm late, cancel at the last minute, or delay sending slides. Vendors juggle their own schedules and often miss deadlines. With so many external players, even one weak link can derail months of planning.

Instead of chasing people over endless email threads, centralize communications and automate your follow-ups. Build in buffer timelines, set clear deliverables early, and keep all files, contracts, and updates in one shared platform so nothing slips through the cracks.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. Explore our full guide to uncover more challenges shaping events in 2025, along with step-by-step solutions to tackle each one.

Fresh From the Pod: Turning Challenges Into Design

When events feel overwhelming, the answer isn’t always to try harder; it’s to design smarter.

That’s where the Event Design Canvas comes in. Created by Ruud Janssen, it’s a strategic visual tool that helps event planners map out the entire event experience before diving into logistics. It brings clarity to complexity and helps you design events that drive real behavior change.

Here’s how Ruud puts it into practice:

• Map stakeholders: Understand what attendees, sponsors, speakers, and organizers each need from the event.
• Define change: Identify the specific shift in behavior you want to see before and after the event for each stakeholder.
• Work with constraints: Use limits like time, budget, or tech as creative inputs, not blockers.

Hear Ruud’s full take on the Epic Events Podcast

Lessons From the Trenches: Do Attendees Come for Content, or Connection?

Katherine Tooley | VP of Global Events at HubSpot

Every planner faces the same dilemma: people sign up for content, but once they’re on site, are they really there for the sessions, or the chance to connect?

Few people understand that balance better than Kat Tooley, VP of Global Events at HubSpot, who oversees Inbound, a conference that draws over 12,000 attendees and is known for being both massive and surprisingly easy to navigate. Her perspective? You can’t win by leaning on just one side.

If you had asked me three years ago, for sure, I would have said content. I think that we're seeing like a big shift to more of our attendees wanting networking… there is just a growing sense of wanting human connection, and wanting to find their people or their communities or expand their communities.

Katherine Tooley

VP of Global Events and Experiential Marketing at HubSpot

Here’s what she’s learned from the trenches:

• Content draws people in: Fresh, relevant sessions and standout speakers are what convince people to register.
• Connection keeps them coming back: Curated meetups, lounges, and community spaces are what attendees rave about after.
• Balance builds momentum: Mixing programming with social moments, like networking, meals, or wellness breaks, creates energy and lasting engagement.

When you nail both, the real win isn’t just happy attendees, it’s a community that keeps growing long after the event ends. 

Curious how HubSpot pulls off Inbound? Learn 9 tactics behind their 12,000-person success.

Tools & Templates to Make Your Life Easier

Even with the best strategy, execution on event day is where things can fall apart.

That’s why a Run of Show is essential. It’s the behind-the-scenes timeline that keeps your team aligned with a clear, minute-by-minute plan.

Our AI-powered Run of Show Generator helps you create a personalized version for your event in minutes. Try it now!

Reads Worth Your Time

Need fresh ideas to sharpen your event strategy? These quick reads pack a punch:

• Planning outdoors? These 10 steps will keep your event on track.
• Need a clear roadmap? Here’s how to design an impactful event timeline.
• Tight budget? Here’s how to plan an event without breaking the bank.

2025 isn’t exactly going to be easy on event planners. But with foresight, smart design, and the right tools, you don’t just survive, you pull off events that feel seamless on the outside (even if they’re a little messy backstage).

Until next time, stay sharp, stay ready, and keep proving that planners can handle anything 2025 throws their way.

See you next month

There are about 400+ event tech vendors in the market.   

• Some vendors boast the best tech stack.
• Others swear by their unparalleled support.
• Some claim their integrations are flawless.

But once you move past the polished demos, the truth often comes to light, and it’s not always pretty.

The problem? It’s not always the vendor’s fault. More often than not, the real issue is a mismatch between what you need and what the vendor offers. 

So, how do you know that a particular vendor is the one? 

Skift Meetings recently published The Event Tech Almanac report, which outlines the state of event tech and gives in-depth insights into more than 85 event tech vendors. 

The report is a must-read if you want to be more informed about the event tech landscape in 2025 and where it is headed. We’re also hosting a webinar with Miguel Neves, the expert behind this report, to explore this in depth. We have limited spots. Books yours NOW.

But before the webinar, read this newsletter to lay some groundwork. We share a framework to help you choose an event tech partner and expert-backed tips to supplement your decision journey.

In This Issue, We Cover:

• Spotlight: The expert-led method to select the right event tech vendor
• Fresh From the Pod: Why clear event landing pages beat clever ones (and the approach to create one)
• Field Notes: How to step ahead of generic event marketing
• Tools & Templates: Use our AI tool to get personalized event tech recommendations.
• Reads Worth Your Time: Learn why a unified tech stack simplifies your work, the must-have features in event software, and key questions to ask vendors.

Spotlight: Industry Experts Use This Framework to Make Event Tech Decisions

Each event has different goals and requirements. Some events would do anything for an elevated attendee experience, while others prioritize exhibitor and sponsor value. Some events happen once in a lifetime, while others happen every now and then.

All of these factors impact which event tech supplier will suit you the best. This framework breaks down the ideal approach to get exactly what you want.

1. Start with Your Goals, Not Your Wishlist

Forget about what’s cool or trending. What do you really want your event to achieve? Is it all about giving attendees an unforgettable experience, boosting sponsor visibility, or a mix of both? Jot it down.

2. Map Out the Attendee Journey

From the moment someone registers to when they engage post-event, write out the entire attendee experience. Then figure out which tech features you need at each step.

3. Watch Out for Red Flags

Vendors love to talk about their “24/7 customer support,” but does that mean anything? Some take hours to respond. And those “seamless integrations”? Yeah, sometimes that’s not the reality.

Check online reviews to see what others have experienced. Talk to current or old customers. Check third-party reports to get unbiased comparisons.

Take the Skift report, for example. They rate event tech vendors on features, support, and integrations, providing a holistic comparison. vFairs nailed a perfect 6/6 on integrations, 42/44 on features, and 12/13 on support, proving we bring our A-game in both tech and customer service! 

Event planners considering event tech vendors mentioned in the report can use it as a good point of reference while making their decision. 

4. Distinguish AI Value from Marketing Hype

AI has lots of potential in event planning, especially when it comes to registration, content, operations, and planning.

AI is changing the way we do business. And so the implication here is you're not going to do business the same way. You're going to be faster. You're going to be more nimble. Your data is going to be different. It's going to be more real-time.

Dahlia El Gazzar

Event Innovation Strategist at DAHLIA+Agency

But not every flashy feature deserves a spot in your tech stack.

Choose tools that solve real problems. When talking to vendors, ask about data privacy, feature control, and ease of use. vFairs, for example, offers a solid mix of AI features and a 13/14 data privacy score in the Skift report. It’s a win-win!

5. Don’t Get Fooled by the Sales Pitch

Before any demo, tell the vendor about your event’s unique needs. This will help them show you relevant features that tackle your specific challenges, not just their standard spiel.

6. Keep Your Eyes on the Road

Sure, it’s important to know a platform’s strengths, but don’t overlook its limitations. Get clarity on what it can’t do, and ensure that it aligns with your needs.

For example, many vendors hide costly customer support. Whereas vFairs offers free support with a lightning-fast 1-minute average response time, as confirmed by the Skift Meetings report.

7. Don’t Let Analysis Paralysis Hold You Back

After evaluating vendors for capabilities, value, operational impact, and strategic fit, it’s decision time. If a tech provider ticks your checklist, pull the trigger. Don’t sacrifice good in the pursuit of perfection.

It’s not like you’ve to stay with a vendor for a lifetime. Regularly reassess the value of your current tech and stay open to testing new solutions in less critical areas.

At the end of the day, you want a platform that can grow with you. A flexible, unified event tech solution lets you scale up or down with ease, adding the right features as your needs change.

Fresh From the Pod: Flashy Event Landing Pages Don’t Cut It

Even the right tech will fail you if your event strategy isn’t strong enough.

The first thing any event planner needs to do when running an event is to get the word out by setting up a website. 

But too often, event planners end up creating stunning yet highly confusing landing pages, where finding basic details like date, time, and venue becomes a struggle.

The page isn’t usually clear, the copy is vague, and sections like testimonials and FAQs are missing, which can uplift your conversions like crazy.

In our recent conversation with Tas Bober, someone who has worked with 400+ B2B landing pages, she shared her no-BS approach to crafting landing pages that actually work. She also talks about some common pitfalls event planners fall into.

Most important block, which is missing on every single landing page I've ever been on, is an FAQ block... For one of my clients, we made a block for FAQs. And then we saw a 265% increase in purchases.

Tas Bober

Founder of the Scroll Lab

To simplify the landing page creation, she shared an easy-to-follow, 7-step roadmap. Listen here: 

Field Notes: Lessons From the Trenches

Georgina Kay | Top 40 Influencer by Technology for Marketing (2024) 

Sending out blanket emails or recycling the same social media posts might seem like an easy solution, but it’s not enough to drive real engagement or boost registrations.

Georgina Kay, Marketing Manager of a global trade show and conference, Internal Confex, shares why these shortcuts are sabotaging event registration numbers and what you can do about it.

You’ll discover why:

• Generic cross-posting kills click-through rates instead of boosting exposure
• Treating a corporate planner with a £1M budget the same as a university events officer guarantees zero registrations from both
• Set-and-forget automation can scare away last-minute attendees
• Post-event surveys should be the beginning of relationships, not the end

The solution isn’t having unlimited time or resources; it’s shifting from efficiency-focused thinking to relationship-focused strategy. 

When you take the time to understand real motivations and speak to specific challenges, you create something much more valuable than a registration. You create anticipation.

Your conference stops being just another event on their calendar and becomes a solution they genuinely don’t want to miss.

We all know that generic marketing can lead to a serious disconnect with your audience. 

Want to build a relationship-based marketing strategy? Get insights here

Tools and Templates to Make Your Life Easier

Feeling overwhelmed by all the event tech options?  Our Event Tech Planner makes it simple. 

Just answer a few quick questions, and you’ll get a personalized list for your event. Start the quiz now!

Reads Worth Your Time

1. Need help understanding what kind of features event planning software offers? These 24 features are must-haves in any tool you go for.
2. Want to make sure you vet your tech vendor properly? Ask these questions. 
3. Deciding between a unified event tech or standalone software. Here are the reasons an all-in-one solution is right for you. 

If this newsletter helped you, share it with another event planner who could use these tips. 

That’s all for today. We’ll see you next month.

You know the drill: months of prep, endless vendor calls, sponsor negotiations that drag on forever… and then event day hits and half your exhibitors are complaining about foot traffic while attendees seem lost.

Most trade show planners are stuck in reactive mode, putting out fires instead of creating experiences that actually work. No one wants that, and it is very much avoidable. 

Before we dive into solutions, we’ve got some exciting news to share:

1. We’re celebrating a big win. vFairs was named ‘Leader’ in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Event Management and Marketing. Details here.
2. We’ve created an in-depth e-book on building event apps that people actually use. You’ll get planning frameworks and AI prompts to make your life easier. Keep scrolling for the good stuff.

Now, let’s tackle those trade show challenges head-on.

In This Issue We Cover:

• Spotlight: The backwards planning method that’s changing everything for trade show organizers.
• Fresh from the Pod: Why your attendees should be doing your marketing for you (and how to make it happen). 
• Field Notes: 5 booth flow fixes your exhibitors need to know right now
• Tools & Templates: Outsource busy work like creating a run of show to AI so that you can focus on the big picture.
• Reads Worth Your Time: Get your creative hat on with 12 booth ideas, plan your lead gen strategy, and learn about lead retrieval tech.

Spotlight: Stop Planning Forward. Start Planning Backward

Here’s what most planners get wrong: they start with logistics and hope everything else falls into place. But the most successful trade shows? They start with the end goal and work backward.

Think about it – if you don’t know exactly what success looks like for your exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees, how can you create it?

Here’s a new process for you:

1. Know What You Want

Before you can plan, you need to know exactly what you want to achieve. Define your goals, whether it’s maximizing attendee engagement, generating qualified leads for exhibitors, or providing sponsors maximum visibility. 

Be crystal clear on your ‘why’ and how you’ll measure it.

2. Get Your Timeline Together

Once you know your goals, work backward from event day. 

Lay out every key task like securing the venue, finalizing exhibitors and sponsors, and getting the tech in place, and tie them to a timeline. This can look something like:

• 6 months out: Vendor and sponsor outreach begins
• 4 months out: All major partnerships locked in
• 3 months out: Tech platform testing starts
• 6 weeks out: Exhibitor briefings and setup coordination

  The sooner you get this done, the smoother everything else will go.

3. Vendors and Sponsors–Find Your Perfect Match

Locking in your vendors and sponsors early is one thing, but finding partners whose values align with yours is a whole other level. When your sponsors and vendors share the same vision, it doesn’t just make your job easier; it creates a unified experience for everyone involved.

Ask potential sponsors: “What does success look like for you at this event?” If their answer aligns with your goals, you’ve found your match.

4. Exhibitors Need Love Too

Your exhibitors are the heart of the trade show, and they deserve clear, consistent communication. 

• Send a detailed welcome packet 2 months before (not 2 weeks)
• Include booth layout diagrams, setup timelines, and contact info for every key person
• Schedule 15-minute check-in calls with each exhibitor 3 weeks out
• Share helpful resources and tips on how to improve traffic to booths, setting up the lead capture app, and scheduling meetings with prospects.

5. Tech That Works for You

Experts agree that event tech is what will lead the way towards high-impact trade shows. 

Choose one that solves real problems. Think about your attendee journey and select tech solutions that’ll support each step, from registration to check-in, lead capture, and beyond. Tech is what you need to connect people.

New Resource: Build Event Apps People Actually Use

Most event apps end up being expensive digital paperweights. Attendees download them, open them once, then forget they exist.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Our new e-book breaks down exactly how to create an event app that becomes indispensable to your attendees. 

We’re talking step-by-step frameworks, real case studies, and AI prompts you can use right away.

Click the image below to download now

Fresh from the Pod: Your Attendees Are Your Secret Marketing Weapon

Forget spammy emails and ad overload. According to Tamar Beck, CEO of Gleanin, the answer might be simpler than you think. 

Tamar joined us for our Epic Events Podcast and dropped some valuable truth bombs on the power of real human connections in event marketing. 

The ability to be able to plug in advocacy, make that super easy for whoever those groups of people are, is really key.

Tamar Beck

CEO of Gleanin

Instead of chasing attendees with more ads, she argues that you let your attendees do the talking for you.

The takeaway? Your attendees are your best marketers. 

Don’t just think of them as passive participants. By giving them tools to share their excitement with their networks, you can create a wave of buzz that no email campaign could ever match.

Want the complete playbook? Hear it from the expert herself.

Field Notes: Lessons From the Trenches

Jim Cemark | Director of Training and Customer Experience at Diverge Vehicle Innovations

Exhibitors are important stakeholders at every tradeshow. They want traffic, quality conversations, and leads.  Your job as organizers is to make sure they leave the event happy. 

The best way to do that is by sharing resources (including these tips) to help them prepare.

We asked Jim to share some tips on maintaining and engaging attendees as they stop by the exhibitor booth. His advice is to start with 5 tactics:

1. Engage Right Away: Stop attendees in their tracks with a simple qualifying question like, “Do you host events?” Quick and to the point, it gets them talking—and lets them know you mean business.
2. Capture Early: Don’t wait for the end of the conversation to grab their info. Collect leads upfront so you don’t miss out on a potential connection.
3. Guide Them Through: Treat your booth like a restaurant. Have staff play roles: greeters, data collectors, and demo experts to create a smooth, enjoyable journey for each attendee.
4. Use Prizes Strategically: A great giveaway can draw a crowd, but don’t just throw candy at them. Offer something that will make them come back for seconds like a chance to win a cool prize or get a hands-on demo.
5. Set Follow-Up Expectations: Don’t leave follow-up to chance. Tell attendees when they can expect to hear from you, and make sure the next step is crystal clear.

Want the complete strategy? Read here.

Tools & Templates to Make Your Life Easier.

A trade show isn’t just one big thing; it’s a hundred little things happening all at once. Creating a detailed run of show helps keep everything on track, but building one from scratch takes forever.

This is where our run-of-show template generator comes in. It will create a personalized template, specific to your event. Check it out!

Reads Worth Your Time

1. Tired of boring booths? Implement these 12 ideas to capture attention.
2. Fulfill your trade show lead gen dreams with these tactics. 
3. New to lead retrieval tech? Learn how apps boost real-time data access & follow-ups.

If this newsletter helped you, share it with another trade show planner who could use these tips. 

That’s all for today. We’ll see you next month.

When speakers are clear on what’s expected, confident with the tech and connected to your event’s big picture, they show up fully prepared. 

And we can vouch for the following results: 

• Attendees notice. 
• Engagement soars. 
• Feedback improves. 
• Your event feels more polished, more human, more impactful.

But without the right systems in place? Confusion, resistance, and no-shows creep in fast.

This issue is all about setting your speakers and sessions up for success.

In This Issue:

• Spotlight: 8 tactics to avoid speaker management disasters
• Fresh from the Pod: Engage speakers in word-of-mouth marketing
• Field Notes: The speaker red flag you might be missing
• Tools & Templates: Generate speaker bios in seconds
• Reads Worth Your Time: Thoughtful strategies for speaker guidelines, CFPs, and more

Want to boost speaker success? We’ve got you covered.

Back-and-forth emails, tech hiccups, and last-minute changes — speaker management can get messy.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

Here are some key steps to set your speakers up for success:

1. Make them feel like a star: Let each speaker know what unique value they bring to the table. This helps foster connection and ensures all speakers bring the right energy on stage.
2. Share the big picture: Give them insight into the event’s theme, along with its purpose and audience. This helps them shape relevant content.
3. Use a centralized speaker portal: Avoid endless back-and-forth by providing one hub for everything, including session information, material uploads, and Q&A logistics. Tools like vFairs help simplify this.
4. Set expectations upfront: Communicate early on what to submit and in what format. Assign deadlines to avoid confusion and delays.
5. Get them excited: Provide opportunities for them to engage with moderators, hosts, and fellow presenters. Get creative — facilitate group chats, host pre-event meetups, and even share behind-the-scenes sneak peeks. 
6. Assign a friendly point of contact: One go-to person makes it easier for speakers to get help quickly, avoiding any confusion.
7. Set tech expectations early: Tell speakers what platform/tools will be used and include tutorials to ease any friction. Remember, familiarity breeds confidence. 
8. Follow up with care: Send thank-you emails and share highlights to help keep the relationship going beyond the event.

With these simple steps, you are not just organizing an event, but also helping your speakers arrive, deliver and shine.

Fresh from the Pod: Speakers Are Your Event Brand Reps

Your speakers are prepared and excited about your event. 

What’s next? Engage them to spread the word about your event. If you’ve made an effort to build your rapport, they’d be happy to do it.

Tamar Beck, event marketing expert, had some interesting ideas in the latest Epic Events Podcast:

Speakers have a huge impact. Honestly, you want to tap into everyone who can help spread the word, and make it super easy for them to do that. Some people have bigger followings, some smaller, but everyone can make a difference.

Tamar Beck

CEO of Gleanin

Make it easy for your speakers to be advocates. Give them shareable content and tools that fit their style. They’ll naturally want to share it with their audiences. And that kind of personal recommendation? It’s way more powerful than any branded ad. 

When they get involved in spreading the word authentically, your event becomes more than just an event, it becomes a community experience built on real connections and trust.

Want more ideas to market your event authentically? — Listen Here

Tools & Templates to Make Your Life Easier.

• Generate your speaker bios and LinkedIn announcement posts in seconds with the speaker bio generator.
• Ditch the spreadsheets and scattered docs. Keep track of your event planning tasks with an event planner.
• Plan smarter, automate better with these 50+ AI Prompts for Event Planners

Field Notes: Lessons from the Trenches

Devon Montgomery Pasha | Event Designer & Strategist

What’s the difference between a great speaker and an average one?

The great ones show up ready to ask questions. 

In our recent conversation with Devon, she explained how not asking questions about your event, audience or goals is a big red flag. 

It’s a strong signal they’re focused solely on delivering their talk, not creating an experience that resonates with your people.

Devon Montgomery

Chief Experience Officer at DMP Creative

Great speakers take the time to understand who’s in the room,  ask thoughtful questions and care about the context. 

Why? Because they know that by tailoring their message, they can build a true connection. 

So, if your speaker is asking questions, taking notes and digging deeper, consider it a green flag. That’s the kind of commitment that leads to powerful, memorable moments on stage.

Reads Worth Your Time

• How can you use event technology to create a thoughtful attendee experience? Try these tactics. 
• Craft a CFP that grabs attention through this step-by-step guide. 
• Get better proposals by thoughtfully creating speaker guidelines. Use this template.

That’s all for today. We’ll see you next month.

Behind the scenes, you have a ton of conflicting priorities like speaker coordination, session planning, and abstract management, that can quickly spiral into chaos.

And if you rely on a traditional approach for managing it all, it’s a recipe for burnout. 

Every hour spent manually tracking abstracts through scattered email chains and spreadsheets is an hour stolen from creating memorable experiences for your attendees.

Part of being exceptional at what we do is recognizing when systems aren’t serving us anymore and having the courage to try something new.

Fortunately, event technology can help you stay sane and on track. 

In This Issue:

• Spotlight: Stop using email chains and spreadsheets for speaker and abstract management
• Fresh from the Pod: Dahlia El Gazzar Spicy Take on AI in Event Planning
• Field notes:  7 habits that separate exceptional event planners from the rest
• Reads Worth Your Time: Feedback collection tactics that don’t make attendees run away

Is abstract submission slowing you down? You’re not alone.

You’re organizing a conference that’ll feature speaking sessions. You need to collect and review dozens (or even hundreds) of speaker submissions or research abstracts. 

What starts as a few simple submissions can quickly spiral into hours (or days) of admin work—reviewing, chasing missing info, assigning reviewers, and sending out updates. 

Managing this through email threads, Google Forms, spreadsheets, and last-minute speaker edits can get chaotic. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Abstract management software is built to take that chaos off your plate. 

• Authors submit through a branded, user-friendly portal.
• Reviewers are automatically assigned based on your criteria.
• You track everything in one place—no digging through email chains.
• And when decisions are ready, submitters get an email, which you can automate.

Not only does this save you time, but it also gives your speakers and reviewers a smoother, more professional experience.

Want to see how it works?  Your future self will thank you. Watch the demo.

️️Fresh from the Pod: AI is the Saving Grace Planners Asked For

We love a spicy hot take and got plenty in our latest podcast episode. 

From calling out event trends as pure hype to declaring AI the event planner’s long-awaited digital transformation,  Dahlia El-Gazzar brought so much value and personality to the Epic Event podcast.

AI is changing the way we do business in events. It’s not just about data and analytics; it’s about making our workflows more agile, allowing us to work faster and smarter, and giving us the ability to personalize the attendee experience in real-time.

Dahlia El-Gazzar

Founder of Dahlia Plus Agency

Not only is she enthusiastic about AI, but she also shared some incredible use cases for events:

• Use tools like Gamma for speakers and VIPs to create personalized content on the spot and have a contest
• Make registration a personalized experience with AI to auto-fill details and offer custom options.
• Have AI assistants in mobile apps that go beyond answering basic questions to creating personalized experiences based on attendee preferences

                                        Get the complete AI playbook from Dahlia — Listen Here

Tools & Templates to Make Your Life Easier

To further streamline your event planning, consider these resources:

• Tired of designing event websites from scratch? Use these free event website templates to get started quickly and create a stunning site today!
• Planning a symposium or conference? Check these AI prompts to plan your next event… but make it better!
• Need to brainstorm names for your symposium or conference? Try our event name generator!

Field Notes: Lessons from the Trenches

Miriam Wexler | Business Coach for Event Planners 

7 Actionable Habits of Highly Effective Event Planners

1. Time Management Masters: Block focused work time, use project tools religiously, and delegate strategically to maximize productivity.
2. Relationship Builders: Treat every connection as valuable and maintain consistent contact, even between projects.
3. Crisis Navigators: Stay calm under pressure with prepared contingency plans and solution libraries.
4. Continuous Learners: Dedicate monthly time to explore new industry trends, technologies, and approaches.
5. Self-Care Practitioners: Prevent burnout by setting boundaries and scheduling non-negotiable personal time.
6. Innovation Champions: Maintain inspiration libraries and cross-industry idea collections for fresh concepts.
7. Reflective Analyzers: Create post-event debrief templates to systematically capture insights and improvements.

Read the full post here

Reads Worth Your Time

• Do attendees sign off without sharing feedback? Try these tactics.
• Aviagen spilled the tea on how they checked in all attendees in under 15 minutes.
• Tired of the chaos? vFairs abstract management streamlines submissions, reviews, and scheduling in one easy system.

That’s all for today. We’ll see you next month.

But what if AI could take some of that off your plate?

Many people try AI tools and give up quickly, saying the results aren’t useful. In most cases, the issue isn’t the AI—it’s the prompt.

Before you get meaningful output, you need to give your AI the right context. That’s where context documents come in.

Why Context Matters

Think of AI like a super assistant. It’s fast, creative, and tireless—but it can’t read your mind. To unlock its full potential, you have to teach it what you’re trying to do. That’s where the context document comes in.

Let’s say you’re hosting an in-person Tech Hackathon for 50 people. You want AI to help you make smarter decisions faster. But first, you need to prime it with the right background.

Here’s how you can start with something practical: venue selection.

Building a Smarter Venue Evaluation System with AI

You want a venue that checks all the boxes—budget, capacity, location, amenities. Instead of comparing options manually, let AI build you a detailed, criteria-based evaluation system.

Prompt Framework

Goal: Create a detailed, comparative venue evaluation system to ensure all critical requirements are met and help make an informed venue selection decision.

Guidelines:

• Use actionable, measurable criteria
• Include must-have and nice-to-have features
• Account for in-person and hybrid event requirements
• Rate criteria on a consistent scale
• Flag potential deal-breakers
• Consider both obvious and hidden costs

Instructions:

1. Fill in your event specifics:
   • Event Name
   • Expected Attendance
   • Required Amenities
2. Analyze each venue using the evaluation criteria
3. Score each area on a scale of 1–5
4. Flag any deal-breakers
5. Offer a recommendation based on the overall score

Once you submit this prompt with your context, AI can generate a custom evaluation report comparing different venues. Here’s what that might look like:

Venue Evaluation Report Summary

Venue Name: The Grand Plaza Convention Center
Date Evaluated: February 14, 2025

Location & Accessibility (Score: 4/5)

• Central location with public transit access
• 350 parking spaces with valet
• Fully ADA compliant
• Minor concern: limited street parking

Capacity & Layout (Score: 5/5)

• Main hall fits 800 theater-style
• 6 breakout rooms and 10,000 sq ft exhibition space
• Flexible partitions and a dedicated registration area

Technology & Infrastructure (Score: 4/5)

• 1GB internet, built-in PA, LED walls, and hybrid AV support
• Flagged concern: limited power backup

Catering & Food (Score: 4/5)

• In-house catering with dietary accommodations
• Limited flexibility on external vendors

Budget Considerations (Score: 3/5)

• $15,000/day rental, 50% deposit
• Includes AV package, but staff fees are mandatory

Contracts & Policies (Score: 4/5)

• Good cancellation terms, 24-hour access, clear contract language

Overall Score: 24/30
Deal-Breakers Found: No
Recommendation: Highly recommended. Strong location, excellent layout and tech support, with minor improvements needed in power and catering flexibility.

Bonus: Ask AI What Context It Needs

If you’re not sure what context to provide for a new task or prompt, you can actually ask AI directly. Try something like:

“Based on my goal, what supporting information do you need to generate the best output?”

Let the AI give you a list, then provide the relevant details in your next message. You’ll get better, faster results—every time.

Try It Yourself

We’ve created an entire library of AI prompts specifically for event planners. These prompts can help you with everything from marketing plans to sponsorship outreach, budgeting, content generation, and more.

Conclusion

AI won’t take over your job as an event planner, but it will absolutely change how you work. When used right—with the proper context and goal in mind—it becomes a powerful assistant that helps you plan smarter, not harder. From evaluating venues to crafting event content, the right prompts can save hours of effort and boost the quality of your decisions.

Ready to dive deeper?

Explore the Full AI Prompt Library for Event Planners →

Get inspired by 50+ ready-to-use prompts, real examples, and tips to level up your event planning workflow.