According to the IAEE, the event industry in the United States employs approximately seven million professionals., from organizers and marketers to sales teams and operations experts. But with AI advancing at breakneck speed, what will happen to  those jobs in the next 18 months? Are we looking at a mass displacement, or will AI be the ultimate enabler for event professionals who are smart enough to embrace it?

As someone who has spent decades in this industry, working with organizers, sponsors, and attendees, I see both the opportunities and the threats AI presents. And while there is justified anxiety, there’s also an undeniable upside. What does it mean for you?

AI’s Disruption- and it’s Happening Now
We need to accept is that AI will fundamentally change how events are run. It’s not a set of tools, it’s a new framework of doing business, a new ecosystem if you will.

AI-powered tools are already replacing tasks once done manually:

• Marketing automation: AI-driven email campaigns, chatbot-powered customer service, are reducing the need for large marketing teams and agencies.
• Sales and sponsorships: AI tools analyze vast amounts of data to identify ideal sponsors and predict exhibitor interest, cutting down the research legwork for sales teams.
• Event planning and logistics: AI is streamlining venue selection, scheduling, and vendor coordination, reducing reliance on large operations teams.
• Content creation: AI-generated speaker bios, session descriptions, and even entire panel discussions are becoming more common, challenging the traditional role of content managers.

With all these efficiencies, the reality is clear: AI will replace many jobs in the event industry (in my estimate up to 40% of employees or millions of current jobs) in the next 18 months. The administrative and repetitive tasks that once took hours can now be handled in minutes, by fewer people. This means that professionals who rely on executing routine tasks—like scheduling, data entry, or basic marketing—will need to evolve or risk being let go.

The Opportunity for Event Professionals
Here’s the good news: AI won’t replace humans entirely- which actually makes sense given we are in a face-to-face business. Instead, it’s about transforming professionals who enhance the most valuable skills in the industry—those who deeply understand their customers—into event strategists who drive meaningful impact and added value. These professionals who will thrive are those who:

• Master AI tools: Learn how to use AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT, HubSpot’s AI marketing tools, or AI-powered CRM systems to enhance productivity. The best event professionals will be those who know how to use AI to create value rather than fear it.
• Focus on strategic relationship-building: AI can analyze data, but it can’t replace human intuition, trust, relationship-building and the human touch. Professionals who spend time getting to know their customers personally and have a visceral idea of who they are serving are the ones who will thrive.
• Develop high-level problem-solving skills: Events are full of surprises; you can knock out the known problems. but humans need to intervene unforeseen issues arise.
• Enhance creative and experiential event design: AI can generate content, but crafting truly immersive, engaging, and unique experiences still requires human creativity. Those who can create unforgettable moments will remain in demand.
• Elevate their personal brand and thought leadership: As AI handles grunt work, event professionals should position themselves as experts in strategy, networking, and experiential marketing—areas where AI struggles to compete.

The Real Danger: Business as Usual
The biggest risk isn’t AI itself—it’s inaction, especially those who feel that AI is all hype and will go away in time, like most tech has done in our business. If you’re an event professional who assumes AI won’t affect your job, you’re setting yourself up for a pink slip. The event industry has historically been slow to adopt new technology, but this time, the shift is happening too quickly to ignore- as your exhibitors abandon your event for their own, and competitors from outside the industry eat your market share, or worse condemn your event to extinction.

Rather than resisting AI, the best approach is to get ahead of it. Start experimenting with AI tools now, integrate them into your workflow, and find ways to use them to enhance your unique value.

What Happens in the Next 12 Months?
Will AI eliminate seven million event jobs in the next year? No—but it will fundamentally change them. Jobs won’t disappear overnight, but the job descriptions will evolve. The professionals who adapt and embrace AI will find themselves more valuable than ever (have you added these skills to your resume yet?), while those who resist may fail to remain employed.

If you’re an event organizer, marketer, or sales professional, now is the time to act. Don’t wait for the industry to change around you—lead the charge. Experiment, learn, and position yourself as someone who knows how to use AI to enhance event success and become an Event Strategist.

AI is here to stay. The only question is: will you adapt and thrive, or will you get left behind?