Agents are here: how event planners can prepare for the next wave of AI
AI agents are moving beyond simple chatbots and recommendations to take action on behalf of attendees, exhibitors and event organizers. That's according to Jeanne Sheehy from Bostrom, who shared practical guidance on how event professionals can prepare for this next stage of AI adoption at Agentic AI in Events: What’s Here, What’s Next and How to Prepare at the Inspiration Hub’s Perspectives Theater on Tuesday morning at IMEX America.
Jeanne distinguished between traditional AI tools and true AI agents. While chatbots answer questions and recommendation engines suggest options, agents can plan, access multiple systems and complete tasks independently. Examples already in the market include registration agents, concierge services and ticket-building tools that can register attendees, book hotel rooms and manage dietary requirements.
Drawing on an analysis of 55 tech exhibitors at IMEX America this week, Jeanne noted that around 20 referenced AI in their offerings, but only two specifically mentioned agent technology. Despite that, she believes adoption is accelerating rapidly.
One of the biggest shifts is that agents are no longer confined to event platforms. Increasingly, they are arriving from external sources to research, compare and make decisions on behalf of users. Jeanne shared that she had received 12 business leads in three months through AI tools such as Google Gemini, illustrating how agents are already influencing buying behavior.
This has significant implications for event websites and digital content. Organizers must think beyond designing for human visitors and consider how machine audiences access and interpret information. Agents can connect multiple systems simultaneously, from association management platforms and registration systems to housing blocks, using historical attendee data to inform decisions and complete actions.
To help organizations prepare, Jeanne outlined a five-step framework focused on data readiness and governance. The process begins with inventorying and mapping data, followed by cleansing, governance and the development of meaningful insights and KPIs before enabling agent access.
Her key message was simple: agents amplify existing processes. "They automate your structure, but if there is no structure, they're going to automate the chaos."
Strong governance is therefore essential. Recommendations included assigning clear accountability for data quality, restricting agents from admin-level access and implementing rigorous testing before deployment. Organizations should also review privacy policies and communication plans so attendees understand how agents are being used and how their data is protected.
Human oversight remains critical. Jeanne presented a three-tier model that matches supervision to risk. Low-risk, fully tested tasks can run with minimal intervention. Medium-risk activities, such as registration changes, should include human checkpoints. High-risk areas including contracts, crisis management, accessibility requests and sponsor relationships should remain under direct human control.
Looking ahead, Jeanne believes agents will increasingly manage transactions and routine workflows, freeing event professionals to concentrate on relationship building, reading the room, identifying unspoken challenges and creating meaningful community connections.
For organizations looking to get started, her 30-day action plan includes delegating one low-risk task to an agent, conducting a data inventory, auditing a complete attendee journey and selecting a safe pilot project to test.
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