What’s Next in Event Tech at IMEX 2025?

Not only are there more tech-focused sessions than ever, but the category title is now: Tech Innovation and AI. If the industry’s obsession with artificial intelligence wasn’t clear, consider this your sign. Event sales professionals can even get AI certified on Smart Monday at IMEX America. But AI is only the beginning.

Look forward to insights on forward-thinking solutions like AR/VR experiences for attendees, advanced event apps, and data analytics for measuring event success. The bottom line: the endgame of event technology is to enhance human connection while making the planner’s life easier and their work more impactful. Let’s see how.

AI Isn’t the New Tech on the Block

IMEX 2024 made one thing clear—If you’ve never opened ChatGPT, you probably should before you hit the floor. AI has gone from innovative to expected in the blink of an eye, and it’s here to stay. But when the applications of new technologies are limitless, just getting started can put you at your limit. One of the easiest ways to make AI feel more accessible is to take a goal-oriented approach. Ask yourself: What are five things I do every day that I wish I didn’t have to do? What’s something I want to learn to do better, but there’s just not enough time? Instead of struggling with these challenges, eliminate them with a little bot by your side. Here are some ideas we’re particularly excited to try and sessions we can’t wait to attend:

• Sales folks, learn to use tools like Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Beautiful.AI to personalize your outreach and streamline your workflow. For example, feed the engine past emails that hit different and ask AI to provide you with templates that, with just a few tweaks, feel like you spent hours crafting them. Crush your sales goals by adding AI for the Sales Professional to your IMEX schedule.
• Spark AI has been making a splash at IMEX since its debut in 2023. Developed as the first generative AI platform specifically for the event industry, the technology has evolved to become a cornerstone of cutting-edge event planning and logistics. The model incorporates trusted destination data so you can reliably use it to provide up-to-date venue recommendations. Using industry-honed workflows, you can kick tedious tasks like managing run sheets and building supplier RFPs to the curb and spend more time focused on building extraordinary experiences. Looking for more time in your day? Register for Smart planning: Streamlining event logistics.
• Predict resourcing needs without a crystal ball. By uploading past event data (sans any confidential info, of course!), you can forecast staffing, like how many travel directors a future event might need, saving you time, money, and the last-minute scramble. Become a resourcing wizard with AI unleashed: The ultimate event innovation.

Level-Up Your Immersion Game

AR and VR aren’t just for gamers anymore. Augmented and virtual reality aren’t quite commonplace, but they are trending that way. These technologies can create deeper engagement and more personalized, memorable attendee experiences. However, flashy entertainment, teambuilding gamification, and virtual city tours are just the beginning. The new take: using this tech to promote mindfulness and wellness. Attendees can go inside their minds like never before and experience a new generation of guided meditation.

Want to experience AR and VR mindfulness first-hand? Check out Immersive AR/VR mindfulness.

Mind-Blowing Neuroscience

When it comes to the next frontier of event data, grey matter matters. Understanding how your attendees perceive your program in real-time is invaluable. Neuroscience-backed apps paired with wearables like Apple watches and Fitbits can take the literal pulse of the crowd. This in-the-moment feedback enables planners to gain deeper insights into how to create truly wow-worthy experiences.

Learn how to capture your attendees’ hearts with Pulse check: How neuroscience on your wrist measures in-the-moment value.

There’s An App for That

Event applications are nothing new, but now they can do more than ever before. New technologies are enabling planners to measure successes with precision and even adjust on the fly. Modern event platforms and apps collect a wealth of information, including session attendance numbers, booth foot traffic, dwell times, polling responses, social media sentiment, and more. You can harness this information to up your game the next time around and demonstrate event ROI (more on that up next!). We can’t wait to see what new app demos are on deck this year!

Using Data for Your Next Big Flex

Sure, attendee testimonials are great, but the new gold standard for measuring your success? It’s all in the metrics. Data is really the name of the game when it comes to today’s event tech. Just count the number of times we talked about it in this blog alone (five, to be exact). Planner dashboards aggregate numbers and translate them into actionable insights like which exhibitor booths had the most traffic, and even which networking events led to the most post-show meetings, from using AI to analyze sentiment from attendee feedback or social posts to gauge the mood and identify pain points in real time. All of this intel is the info you need to demonstrate ROI, plan smarter, and advocate for your events and yourself.

Learn how to unlock the full potential of your events through measurement at IMEX this year.

Get excited, planners! These technologies are ready to elevate your next event. Let’s vow to make events smarter and even more spectacular in 2025 and beyond.