Event marketers know all the inherent value—a personal connection with your brand, streamlined experiences, improved ROI, and so on. But organizing and delivering these experiences can be challenging. For years, event personalization has been an ever-shifting trend with tons of promise, but, in practice, would often fall short. The gap between its potential and its execution made it feel like a distant dream hampered by time, budget constraints, and a lack of technological solutions. 

Finally(!) tech has caught up. Artificial intelligence, data analytics, and automation have bridged that gap, opening the door to a whole new world of personalized event experiences. 

This article serves up the best use cases for event personalization and the tech that makes it all happen—organized step by step through the attendee journey. From the first marketing touchpoint and travel arrangements to on-site experiences and post-event engagement, we’ll cover the usual tricks plus a few unexpected experiential twists. 

Let's dig in!

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Event Personalization is Here (Finally!)

‍‍‍Pre-Event

Personalized Marketing

Personalized marketing has become a game-changer for event professionals aiming to connect with their audiences on a deeper level. By tailoring marketing campaigns to individual preferences, demographics, and behavior patterns, organizers cut through the noise and deliver content that truly resonates with their attendees.

AI gives us the ability to scale personalization in ways that weren’t possible before. These tools efficiently and intelligently analyze attendee data, regional preferences, and industry trends to deliver emails that feel more like a conversation than a pitch, leading to a significant impact on the registration trend line.

Platforms like Splash, now part of the Cvent family, make this tailored approach seamless by gathering insights from past registrations, online interactions, and social media activity. Beyond simply crafting the right words, AI can also select imagery and media that resonate with the intended audience, ensuring that every element feels personalized.

Here’s how it works:

• Smart Segmentation: AI identifies patterns in attendee data to target specific audience segments with customized messaging.
• Dynamic Content: Natural Language Processing (NLP) generates tailored copy that speaks directly to each attendee’s needs and interests.
• Future-Proof Recommendations: Machine learning analyzes past events to predict which attendees are most likely to engage with upcoming events, even if they have never attended before. 

The payoff? Campaigns that capture attention and drive meaningful action—at precisely the right moment.

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Travel Itineraries

Event professionals can now create personalized travel itineraries that feel custom-made for every attendee with tools like Mindtrip. Whether the experience calls for an adrenaline-packed adventure, cultural explorations, or pure relaxation, AI-driven platforms like Mindtrip simplify the design of resonant experiences—revolutionizing bleisure travel and incentive programs. 

Mindtrip offers custom itineraries that highlight the best of each destination while remaining flexible to individual preferences. Curated guides include local must-dos, exceptional dining options, and unique activities, all complemented by interactive maps, reviews, and photos to make planning effortless.

The California tourism bureau See Monterey recently revamped its website using Mindtrip, which allows visitors to design tailored trips in real-time. Imagine applying that same concept to your incentive trips—empowering attendees to personalize their journeys while gaining insights into their interests for future events. 

In addition to being an innovative planning tool, Mindtrip also helps:

• Highlight key sponsors or partners by featuring their content prominently
• Gather real-time data on what attendees are clicking, booking, and enjoying
• Transform social media posts and promotions into action with easy links leading directly to customizable itineraries 

Incentive travel focuses on creating memorable moments, and with tools like this, it's easier than ever to deliver experiences that attendees didn’t even know they wanted.

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Agenda Recommendations

Creating the perfect event agenda has always been a challenge. What attendees say they want to see often doesn’t align with what will provide them the most value. Using AI-powered insights, event organizers can bridge this gap and offer smarter, more personalized recommendations that reflect attendees’ interests and goals.

“AI allows us to balance what attendees think they want to see—like their favorite sessions—with what they will actually find most engaging, based on predictive insights,” says Kyle Ramsay, VP of Technical Architecture at Opus Agency. “This dual approach delivers value beyond initial expectations. AI is finally empowering attendees to discover sessions and experiences that resonate with their professional goals.”

These insights are derived from historical registration data, behavioral patterns, and feedback from previous events, enabling platforms to provide curated recommendations for sessions, guided discussions, and offsite experiences. AI prioritizes relevance and personalization to ensure that every attendee’s agenda feels intuitive and impactful.

Imagine an AI tool at a tech conference that recognizes a returning attendee—a software engineer specializing in cloud infrastructure who is back for their second year. Last year, they attended a workshop on cloud security and a breakout session on cloud-native development. They also gave high ratings to hands-on experiences and expressed interest in upskilling through certifications.

This year, the AI suggests a curated agenda that includes:

• A certification workshop on advanced cloud security and cloud-native practices
• A hackathon focused on building secure, cloud-native applications
• A networking lunch with attendees labeled as "cloud specialists"

These tools can even notify the attendee about an upcoming keynote on multi-cloud strategies led by a speaker they favored in the event app. AI ensures their time is productive by connecting the dots between their past engagement, professional focus, and available opportunities.

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During Event

Connection Making

At the core of meaningful networking is the ability to connect the right people at the right time and in the right place. However, this process shouldn't feel like swiping through countless faces searching for a match. Modern event technologies, like RainFocus, EventBase, and Brella, are transforming how connections are made, allowing for seamless, relevant, and valuable introductions without the awkwardness of forced conversation starters.

Brella's matchmaking technology eliminates the guesswork from networking by utilizing AI to analyze attendees' interests, intentions, and behaviors. Its algorithm continually learns and improves recommendations as more participants join the event, ensuring attendees connect with the right individuals while optimizing mutual meeting availability. For recurring events, the benefits accumulate; data from one event enhances matchmaking for the next, leading to even greater success over time. 

RainFocus provides powerful networking filters that enable attendees to identify like-minded individuals based on shared sessions, topics of interest, or professional tracks. Similarly, EventBase enhances networking experiences with beacon badges and AI-driven recommendations, making it easy for attendees to find ideal connections and engage in natural conversations.

"Networking should feel effortless and purposeful," Kyle explains. "Tools like Brella, RainFocus, and EventBase help attendees forge meaningful connections—whether they are seeking career opportunities, sourcing partners, or generating leads. These technologies ensure that every interaction feels intentional and leaves a lasting impact."

By leveraging historical data, these platforms simplify networking and create opportunities for meaningful conversations, building community and fueling collaboration that extends well beyond the event itself.

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Experiential Imprinting

Cutting-edge technologies can usher in a new era of surprise-and-delight activations by combining interactivity, group engagement, environmental design, and personalized gifting. Opus Agency recently utilized AR and AI to create a unique experience at a leading technology event, allowing attendees to influence their surroundings as they moved through the venue.

Imagine a portrait wall where AI-generated avatar images appear as attendees upload their photos, forming a stunning mosaic of the community. Picture digital gardens that ‘grow’ as attendees plant virtual trees, contributing to a larger giveback initiative. Voice-to-image installations can visually transform attendees' ideas and dreams into striking artwork.

Interactivity also extends to the environment itself, with lighting and music responding in real-time to audience movements, generating immersive atmospheres that evolve organically throughout the event.

Gifting also reaches new heights of personalization with AI-powered custom swag. For instance, attendees can design unique event logos or artwork that are instantly applied to items like t-shirts, engraved water bottles, or other keepsakes. This blend of creativity and technology ensures that every attendee leaves with something personal and memorable.

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Gamification and Recognition

Gamification and recognition significantly enhance attendee engagement by aligning their activities with skills, goals, and personal motivators. By customizing challenges and rewards, you can create an environment where every action feels meaningful and enjoyable.

Validar has been improving this process with their platform, EventScore, a gamification engine designed to boost engagement and enhance the overall attendee experience. EventScore encourages participation by awarding points for key behaviors, like:

• Increasing content consumption
• Boosting exhibitor visitation rates
• Encouraging evaluation response rates

Daily contests that align with your event’s core values keep attendees energized and engaged, while EventScore provides valuable insights into attendee behavior, helping to optimize future events.

Kyle states, "The magic of gamification is its ability to transform attendees into active participants. The next frontier is predictive gamification—using AI to anticipate attendee preferences and customize challenges that maintain their engagement and guide them toward experiences they didn't even know they wanted."

Recognition is also a vital part of the event experience, and tools like Verix make providing meaningful awards easier than ever. Personalized certificates, digital trophies, and verifiable learning credentials are just the beginning.

Verix allows event organizers to issue digital trophies that attendees can showcase online, create membership badges, and provide verifiable credentials for training sessions or workshops. By combining personalization with the prestige of verifiable recognition, these awards serve as lasting reminders of attendees' contributions and achievements.

From gamified challenges that inspire action to awards that celebrate success, these tools transform engagement into a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

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Attendee Copilots

Event technology is evolving beyond traditional chatbots into intelligent AI copilots—always-on assistants that enhance every aspect of the attendee experience. These copilots provide real-time guidance, answer questions, and make personalized recommendations.

Our team recently designed an interactive AR dog sidekick, a charming companion that guided attendees through our client’s event. This sidekick adapted its behavior based on attendee actions, offering tailored recommendations and wayfinding while creating a sense of connection. The animated dog featured in a pre-event audio podcast appeared in custom animations on digital signage and contributed to app-driven AR gamification. 

The AR sidekick was more than just a navigation tool. It created a playful, memorable experience that made the attendee journey impactful. It guided attendees through the event, highlighting the moments our client wanted to prioritize. Technology that invokes a sense of childlike wonder redefines what it means to feel connected and supported at an event. Plus, it was a huge hit with attendees.

InfoComm has recently adopted a similar concept with AVA AI, powered by OpenAI. Integrated into their event app, AVA served as a comprehensive guide to the show floor, answering attendee questions in real time. Features like "Ask AVA" helped attendees:

• Locate exhibitors
• Discover educational sessions
• Navigate each day’s full agenda
• Find transportation options

This functionality was particularly valuable at InfoComm, where ongoing construction made navigating the Las Vegas Convention Center challenging. AVA simplified the experience, allowing attendees to focus on learning, networking, and engaging with the event.

Platforms like these assist event organizers and attendees before, during, and after events by automating customer support, offering real-time engagement, and collecting actionable feedback. The shift toward intelligent copilots helps attendees feel connected and informed throughout their journey.

From AR companions to AI copilots, these innovations are shaping the next generation of event engagement—bringing personalization, convenience, and joy to every step of the attendee experience.

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Post-Event

Content Summaries

Summarization tools like Snapsight are becoming essential for event professionals, revolutionizing how we capture and share insights. Imagine attending a large conference like IMEX Frankfurt 2024, which features over 150 educational sessions packed into just a few days. Instead of scrambling to take notes or experiencing fear of missing out (FOMO), attendees can rely on Snapsight to handle the workload.

At IMEX, Snapsight was seamlessly integrated into the event experience:

• Centralized in the App: Embedded within the IMEX Events mobile app, Snapsight provided attendees with a one-stop shop for summaries and insights.
• Easy Access via QR Codes: Scanning a QR code outside a session room instantly displayed key takeaways and idea clouds.
• Pre-Event Preparation: Attendees were introduced to Snapsight in advance, ensuring that everyone could make the most of the tool.

For the organizers, the benefits were equally impressive. What used to require countless staff hours to manually collect, organize, and distill session insights was now automated. Post-event reporting included synthesized highlights, emerging trends, and actionable strategies, transforming vast amounts of information into digestible and useful resources.

Whether you’re hosting a few workshops or a global conference, AI-driven content summarization ensures that no insight goes unnoticed and that no attendee feels out of the loop. It combines personalization, engagement, and efficiency—all in one package.

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Big Idea

There you have it! From pre-event marketing to post-event summarizing, AI is finally making event personalization possible. Powerful and practical, the tools are here, the insights are actionable, and the opportunities are limitless. It's time to stop talking about personalization and start delivering it. Your attendees (and your ROI) will thank you. 

Interested in learning more about event personalization? Drop us a line.