Cvent says APAC events now use AI in everyday work

Cvent gathered more than 500 event, marketing and hospitality professionals at its fifth Accelerate Singapore conference, where it argued that event technology in Asia-Pacific is moving beyond debate over artificial intelligence to everyday use.

Held at Fairmont Singapore, the event focused on how organisers are applying AI in planning, venue sourcing, marketing and measurement, with discussions centred on linking event activity to business results across marketing, sales and customer success.

Will Kataria, Country Head and Senior Director, Singapore, Cvent, said the regional market has moved from testing the idea of AI in events to using it more directly in routine work.

"Across every conversation today, one thing was clear: APAC is done asking whether AI belongs in event technology," Kataria said. "The industry is focused on applying it in ways that connect people, data and outcomes into something measurable and real. Events are becoming one of the most powerful tools organisations have for driving growth, and the professionals here are leading that shift."

Cvent used the gathering to showcase CventIQ, its AI layer for event management, along with newer product updates. Attendees also joined customer sessions, panel discussions and practical demonstrations designed to show how organisers and venue operators can use connected data in live events.

Research Findings

Cvent also cited commissioned research to support its argument that in-person events are becoming more important as AI makes digital content easier and cheaper to produce. According to Forrester Consulting research commissioned by Cvent, 70% of business leaders said events matter more in an AI-saturated environment.

Separate research conducted by Censuswide found that 81% of respondents said audience trust increased after an in-person experience. Cvent has framed this around what it calls the "Presence Premium", arguing that physical attendance and direct contact are becoming more valuable in a market filled with AI-generated material.

The emphasis on trust and measurable outcomes reflects a broader push across the events sector to prove commercial value rather than treat conferences and meetings as support activities. Discussions at the Singapore event repeatedly returned to the role of events as a business channel rather than a brand exercise.

Investment Plan

Cvent also said it has committed more than $1 billion to technology, AI and product development between 2026 and 2029, with Asia-Pacific included in that spending programme.

The investment comes as software suppliers to the events and hospitality industries compete to build AI tools into planning, attendee engagement, venue discovery and post-event analysis. The commercial case for those systems rests on helping organisers show what an event delivered, whom it influenced and how it affected revenue or customer retention.

Sessions that drew strong interest included discussions on business-to-business event trends in the AI era and the future of event technology. For hospitality delegates, a demonstration area focused on AI-assisted venue discovery drew attention by showing how venue visibility appears when planners search through AI-supported sourcing tools.

The Singapore edition was also the first local chapter of Accelerate to take place under Cvent's new brand identity. The company linked that repositioning to its argument that live events should sit closer to the centre of growth strategies as businesses seek stronger relationships and clearer returns from customer and partner engagement.

Cvent operates in event technology, marketing software and hospitality sourcing, serving organisers as well as hotels and venues. Its platform is used by more than 445,000 users across more than 34,000 organisations, and its marketplace sources more than USD $20 billion in group business annually.

For the wider events market in Asia-Pacific, the message from the Singapore gathering was less about whether AI will be adopted and more about how quickly buyers can apply it in everyday operations.