Spilling the Tea: Will AI Replace Event Agencies?
Babes, we need to talk about AI. Every conversation in events right now seems to circle back to it. Will it replace venue finding? Will it replace design? Will it replace agencies altogether?
I ran a workshop recently on AI and creativity, and the biggest takeaway wasn't about the tools themselves. It was about the people getting real value from them. The ones seeing genuine results weren't using AI to do the work for them, they were using it to challenge the work, to spot the gaps, to pressure-test ideas and explore angles they hadn't considered. Put rubbish in, get rubbish out. That hasn't changed.
Short answer: no. Longer answer: it depends entirely on how you use it.
AI is absolutely reshaping our industry. But there are three things I don't think it's replacing anytime soon.
1. Real industry experience and relationships
Venue finding is the perfect example. AI agents can now source venues, build shortlists, and fire off inquiries at scale. Sounds efficient, until every venue is flooded with the same generic outreach and every shortlist starts looking identical.
What AI can't tell you is that the break-up flow at a certain venue is awkward, that loading access is a nightmare, that catering fell apart under pressure last time, or that three agencies quietly stopped recommending a space after bad client feedback. That knowledge only comes from lived experience, relationships, and doing this over and over again.
2. Handling live pressure
When something goes wrong on site, and something always eventually does, nobody is wheeling out ChatGPT backstage to sort it. That's instinct. That's leadership. That's making fast calls and staying calm when everyone around you isn't.
3. Emotional intelligence
This one's my favourite. Reading a room, understanding people, sensing stress before anyone's said a word, building trust with a client or a crowd. That human connection is still what makes a great event feel great, and it's not something a model can fake its way through.
So no, AI isn't the enemy here. It's a tool, and a genuinely useful one when it's used well. But the more AI grows, the more valuable real human expertise becomes, because the magic was never in the software. It's always been the people behind it.
See you next week for more tea on the balcony.