The percentage of event professionals using artificial intelligence (AI) tools has grown by 60% since late 2023, according to finding’s from MPI’s Q1 2025 Meetings Outlook survey.
In that time, the percentage of respondents who use AI regularly has nearly doubled (from 22% to 43%), while those who never use the tech has fallen nearly two-thirds (from 48% to 17%). It’s clear that, whether by necessity, mandate or curiosity, more event professionals are exploring how they can benefit by leveraging AI.
Event professionals’ ability to effectively utilize AI to craft successful events has also grown notably. In this latest survey, nearly half (43%) of respondents used positive terms (“good” or “excellent”) to describe their AI skills—that’s almost a 50% increase since late 2023. On the bottom end, only 1% of respondents currently view their AI skills as “terrible,” down from 6%.
The fact that 40% of respondents report “average” AI skills indicates there remains a need for more—and more advanced—AI education in the event industry currently as well as growing alongside the tech as it advances.
This growth in adoption of AI is inextricably linked to event professionals’ sentiment toward the technology. Yet, whether rising positive sentiment led to the growth in use of AI or vice versa remains to be seen—truly a “chicken or egg” scenario.
The percentage of event professionals expressing positive sentiment towards AI in the meeting and event industry (68%) has grown by more than one-third since late 2023. In that same time frame, negative AI sentiment among event professionals has been cut in half, now representing only 8% of respondents.
Of Meetings Outlook respondents who said they’re lacking important knowledge and skills, 52% cited the need for more artificial intelligence (AI) education. The MPI Academy’s industry-first AI-Enhanced Event Professional certificate—offered live, online—is a perfect opportunity to get up to speed and immediately start leveraging the benefits of this new and rapidly evolving tech.
