After attending an AI seminar, I could not wait to share what I learned
AI tools like ChatGPT are all the hype right now and for good reason too. I do not encourage relying on it 100%, however, what a time saver to have this type of tool in your back pocket, especially when it comes to events. Keep reading to get all the highlighted benefits and its downfalls.
The New Era of Event Planning
Wow! Event personalization has never been easier. What I like about AI is the fact that it can scan so much information in a matter of seconds, whereas the average person would take minutes or hours to go over every single detail to ensure that nothing was missed. However I would not trust AI blindly and recommend always double-check if the analysis is truly accurate. By that, I mean if the requests are illegitimate, it could sabotage the list. For example, some guests as a joke could have said that they want lobsters from the lost city of Atlantis. This type of “joke” can mess up the analysis and slow down the event planning process. We need to ensure we are dealing with accurate information.
The AI tools Revolutionizing Event Planning
It is only evident that more and more event planners and consultants are utilizing AI to complete their work faster and work more efficiently. There is one pitfall, however. As of the moment, ChatGPT does not have the latest records, data or trends on hand for the last 3 months or so. I am sure it is only a matter of time before this lag in information is corrected, so that we will be accessing accurate real time data.
There are some tasks and documents I won’t be looking to AI for assistance. I would reccommend using AI for research and administration tasks that are time consuming. We use AI to give us concepts and ideas, from content building to entertainment inclusions to guest activities. But I am not looking to AI to create a detailed event concept, write various vendor contracts or do math calculations with a confident degree of reliability.
ChatGPT also can’t replace a doctor or a lawyer for health and legal advice. It may give advice on these topics, but there’s no guarantee of factual accuracy or relevancy for your individual situation. This degree of accuracy has increased now that ChatGPT can access the internet when the Browse with Bing feature is enabled, but this accuracy is still reliant on that of its source material. In the same vein, it’s probably unwise to use broad responses as individual relationship advice.
I do encourage using it for simple tasks such as creating a form for guests to complete, helping build a menu catering based or aid in terms of scheduling.
Transforming Pre-Event Planning
Here are some other ways AI tools can help without compromising the event planning process:
Your best friend in terms of brainstorming:
Have you ever wished that you could just spit out your ideas regardless of how bizarre they were? That what we do at Bright Ideas Event Agency. There is never a bad idea when we are in our creative think tank mode! This how the best ideas come to life. So by using AI and having someone to talk to without the judgment and in fact with encouragement is amazing! I can already visualize what fun ideas and bodies of work AI can help us in achieving. We are going to try it with themes and concepts based on trends, audience preferences, and past successes. The world is our oyster with AI!
Vendor and Venue Sourcing:
ChatGPT is not as great at sourcing vendors and venues, compared to Reposite which can be used to gather that information and aid in decision-making by providing curated lists, reviews, and contact information. Try them both out.
Custom Communication and Engagement Strategies:
ChatGPT can help set the tone, based on its attendees, by suggesting personalized engaging ways to entertain and invite by crafting invitations, promotional content, suggested conference schedules and social media interactions. Even with all of that, I do include a caveat to use it carefully in case of inaccurate information. As I always say, double-check it. Just because AI says it is trendy does not mean it is. Use AI as a tool but continue to plan your events using your reliable event planning tools that are tried and true to you.
Logistical Planning Support:
I love that ChatGPT can provide suggestions and checklists for logistical aspects of event planning, as little details are easy to ignore, and it helps tremendously in terms of organizing. Make your own lists and critical paths and then check with ChatGPT to see if you forgot anything.
Risk Management and Contingency Planning:
I would not suggest AI for risk management, as we as humans tend to be unpredictable and in some cases AI cannot really help. That is why it is simply a tool, and knowing when or where to use it can be useful to an extent. So, yes, use it for hypothetical risks, however, in real time, it cannot help much.
Embracing AI in Event Planning
Just because you can, you should not base your entire event on AI. We tend to forget that no matter how much information computers have on human nature, they can never predict it 100%, so neither should you. I see the future and present, and how using AI can be a game changer in detail-oriented tasks requiring a sharp eye and long hours. However, I would not replace an expert with AI but rather use it alongside as a companion. It is just a tool at the end of the day, so why not use it!
And for those looking for an award-winning event consultant, you know who to call! Book a free consultation now!
