Key Insights From IBTM World 2025: How AI Is Redefining Events & Venues

AI is moving so fast, and the event and venue teams feel it every day. Tools are getting smarter. Workflows are getting lighter. And the gap between platforms that adapt and platforms that stall is widening. We feel it too!

We team attended IBTM World 2025, industry leaders such as Felicia Asiedu and Pedro Goes shared a simple message: AI isn’t a nice addition anymore. It’s becoming the intelligence layer that powers the entire event lifecycle. And the shift is happening faster than expected.

In this article, or small post, we wanted to we break down what’s changing, why it matters, and how these insights connect to the work we’re doing at Rookoo to build agent-driven operations for venues and event software.

Take a seat, because this is going to be an interesting one.

AI Is Closing Knowledge Gaps and Simplifying Workflows

Event or venue teams don’t lack ideas. They lack time. And often, they also lack easy access to the right information when they need it. Content writing, intake summaries, registration setup, venue recommendations, attendee recaps. All these small wins add up.

At IBTM, one trend stood out: Venue Managers and Event planners want tools that behave like a colleague, not another system to learn.

Conversational interfaces, intuitive guidance, and automatic takeaways reduce the learning curve of complex platforms. And it aligns exactly what we see at Rookoo: teams want intelligence, not dashboards.

From Creative Tools to Predictive Systems

The industry is moving past the “generate text and hope for the best” phase. AI is becoming predictive.

Platforms are aggregating data across events to suggest what works, what doesn’t, and what’s likely to matter next. This shift unlocks a new mode of planning: proactive instead of reactive.

At Rookoo, we see the same evolution. When our intake or event planner agents handle intake conversations for venues, they don’t just copy text from a website. They understand constraints, budget ranges, availability, capacity, and intent. And they guide prospects through the process.

The next step is clear: prediction. Recommending better dates. Better setups. Better ways to use a space. Better follow-up. And in many cases, better leads.

The rise of agentic AI: from automation to autonomy (?)

This is where the real transformation begins. It's not going to happen overnight, but it's a lot closer than you think. AI is no longer limited to assisting tasks. It’s starting to execute them. The industry is moving toward agentic systems that can:

• qualify and route incoming inquiries

• manage venue sourcing conversations

• schedule meetings

• prepare RFPs or recap documents

• send follow-up actions

• notify teams when something needs human input

At IBTM, this shift came through clearly: the future is not one AI feature here and there. It’s a coordinated layer of intelligent agents that work across the entire event ecosystem: planners, venues, attendees, suppliers.

And not to sound like a broken record: but this is, again, exactly the direction Rookoo is pushing toward: digital colleagues that free teams from repetitive admin so they can focus on the moments that create value.

Better collaboration between planners and venues

One area with massive friction right now is venue sourcing.Unclear requirements, long email threads, missing information, slow responses. Everyone feels the drag.

AI changes this by:

• guiding prospects through intake questions

• collecting structured details

• sending accurate requests to venues

• reducing back-and-forth between customer and venue (or planner)

• improving response quality

• ensuring nothing gets lost

It creates clarity. And clarity increases conversions. This aligns with our core value: reducing operational friction through intelligent conversations. When customers, prospects or planners share the right details, venues can respond faster and close better deals.

And when an agent handles it, no one wastes time chasing missing information.

Practical advice for Venue & Event teams

IBTM also delivered a grounded reminder: AI isn't magic. It’s a tool. The impact comes from how intentionally it's adopted. Three strong recommendations stood out:

1. Map what you actually do

Before plugging AI everywhere, map your tasks. Look for repetitive steps, long email chains, and anything that slows your team down. Those are your high-value starting points.

2. Train AI on the right data

AI becomes useful when it understands your tone, your rules, your pricing, your spaces, your workflows.
That’s why Rookoo trains each digital colleague on dedicated context, not generic internet text.

3. Stay curious

AI improves every few months. Revisit automations. Explore new features.
Small updates can remove big blockers.

Closing Thought

AI is not replacing event professionals. It’s creating the conditions for better events. The next phase belongs to teams who adopt AI with intention, train it with their knowledge, and let agents handle the weight of daily operations.

The work is only beginning and the industry is ready.

If you are interested in learning more about the Rookoo assistants (AI Intake, Event Planner, or WhatsApp host) you can read more about Wintercircus's AI intake assistant, Betsy here. Or Trenara's FAQ support assistant, Walter here. If you rather see it in action, book a demo here (or join us for a coffee in Wintercircus!)