Forget robot hosts and conferences in the metaverse. When event professionals were asked to imagine the industry in 2036, their vision was far more human.
A new report from The Meetings Show reveals that, while AI and automation are expected to transform the way events are planned and delivered, participants did not see technology as the star of the show.
Instead, the future they envisaged puts human connection, community and creativity firmly centre stage.
The report, Human Led, Tech Enabled – What Event Professionals Want From The Next Decade, is based on a futures workshop held at The Meetings Show 2026 and led by self-styled conference futurist Graham Norris.
Participants from across the industry were asked to look 10 years ahead, explore the forces likely to reshape events and consider what kind of future they actually want.
One of the strongest themes to emerge was a desire for technology to “remove friction, not replace human connection” - with automation taking care of more routine tasks while event professionals focus on the things that require human attention.
The report also explores some uncomfortable questions. If AI can automate more of the work, what happens to event industry jobs? As personalisation becomes more sophisticated, how much data will attendees be willing to share? And if travel becomes more expensive and environmentally constrained, what will make an in-person event worth the journey?
Graham Norris said: "Given complete freedom to imagine the future of events, nobody described virtual worlds or robot-run conferences.
"Technology was in every conversation, but almost always in the background: registration, logistics, data, admin. Centre stage, every time, was people. Connection, community, belonging, trust. One group gave their vision a title that could be a mission statement for the whole industry: human led, tech enabled.
"That could have been the end of it. But the more useful insights came from the tensions the room surfaced but couldn't resolve. Automation that frees people may also shrink the workforce. Personalisation is attractive until it feels like surveillance. Every improvement in virtual access weakens the case for being in the room."
The workshop also considered how events could evolve beyond individual gatherings, with community, participation and longer-term relationships becoming increasingly important.
Read the full Human Led, Tech Enabled – What Event Professionals Want From The Next Decade report here.
