Events have now become bigger than ever, with millions being spent on engaging designs, thoughtful experiences, and so much more.
With that, expectations have also changed (a bunch). Attendees want more than a branded tote bag and a hotel ballroom. They’re demanding smarter, more personalized, more interactive experiences. And event teams are responding fast (do they really have a choice?).
According to Bizzabo’s 2025 State of Events report, 72% of attendees say in-person conferences offer the best networking and 73% expect event experiences to include modern technology. What’s more, 75% also want immersive event experiences that help them disconnect from work and fully engage.
This denotes a shift in how events are designed, executed, and measured.
At the heart of this shift? Agentic AI.
So, how is AI transforming the event experience?
Let’s break it down for you in just 3 simple questions.
What’s driving the pivot toward AI?
Event marketers are under pressure to prove ROI, deepen engagement, and do more with leaner teams. At the same time, attendees expect instant information, hyper-relevant sessions, and meaningful sponsor interactions. The old playbook, static agendas, badge scans, and post-event PDFs, just can’t keep up.
That’s why AI in event marketing is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s fast becoming core to how modern event teams operate. But this isn’t about replacing people with bots. It’s about enabling human teams to scale what they do best, create connection, tell stories, and build community.
Wait, what is an AI Agent?
Let’s clear this up. It’s not a chatbot. It’s not another generic content generator. AI agents are task-specific assistants designed to work autonomously or semi-autonomously to complete specialized goals. You can think of them as your behind-the-scenes crew, handling data, personalizing sessions, triggering polls, and generating recaps without needing constant input. They’re basically your assistants who know exactly what needs to be done, when. And, what are some AI agents in the events industry? In the event world, this could mean a Polling Agent that runs live audience engagement, a Smart Reading Agent that summarizes sessions in real-time, or a Knowledge Agent trained on your event agenda to answer attendee questions. And these are some real-world applications of AI agents being used by media and event companies today.
Why are event teams adopting Agentic AI at scale?
45% of event directors are already using AI, and 65% of companies plan to increase usage in the next 1–2 years.
So, what’s the driving force? Time savings, better data, and more meaningful attendee touchpoints.
Let’s walk through the top reasons event professionals are adopting agentic AI:
- Active Engagement (not passive participation)
Attendees don’t want to just sit through lectures and yawn away. In fact, only 23% of attendees said their last in-person event had enough interactive sessions, and just 30% felt there were strong networking opportunities.
So, how can Bridged help? This is where a Polling Agent becomes valuable. Instead of passively listening, attendees are answering live polls, reacting in-app, and shaping the direction of a session. This is useful for audience energy, and a data gold for organizers and sponsors.
- Content needs to work beyond the event
In a time where every moment competes for attention, the recap matters just as much as the main act. That’s where content monetization becomes a strategy, not just an afterthought.
So, how can Bridged help? Using tools like the Smart Reading Agent, sessions can be turned into scannable takeaways, personalized summaries, or snackable quote blocks. This content can then be monetized via branded placements, gated downloads, or syndication strategies, all through a smart content monetization platform.
3. Event ROI is still hard to prove (But doesn’t have to be)
Even with bigger budgets in 2025, 70% of event organizers still struggle to demonstrate ROI. Traditionally, proving success meant counting badge scans or registration numbers. But that doesn’t tell you who engaged, what content worked, or how sponsors benefitted.
If you’re wondering, “what are some real-world applications of AI agents in this case?” The first one that comes to mind is sponsor performance reporting.
So, how can Bridged help? Bridged Media’s Offer Wall Agent, for instance, helps track every tap, click, or session interaction tied to a sponsor message, before, during, and after the event. Instead of vague impressions, sponsors get insights that matter: who viewed, who clicked, and what converted.
This is how you turn your event into a data-driven, sponsor-ready, monetizable asset (without exhausting your team.)
Reinventing Banner Ads and Sponsor Offers with AI
Let’s be honest: online banner ads aren’t what they used to be. The average click-through rate is below 0.1%. Yes, you heard that right.
But here’s the plot-twist you’re waiting for: in-app banners inside event apps perform significantly better.
According to the Mobile Event App Benchmark Report, banners within event apps saw an average of 108 impressions per attendee and 119 taps per banner. These aren’t just banner ad examples. They’re proof that AI content monetization works best when embedded into natural workflows.
Add a Polling Agent trigger to a banner? Now you’re capturing sentiment and interaction. Tie a sponsor’s CTA to a Smart Recap? That’s long-tail value, not just a fleeting impression.
The Rise of Personalized Experiences (without the manual labour)
Personalization is no longer a luxury; it’s the default expectation. And yet, only 39% of event organizers currently use personalized activations, and 26% offer personalized content.
What’s stopping most teams? Time and resources. That’s why AI makes such a difference.
An AI agent doesn’t just recommend sessions based on interests; it adjusts content on the fly, surfaces relevant offers, and routes attendees toward the most useful post-event resources. It turns a generic session library into a personalized journey.
With content monetization tools like those built by Bridged Media, every content moment can also be a monetized one, gated video snippets, premium recaps, or sponsorship overlays tailored to the viewer’s role or behavior.
Building a Future-Ready Event Funnel
What does it look like when your entire funnel is powered by AI agents for publishers and event teams?
- Top-of-Funnel: Polling agents that collect high-intent data during live sessions
- Mid-Funnel: Smart Reading Agents that repurpose session content into SEO-friendly summaries
- Bottom-of-Funnel: Offer Wall Agents that power content monetization platforms and deliver ROI back to sponsors
All of this can run in the background, supporting (NOT replacing!) the human creativity that makes events memorable.
Looking to see how Bridged’s AI agents can help you? Book a meeting with us, and we’ll sort you out.
Watch the video to see our Knowledge Agent in action, and see how it can help you boost attendee engagement while freeing up your ops team’s time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is an AI agent in events? It’s a task-focused tool designed to handle specific event functions, like summarizing content, capturing real-time feedback, or boosting sponsor engagement, without needing constant oversight.
Q: What are some real-world applications of AI agents in events? Polling, recapping, matchmaking, session recommendation, Q&A automation, post-event summaries, and personalized sponsor offers, all can be driven by agentic AI.
Q: Are banner ads still relevant? Banner ads still work, but only when contextualized. Online banner ads are losing ground, while in-app banners driven by AI (like those in mobile event apps) are showing higher engagement and conversions. Q: What is content monetization in the events world? It’s turning your content, sessions, recaps, or attendee data, into revenue. Through content monetization tools, you can upsell premium content, offer branded takeaways, or deliver lead-gen assets for sponsors.
Q: What’s the difference between generic AI and agentic AI? Generic AI gives you a tool. Agentic AI gives you a teammate, one that’s designed to understand the specifics of publishing, event workflows, and audience engagement. If you’re still relying on badge scans, form fills, or vanity metrics to justify your event spend, it might be time to rethink the stack. AI agents aren’t here to replace event teams. They’re here to make the best parts of what you do easier to scale, easier to measure, and easier to monetize.
In a world where attention is scarce and expectations are high, agentic AI is not something you can call the ‘future of event engagement’; it’s already here.