Human-led, AI-enabled and marketing-driven: Cvent CEO sets the next era of events
Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and Founder of Cvent, opened Cvent CONNECT Europe with a clear message: events win by being human-led, AI-enabled, and marketing-driven. His keynote focused on three priorities for planners, venues, and marketers: working through uncertainty, applying AI with intent, and treating events as a core growth engine.
He reinforced the irreplaceable value of in-person engagement. "In a digital-first world, human connection isn't just a nice-to-have-it's our industry's greatest advantage." Cvent's footprint continues to scale, with more than 5,000 employees and 25,000 customers worldwide-evidence that this advantage compounds when supported by the right systems.
Aggarwal also shared a personal milestone-his daughter's acceptance into her top-choice university-to underline a simple truth: effort, resilience, and support create outcomes. "The future may be digital-first, but it will always be human-led."
Priority 1: Managing uncertainty with focus and discipline
Inflation, shifting tariffs, and geopolitical conflict are real. Yet sentiment is at a five-year high, and in-person events continue to show measurable ROI. The lesson: double down on what creates trust and revenue-relationships, impact, and a long view.
- Lock budgets with scenario ranges (best/base/worst) and pre-approved levers: venue class, F&B minimums, travel policies.
- Consolidate spend with preferred partners to gain rate stability and stronger service levels.
- Build a mixed portfolio (flagship, regional, hosted VIP, webinars) to protect pipeline and reach.
- Measure what matters: cost per qualified meeting, sourced revenue, influenced revenue, and retention/expansion uplift.
Priority 2: AI that boosts productivity-and keeps creativity human
Aggarwal called AI "a monumental shift," emphasizing it should increase productivity so teams can focus on strategy and experience design. Cvent is accelerating its AI roadmap through Cvent IQ™, a layer of intelligence woven into the platform.
New capabilities include:
- Session Snapshots: live transcripts, audio snippets, and slide captures delivered directly to attendees.
- Session Insights: automated summaries of feedback with clear takeaways for content and programming.
- AI Response Assistant: helps hotels respond to RFPs faster and improve conversion.
- AI 3D Event Designer: instantly generates interactive, to-scale venue layouts with lighting simulations.
Practical next steps for teams:
- Start with high-friction tasks: note-taking, feedback synthesis, and layout iterations.
- Set clear guardrails (data sources, review steps, approval owners) to keep quality high.
- Upskill your team so AI becomes a daily habit, not a side project. If you need structured options, explore role-based AI learning paths here: AI courses by job.
For broader context on productivity gains and job impact, this overview is useful: The economic potential of generative AI.
Priority 3: Event-Led Growth as a go-to-market system
Events are not just moments-they're a pipeline and revenue system. Aggarwal spotlighted Event-Led Growth (ELG): using live, digital, and hybrid programs to drive acquisition, engagement, retention, and expansion.
Cvent introduced Cvent Essentials to help teams spin up small, repeatable events-VIP dinners, executive roundtables, and regional meetups-in minutes. The platform also continues to deepen webinar capabilities to engage video-first audiences like Gen Z and Millennials with higher fidelity.
How to operationalize ELG:
- Map events to funnel stages: awareness (webinars), intent (roundtables), conversion (VIP demos), expansion (customer councils).
- Integrate CRM and MAP: track sourced and influenced revenue, meeting creation, and post-event deal velocity.
- Standardize formats: templatize run-of-show, content, and outreach for speed and consistency.
- Report like a marketer: share pipeline impact, deal cycle time, retention lift, and customer health changes within 30/60/90 days post-event.
Why this matters for hospitality and marketing leaders
- Planners and venues: accelerate sales cycles with faster RFP response, clearer layouts, and better content capture.
- Marketing teams: treat every event as a measurable touchpoint; tie sessions, attendees, and meetings to revenue.
- Executives: fund programs that create community and pipeline; insist on shared metrics across events, sales, and marketing.
Attend Cvent CONNECT Europe (virtual)
You can still register to attend virtually, with live and on-demand access for 30 days, including Aggarwal's keynote. Visit the Cvent CONNECT Europe website to register.
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