I recently shared my journey exploring AI tools and prompts for event planning with my fellow #EventProfs at CVENT Connect in Las Vegas. Below are highlights of my experience, how I learned to think differently about AI, and the insights and tools I’ve gathered.
Making AI Work For YOUR Specific Needs
When I first started exploring AI, it was easy to get overwhelmed. I’d constantly see lists of dozens if not hundreds of new AI Tools and tricks — many of which were cool, but I realized didn’t really apply to me. (I remembered I don’t actually have a podcast I need to edit, phew!)
To make AI tools work for me, I had to narrow down my focus. I decided to tune out the noise, and focus on the challenges I’m currently facing in my day-to-day work life. These were things like scheduling overload, organization, client call summaries, and emails. From there, I was able to dig up tools that could help me, rather than just playing around with the tools first.
AI Tools & And the Real Ways They’ve Helped Me
Here are a few of the real-life pain points I landed on, and some AI tools that helped me manage them. Please note: I’ve linked some of the tools I’ve tried, but there are many similar tools on the market that accomplish similar things. Experiment with what works best for you and your budget.
Efficient Calendar Management: I needed some support with my busy travel calendar. Reclaim.AI, a smart calendar assistant, allowed me to set routines and habits for my calendar. I especially like that it will move around your lunch break or blocked-off focus time until your breaks can’t be moved any more — then it will cancel or not accept a meeting. It combined with Calendly for meeting scheduling, saving me time and brainpower.
Meeting Documentation: Otter.AI, a meeting assistant, joined my calls and transcribed discussions in real time. The transcriptions served as detailed records, simplifying the process of creating call recaps and ensuring nothing slipped through the cracks. Recapping my calls and taking next steps at the end of the day instantly became easier.
Organized Brain Dumping: Sometimes, I just need to brain dump. AudioPen, a tool I discovered on TikTok, let me vocalize my thoughts in one big stream-of-consciousness, and transformed them into organized written notes.
Effortless Email Drafting: By using ChatGPT’s Gmail extension, I can start emails with subject lines and a few lines of rough content. Then I click the button, and ChatGPT suggests a draft of the rest of the email content. While careful review remains essential (it doesn’t get it perfect), this tool provided a jump-start, saving time on drafting routine emails.
Helpful Chat GPT Prompts
Speaking of Chat GPT, my team and I also put together this enormous Google Doc list of ChatGPT prompts for common event planning tasks. All our prompts are tested in ChatGPT sorted by category to help with common tasks in venue selection, vendor research, agenda creation, and much more. They also include follow-ups, to help you narrow down ChatGPT’s initial response, which can sometimes be too broad and generic.
In creating this list and using ChatGPT for event planning, I find prompts are most useful when you include:
- Specifics of what you’re looking for. For example, a numbered list, an email template, a summary, the length or word count you need, etc.
- Context. Meaning, add in your prompt that you’re a planner, and you’re planning an important event for a startup client. You can also ask ChatGPT to take on the persona of event planner (or other role.)
- Follow-up! Sometimes it takes a few tries to fine tune the response you want. It’s usually not its first answer.
For example:
Not a great prompt: Create budget for 3 days business traveling in Chicago
Great prompt: I need to travel to Chicago to manage an event in September. I need to figure out a budget for my expenses. Please outline average cost for hotel, per diem, and transit to and from O’Hare to the Loop.
AI’s Role in Event Planning
In the end, I found AI most useful when it was sparking something within me — whether that be creativity, energy, momentum, or a nugget of a good idea. Using AI as planners is really about taking a deep breath for a second, and being more specific about what we really need cleared off our plates so we can focus on what we’re best at.
My recommendation from here is simple, there’s no substitute for experience. Get out there, get your feet wet. Even if you don’t think you’ll use many of these tools, I guarantee the tools you already use are evolving to integrate AI. Be curious, and use the AI tools at your fingertips.
Are you looking for a team to help plan your meeting, conference, gala, or other corporate event? We offer full service event planning nationwide. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
