Cvent has introduced the Cvent Center for Event Insights, a new research and thought leadership initiative aimed at helping event professionals, marketers, and hospitality leaders better understand how artificial intelligence, event technology, and data-driven strategies are reshaping the meetings and events industry. The announcement is accompanied by early findings from a Forrester Consulting study that highlights growing investment in live events alongside persistent challenges in proving business impact.

Cvent has launched the Cvent Center for Event Insights, establishing a dedicated research division focused on analyzing emerging trends across the events, hospitality, and marketing technology sectors. The initiative reflects the increasing role of data, artificial intelligence, and digital event platforms in helping organizations measure event performance and demonstrate business value.

The new center will produce industry research, benchmark studies, and thought leadership designed to support event planners, marketers, venue operators, and hospitality professionals as they navigate an evolving landscape where live experiences are expected to generate measurable business outcomes.

The launch comes as enterprise organizations place greater emphasis on connecting event investments with revenue generation, customer engagement, and pipeline growth. While events have traditionally been viewed as brand-building activities, modern marketing leaders are increasingly treating them as strategic channels that contribute directly to sales, customer retention, and long-term business relationships.

As an initial preview of its research agenda, Cvent released findings from a newly commissioned Forrester Consulting study examining the current state of event performance. The research suggests that artificial intelligence is not reducing the importance of in-person experiences. Instead, 70% of surveyed decision-makers said live events have become more valuable as AI-generated content becomes increasingly common across digital channels.

The findings point to a broader shift in enterprise marketing. As generative AI accelerates the production of digital content, organizations are looking to live events to create authentic, human interactions that cannot easily be replicated by automated experiences. Conferences, customer summits, trade shows, and executive networking events continue to play an important role in building trust, strengthening customer relationships, and supporting high-value B2B purchasing decisions.

The study also highlights rising expectations among event attendees. Nearly 77% of respondents reported growing demand for personalized experiences and continuous engagement before, during, and after events. This trend is encouraging organizations to invest in technologies that combine customer data, AI-powered recommendations, mobile event applications, and marketing automation to deliver more tailored attendee experiences.

Despite these investments, the research reveals significant operational challenges. Only 36% of organizations said they fully integrate event data across their programs, while 71% reported that disconnected event management tools limit visibility into overall performance. Fragmented technology environments continue to make it difficult for marketing teams to measure return on investment or connect event participation with downstream business outcomes.

The data challenge reflects a broader issue across enterprise MarTech ecosystems. Event management platforms increasingly need to integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, customer data platforms (CDPs), marketing automation software, analytics solutions, and sales technologies to provide a unified view of customer engagement. Vendors including Salesforce, Microsoft, Adobe, and Google continue expanding AI-powered analytics and customer intelligence capabilities to address similar enterprise requirements.

Artificial intelligence adoption is also advancing within the events industry, although measurable returns remain uneven. According to the study, 59% of organizations already use AI to support event content creation, but only 37% believe those investments are currently delivering meaningful business value. The findings suggest many organizations remain in the early stages of AI implementation, with long-term success likely depending on stronger integration between AI tools, customer data, and event workflows.

At the same time, event budgets continue moving in a positive direction. The research found that pipeline generation and revenue have become the primary objectives for enterprise events, while 41% of organizations increased event spending over the past year. This indicates growing executive confidence that events can contribute measurable commercial outcomes when supported by the right technology and performance metrics.

The establishment of the Cvent Center for Event Insights reflects an industry-wide movement toward evidence-based event management. Rather than relying solely on attendance figures or satisfaction surveys, organizations are increasingly seeking benchmark data, predictive analytics, and standardized performance metrics that demonstrate how events influence customer acquisition, sales opportunities, and revenue growth.

Industry analysts have consistently identified AI as a transformative force in marketing and customer engagement. Gartner expects generative AI to significantly reshape marketing workflows over the next several years, while McKinsey & Company reports that organizations adopting AI strategically are seeing measurable improvements in productivity and customer experience. As AI capabilities mature, event technology providers are expected to focus increasingly on intelligent personalization, automated planning, conversational assistants, and advanced performance analytics.

For enterprise marketing teams, Cvent's latest initiative underscores the growing importance of integrating event technology into broader MarTech strategies. Organizations that successfully connect event platforms with customer data, AI-powered insights, and revenue attribution models are likely to gain a clearer understanding of how live experiences contribute to business growth in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Market Landscape

Enterprise events are evolving from standalone marketing activities into measurable revenue channels supported by AI and integrated MarTech platforms. Gartner identifies generative AI as a key driver of marketing transformation, while McKinsey & Company reports that AI adoption is accelerating across customer engagement functions. At the same time, enterprises are investing in connected event management, CRM, analytics, and customer data platforms to better measure business outcomes and personalize attendee experiences.

Top Insights

• Cvent launched the Center for Event Insights to provide research, benchmark studies, and best practices for event, hospitality, and marketing professionals.
• Forrester research found that 70% of organizations believe live events are becoming more valuable despite the rapid rise of AI-generated digital content.
• Only 36% of organizations fully integrate event data, highlighting continued challenges in measuring marketing ROI and business performance.
• AI adoption is increasing across event content creation, but many organizations have yet to demonstrate consistent business outcomes from those investments.
• Revenue generation, pipeline growth, and personalized attendee experiences are becoming primary priorities for enterprise event strategies.

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