By Mary Tucker | Senior Communications and Content Manager | IAEE
Imagine walking into your next conference or trade show and having instant access to personalized recommendations, real-time updates and seamless navigation – all through a simple voice command. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the reality that Event Copilot is bringing to the exhibitions and events industry today.
As exhibition organizers continue to seek innovative ways to enhance attendee satisfaction while maximizing operational efficiency, artificial intelligence has emerged as a game-changing solution. Event Copilot, a cutting-edge voice-activated AI concierge, is leading this transformation by dramatically reducing wait times, amplifying attendee engagement, and providing unprecedented real-time insights to organizers and sponsors.
The potential impact is substantial. Faster information access, more personalized experiences and data-driven decision making can transform how we plan, execute and measure our events’ success. But with great innovation comes great responsibility and implementing AI at shows requires careful consideration of privacy, accessibility and ethical frameworks.
To explore this exciting frontier, we sat down with two leading voices in this space who will be co-presenting the upcoming IAEE webinar, Hands-Free & Data-Rich: APCO 2025 Voice-AI Case Study From Deployment To Impact. Harpreet Chatha, Founder and CEO of TurnoutNow, brings deep technical expertise as the creator of Event Copilot, while Patricia Giannini Henry, CAE, CMP, CEM, Chief of Events and Corporate Partnerships at APCO International, offers valuable insights as an organization that has successfully implemented this technology.
Together, they share perspectives on the advanced capabilities of Event Copilot, real-world implementation experiences and the critical considerations for ensuring responsible AI adoption in the exhibitions and events.
This discussion offers valuable perspectives on how voice-activated AI can elevate your events while maintaining the highest ethical standards. Read on to discover how you can be part of this technological revolution that is reshaping exhibitions and events as we speak!
Event Copilot promises to deliver immediate, actionable insights through multi-source data integration and it would be interesting to hear each of your perspectives on this capability.
Harpreet: From a technical standpoint, what types of data sources does Event Copilot integrate, and how does the AI processing turn raw data streams into actionable insights for event organizers in real-time?
We bring together public content from the event website and official documents, structured data from registration and mobile platforms, and day‑to‑day operational updates. That information is standardized so sessions, speakers, exhibitors, locations, and times line up cleanly. When people ask direct questions – like times, rooms, or policy details – the system pulls from authoritative sources and cites the relevant page or detail view.
For broader questions, we use a conversational layer that leans on search and ranking to keep answers grounded and concise. Content refreshes happen continuously, so answers reflect the latest updates, and the organizer dashboard summarizes what people ask, where confidence is high or low, and which topics might need more explicit content.
Patricia: From APCO International’s implementation, can you share a specific example of an insight or opportunity that Event Copilot revealed during your event that you might not have discovered through traditional methods?
One of the most valuable insights we gained from using Event Copilot at APCO 2025 came not from missing content, but from how attendees were interacting with the information we had already prepared. Because we had the opportunity to test and refine our website ahead of the event, we were confident that most of the key information, like schedules, maps, and FAQs, was already easily accessible. However, Event Copilot still revealed something we wouldn’t have seen through traditional methods: it showed us exactly which questions attendees were still asking most often, even with all the information available.
For example, the most common questions asked were about recommended attire, shuttle bus schedules and conference venue. That insight helped us realize that it wasn’t a content issue but perhaps we needed to look at the navigation features on our website and adjust our email communications. This not only enhanced the attendee experience in real time, but also significantly reduced the time our staff spent answering repetitive questions, allowing them to focus on more complex needs.
The webinar promises to help participants develop a practical 90-day pilot plan for implementation.
Harpreet: What are the critical technical milestones and KPIs that organizations should focus on during their first 90 days to ensure a successful rollout of voice-activated AI at their events?
In the first month, we scope data sources, confirm privacy requirements, and light up one or two user surfaces – typically the web widget and a mobile entry point. We also connect the core catalogs, so deep links work end‑to‑end, and an admin view can override or clarify answers when needed. The middle phase focuses on fit and adoption, including role- and audience-appropriate access rules, a small UAT cohort to pressure-test real questions, and instrumentation for feedback.
The final month focuses on production-readiness, which involves expanding practical actions (e.g., opening maps, adding to the agenda), finalizing signage and communications, conducting performance and accessibility checks, and agreeing on an operations playbook. Throughout, we track straightforward coverage and latency goals, repeat usage, and the rate of unresolved questions.
Patricia: From an end-user perspective, what were the key factors that made APCO International’s adoption successful, and what advice would you give to other organizations about managing the change management and user adoption aspects?
What really made our adoption of Event Copilot successful at APCO 2025 was how we rolled it out in layers and made it feel approachable. We started with a soft launch to our staff and volunteer committee so they could try it out first. That gave us a chance to work out any kinks and made sure our team felt comfortable using it before attendees ever saw it.
To build awareness among attendees and exhibitors, we included clear messaging in our pre-event email communications. We also integrated Event Copilot directly into our mobile app via a dedicated tile, making it easy to access.
Onsite, we reinforced visibility with signage at the venue and included a brief mention of the tool during the opening general session. Most importantly, we trained our volunteers to use Event Copilot so they could assist attendees in real time with questions or navigation.
My advice to other organizations is to treat user adoption as an ongoing conversation, not a one-time announcement. Give staff early access, communicate clearly and often with your audience, and make the tool easy to find and use. When people see that it’s helpful and that others are using it confidently, adoption becomes organic.
Event Copilot helps “slash” wait times and boost attendee engagement, which is something everyone can benefit from.
Harpreet: Can you walk us through some of the features and AI capabilities that directly address common attendee frustrations like long lines, difficulty finding sessions or getting event information?
We aim to answer common logistics questions instantly, so fewer people wait at help desks. From there, it’s about one‑tap actions – opening the correct map location, saving a session, or jumping to the relevant page – so people can keep moving. Search works the way attendees think: by topic, level, speaker, or time window, with natural follow‑ups like “what’s next near South Hall after 2 pm?” When location data is available, results adapt to context. The experience is voice‑friendly and multilingual, and if confidence is low, the system points to a trusted source or a human handoff instead of guessing.
Patricia: What specific improvements did APCO International’s attendees notice during your event, and how did you measure the impact on their overall event experience and satisfaction?
One of the biggest improvements our attendees noticed was how much easier it was to get the information they needed. With Event Copilot located on the mobile app, attendees could just ask a question and get an instant answer. We heard things like, “I didn’t have to scroll through pages to find the shuttle schedule,” or “It was so helpful to just ask about venue location and get a quick response.” That kind of convenience really stood out.
To measure the impact, we looked at a few things: the volume and types of questions asked through the tool and the drop in repetitive questions at our help desk. In addition, metrics showed that the average session lasted 38 seconds, which meant people were having conversations not just asking questions and our repeat usage rate was almost 30%, so attendees were returning to the tool over and over again.
The biggest impact is knowing the value of this technology and looking to the future of a more personalized journey for our attendees.
Ethical AI implementation, including privacy, consent and accessibility, is emphasized as a core component.
Harpreet: How has TurnoutNow built privacy and accessibility considerations into Event Copilot’s core architecture, and are there safeguards that ensure the technology meets the highest ethical standards?
We start with data minimization and explicit scoping: public information is in by default, private data is opt‑in and limited to what’s necessary. Access is permissioned, activity is auditable, and hosting can align with regional requirements. People see clear consent language, organizers can set retention windows, and sensitive elements can be redacted from logs when needed. Answers are grounded in sources, safety filters are in place, and when the system isn’t confident, it provides a link or routes to a person. The interfaces follow modern accessibility standards, so the experience works across devices and abilities.
Patricia: As an organization implementing this technology, what were your main concerns around privacy and accessibility, and how did you address stakeholder questions and ensure attendee trust/comfort with the system?
One of our top priorities was making sure we didn’t introduce any privacy concerns. APCO has an IT Steering Committee that vets all new technology, so the tool went through that review process. Plus, our attendees already agree to our GDPR-compliant privacy policy when they register, which helped us stay aligned with our broader data protection standards. We had full control over which web pages the bot could pull from. That meant we could exclude anything behind a login or anything we didn’t want publicly surfaced. It gave us a lot of flexibility and control, which helped build trust internally and externally.
Since we launched Event Copilot pretty close to our event, we didn’t integrate it with any of our attendee data. Looking ahead, we’re confident that we’ve laid the groundwork to scale this responsibly in the future, with privacy and accessibility continuing to be front and center.
The technology promises real-time analytics for both organizers and sponsors.
Harpreet: What specific analytics and insights does Event Copilot provide to organizers and sponsors during live events, and how does the AI distinguish between different types of valuable data points?
Organizers see the questions people actually ask, how those needs change over time or by location, and where the system needs more explicit content. They can monitor repeat usage, unique users, session length, and engagement with deep links. Sponsors get an aggregated view of interest and follow‑on actions without exposing individual identities unless explicit consent is in place. To keep results meaningful, we distinguish genuine attendee behavior from testing traffic and label each turn with confidence and resolution type before rolling it into trends.
As creator versus end user, you have distinct perspectives on where you see AI-powered event technology heading, and how event professionals should prepare.
Harpreet: What emerging AI capabilities are you most excited about integrating into future versions of Event Copilot, and what trends do you see shaping the next generation of event technology?
We’re focused on making the assistant more proactive and personal – helping attendees build and adjust their day as circumstances change – while keeping privacy front and center. Retrieval is becoming more context‑aware, so compare/contrast questions get more precise answers. Voice will feel faster and more resilient in noisy or low‑connectivity spaces, and the assistant will handle more action chains end‑to‑end, like moving from an answer to a saved item or a meeting request. A simple rule shapes all of this: be helpful, be fast, and be grounded in the event’s official information.
Patricia: Based on your experience with Event Copilot, what advice would you give to other event professionals who are considering AI adoption, and what skills or mindset shifts are most important for success in this evolving landscape?
Honestly, my biggest piece of advice for other event professionals thinking about AI is: don’t overthink it, just start. During one of our strategy sessions with Tradeshow Logic, we were focused on improving the attendee experience, and Event Copilot came up as a way to do just that. We didn’t build a complex integration or overhaul our systems, we created a simple plan, and it still delivered real value.
If you already have good information on your website, that’s a great starting point. Just use the tool to help surface that content more easily. For us, it meant attendees didn’t have to dig through pages or search menus, they could just ask a question and get an answer instantly.
The mindset shift is really about being open to experimenting. AI doesn’t have to be perfect to be helpful. And more and more, our audiences are expecting this kind of tool. They’re used to instant answers in their everyday lives, and they’re starting to expect the same at events. So even a lightweight implementation can go a long way in meeting those expectations and making the experience smoother.
