5 Tech Tool Making Planners' Lives Easier

Skift

4 days ago

There might be an initial learning curve, but planners say once they are up to speed, these technologies are not only improving their meetings but lightening their load.
For planners who never have enough time in a day, the initial learning curve of a new technology can be daunting. Will they catch on? And most important: Will the effort be worth their time?
Only rarely is it not, as in the case of these five new technologies recently featured in the Skift Meetings Toolkit, our new how-to hub with hundreds of information-packed articles about meeting planning.
1. Agentic AI
A new wave of AI may transform the way planners manage everything from incentive trips to large conferences.
For an incentive trip, for example, generative AI might suggest a list of popular destinations, but an agentic AI can go a step further by analyzing weather conditions, venue availability, flight options, and car rentals, crafting an itinerary, and even booking everything.
Among the new agentic AI tools are NotebookLM for note-taking, and DALL·E, Midjourney for image and 3-D content creation.
Learn more here.
2. Apple Invites
Apple Invites combines invitation creation with practical event management tools. It integrates with Apple Maps for directions and Weather for forecasts, while offering collaborative features like shared photo albums and Apple Music playlists.
The platform allows hosts to manage RSVPs, control event visibility, and share invitations through a web link. Guests can view and respond to invitations even if they don't have an Apple account.
Learn more here.
3. Nowadays
A new venue sourcing platform, Nowadays, features more than 30,000 venues and an AI virtual assistant, known as Ina. Planners submit their requirements and receive a list of suggested hotels, event spaces, private dining spaces, and even unconventional venues. It is also trained to warn users of potential challenges in terms of destinations, such as weather issues or a large event causing the prices to spike.
Ina then sends the requests for proposals, and collects and collates responses.
Learn more here.
4. Generative AI
Planners have come a long way in their use of generative AI, with ChatGPT leading the way. The Skift Meetings Toolkit has several articles where they share their favorite applications and prompts.
Still, some planners say they don't have the time to learn AI. We asked Elyse Dawson, senior events manager at Homrich Berg about that in an article where she shares her AI journey.
'This is one of the lowest-risk, highest-reward things that you could put your time into,' she said. 'It's actually a time-saver. And if you put in the time and what you tried doesn't work, you will be more comfortable the next time.'
Also learn about the favorite AI prompts of Ginger Taylor, assistant director-leadership at Leadership Network for Women at Arc here and find more AI prompt suggestions from Julia Tripp, who created a coaching guide, The Events Industry Survival Guide, packed with prompts.
5. Event Tech Almanac
For more on tech tools, Skift Meetings has just released the Event Tech Almanac 2025, for event planners, producers, and strategists. It's packed with information, and designed to cut through the noise in the constantly evolving event tech sector.
Download it for free here.