Event planners ignore AI, lose hours to booking venues, survey finds
Lagging AI usage among venues and event planners across Australia and New Zealand comes at a time when an increasing range of job roles are being tasked with event planning.
New survey findings from VenueNow have revealed a lag in AI adoption across Australia’s events sector, with 91% of venues not using AI to manage event enquiries, and 53% of corporate customers not using AI to find, organise or manage events.
The survey of corporate event planners and venues across Australia and New Zealand found that 71% of corporate customers spend more than five hours sourcing and booking a venue for each event, with 44% taking between 5 and 10 hours, 19% between 10 and 20 hours, and 8% more than 20 hours.
VenueNow CEO Jake Dimarco said technologies powered by AI have the potential to transform how events are organised and run on both sides, by taking on many of the time-intensive administrative tasks that drain productivity.
“In the business world, AI is no longer the monster under the bed. It’s the trusty sidekick that complements your daily tasks and makes your life a lot easier,” he said.
“The events industry has huge potential to reap the benefits of AI, both in terms of saving time and improving processes. It can assist with everything from forming event checklists to finding the perfect venue to navigating quote comparison and negotiation with venues and suppliers. The technology also aligns with the preferences of the digitally-led Gen Z, helping to attract and retain professionals and ultimately take the industry into the future.”
Dimarco said the need for efficiency gains is particularly pressing as event planning responsibilities now span a broader range of roles. Executive and personal assistants made up the largest segment of respondents (32%), followed by event coordinators and managers (31%), marketing professionals (15%), and senior leaders including CEOs, directors and general managers (10%).
The research also revealed three quarters of events are booked within six months of the event date, with 44% locked in three to six months out, and 31% within less than three months - signalling short lead times and fast turnarounds. Meanwhile, the majority of organisers (59%) reported a shift towards smaller, more frequent meetings and conferences, reflecting how corporate events are evolving in both scale and structure.
When it comes to the biggest challenges facing planners, cost emerged as the top factor (52%), followed by a perceived lack of venue availability (22%). For venues, it was price sensitivity among bookers (54%) followed by a reduction in enquiries (42%).
The survey, conducted by VenueNow in September and October 2025, captured responses from 319 corporate event planners and 131 venues across Australia and New Zealand. Corporate customer respondents represented industries including professional services, healthcare, education, finance, government and hospitality, with venues spanning hotels, bars, conference centres, stadiums, breweries and retreats.
About VenueNow
VenueNow is Australia’s longest-serving online marketplace for discovering and booking venues and event suppliers, harnessed by hundreds of thousands of event planners - from personal to professional event organisers - across the country.
Backed by a Sydney-based team of event experts and tech specialists, VenueNow uses the latest technology and decades of industry know-how to match the best-fit venues and spaces with events of all shapes and sizes. This ranges from multi-day conferences and gala dinners to small meetings, office Christmas parties and milestone birthdays.
The platform has generated over $2B worth of event enquiries for venues across the country, and been the starting point of the event planning process for more than 300,000 customers, from individuals organising social gatherings to large-scale corporate businesses including Amazon, ANZ, Bupa, Commonwealth Bank, Google, L’Oréal and Woolworths. Building on its success, VenueNow expanded into New Zealand in 2024.
The platform is free to use for people planning an event, birthday party, conference, gala dinner, Christmas party, meeting and everything in between.
VenueNow offers clients the ability to find the perfect venue through its free AI venue finding agent, Vera, which will soon include suppliers.
About Jake Dimarco
Jake Dimarco is a passionate tech nerd who became one of Apple’s youngest Australian recruits before turning his attention to fixing the confusing process of booking a venue for his own engagement party.
That idea grew into Sydney-based startup VenueNow, Australia’s most user-friendly, longest-running venue finding platform, which uses AI-driven technology to take the complication out of finding and booking venues.
It’s been trusted by global leaders like Amazon, Google and L’Oréal, and backed by top entrepreneurs including Adam Schwab (Luxury Escapes) and Les Szekely.
