3 Must-Have AI Tools Every Events Business Needs to Stay Ahead

June 12, 2025 Jessica Stewart

Let’s cut the fluff — if you’re still doing things manually in 2025, you’re falling behind.

AI isn’t the future. It’s the present. And if you’re in the events business, you either embrace it or get outpaced.

Here are three essential AI-powered tools (plus two bonus game-changers) that we use every single week to scale our event marketing, streamline operations, and save hours. This is the event tech list you need to see.

1. Canva – Your AI Design Powerhouse

We don’t touch Photoshop anymore. We don’t need to.

Canva runs our creative department. Period.

Whether it’s:

  • Social media graphics
  • Landing pages
  • Event flyers
  • Email headers
  • Client decks

…Canva does it faster, cleaner, and with less stress.

But here’s the kicker — Canva now has AI features like Magic Write and Magic Design that help generate content, clean layouts, and even full designs in seconds. It’s design + automation rolled into one.

Pro Tip: If you’re not a designer, hire a VA or a student, or find a team member who can use Canva. It will revolutionize your visual game.

2. CRM + Automation = Scale (We Use GHL)

I used to laugh at people who were obsessed with CRMs. Now? I get it.

If you’re serious about scaling, building real customer journeys, and making money while you sleep, you need a CRM.

We just switched from HubSpot to GoHighLevel (GHL), and everything changed.

With GHL, we can:

  • Automate follow-ups
  • Send personalized emails and texts
  • Build pipelines
  • Run campaigns
  • And connect directly to our AI tools

It doesn’t matter if you use GHL, HubSpot, or Salesforce — but you need one.

Because once your database is clean, your pipeline is dialed in, and your workflows are automated, your business moves faster than your competitors can blink.

3. Airtable – Google Sheets on Steroids

For years, we used Google Sheets. It was simple. Free. Easy.

But then we leveled up to Airtable, and we’ve never looked back.

Airtable gives us:

  • Clean data structure
  • Automations
  • Custom views and dashboards
  • Instant collaboration across our team

And yes — Airtable integrates with OpenAI, Make.com, and Zapier to do things like:

  • Generate content
  • Assign tasks
  • Trigger personalized follow-ups
  • Even summarize client notes using AI

 If you’re still using spreadsheets manually, Airtable is your next-level move.

Bonus Tools That Glue It All Together

Want to automate workflows, content delivery, form submissions, email follow-ups, and even AI responses?

Look into:

Zapier – Connect 6,000+ apps with simple “if this, then that” logic

Make.com – Like Zapier, but with visual workflows and deeper automation logic

Together with Canva, GHL, and Airtable, these tools let you run your entire backend without lifting a finger.

Final Thoughts (and Your Next Step)

AI isn’t replacing you.

But if you don’t embrace it — someone else will, and they’ll scale faster, sell better, and dominate your niche.

Want to learn more about how to use AI to grow your events business?

Join us at The Event Planner Expo, October 14–16 in NYC.

We’ll be covering these tools and so much more in our Speaker Series and networking lounges.

 Get your tickets at: www.theeventplannerexpo.com

 Use promo code AI for 20% off.

The post 3 Must-Have AI Tools Every Events Business Needs to Stay Ahead appeared first on The Event Planner Expo.

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