From Chatbots to Agents and Beyond: How AI is Transforming Trade Shows in 2025

The use of AI is evolving at neck-breaking speed across every aspect of our lives, rapidly changing how we plan, work, and even think. In trade shows, this evolution is also happening fast, with AI powering everything from access to knowledge to agents that can be built with no coding skills. Here’s what we’re seeing right now, and what you can do to get ahead in the emerging zero-click economy. Globally, 63 percent of companies indicate that they currently use standard AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or similar) in at least some of their business functions, according to UFI’s Global Exhibition Barometer report released this month. Also, 17 percent have AI-powered tools integrated into their existing systems, and 3 percent have already developed proprietary algorithms trained on internal data. In parallel, 17 percent of respondents declare having no or almost no use of AI at this stage. In terms of their level of maturity, most companies are still researching or testing solutions in the three domains surveyed:

• 72 percent towards “improving company and process efficiency”
• 68 percent towards “improving customer experience”
• 54 percent towards “generating revenues using AI-powered products”

“While AI is by now widely used across the industry, meaningful integration is still limited,” says Kai Hattendorf, former UFI CEO. “Tool-level adoption is widespread, while just a few companies have moved beyond basic use cases. But the shift from experimentation to adoption to AI-supported business models is starting to take shape, slowly, and unevenly across the many markets. A key challenge ahead will be the step from adoption to real transformation of business processes where it improves the industry’s products and services.”

Chatbots: Expert Knowledge at Lightning Speed

So how does this translate to AI adaptation on the ground? Over the past year, the industry is going deeper into GenAI for creative workflows and real-time event measurement. Custom chatbots are becoming more prevalent not just for customer service but also for deeper knowledge about specific subjects. “I love how simple it is to build chatbots through custom or templated GPTs,” says Kaitland Hunter, executive creative director at Impact XM. One of the GPTs the company developed is The Creative Edge, a gamified AI learning experience, guiding users through creative and strategic challenges. “With some guardrails and pre-existing background documents, it’s incredible how useful it can be to form a training module or educational bot to help anywhere from onboarding employees to creating subject matter training to help us think differently.” Genesis Exhibits recently launched Maestro, an AI-powered consulting solution designed to assist exhibitors in navigating the complexities of the trade show landscape. It’s trained using the company’s industry knowledge and real-time trade show marketing data from around the world. Al Mercuro, strategic marketing and client engagement advisor at Genesis Exhibits, says: “It’s already quite good at estimating projects, however, one long-term goal, already in process, is to train it with additional, more detailed industry standards for design and manufacturing, further improving its ability to adjust concept renderings and generate deeper bills of materials (BOMs) for production purposes, faster and with far greater accuracy.”

AI Agents: The Quiet Superforce

One of the big draws at Salesforce’s Dreamforce 2024 was that attendees could build their first AI agent—a program that uses AI to autonomously perform tasks and pursue goals on behalf of users or systems—right there and then. Things are changing fast. The difference between chatbots and agents is that chatbots respond to queries while agents take proactive actions to complete tasks with minimal human input. Deloitte predicts that 25 percent of companies that use generative AI will launch Agentic AI pilots this year, growing to 50 percent in 2027. “Right now, most trade show organizers are still focused on AI as a tool for personalization or automation, which is valid, but Agentic AI takes things a step further,” says Anca Platon Trifan, CEO of Tree-Fan Events Production, and host of the “Events Demystified” podcast. “Agentic AI introduces the possibility of autonomous, goal-oriented systems that can carry out tasks on your behalf without micromanagement.” For the Summit, Platon Trifan’s team is building and testing several internal agents to support planning and production, such as a content support agent that manages speaker bios, intake forms, and session assets by compiling the info into a Notion database, flagging missing pieces, and prompting follow-ups. A workflow agent pulls form submissions, auto-generates email reminders, tracks confirmation status, and summarizes key points for speaker briefings. The team is also experimenting with a post-show agent that will take the final recordings and generate clips, blog outlines, social snippets, and recaps for each session, essentially helping the team publish faster with less manual effort. Introducing a public-facing AI assistant to help attendees navigate sessions in real time is the next step. “Agentic AI has massive potential for our industry, not just in helping us do more, but in changing how we think about work,” says Platon Trifan. “The real power isn’t in flashy demos. It’s in those daily, boring, essential workflows that eat our time and energy. That’s where agents quietly shine.” AI agents are already down on the showfloor. To help drive higher performance at trade shows, New York-based Augmented AI recently launched an agent-based marketing platform that can perform tasks ranging from lead prioritization, personalized follow-up messaging, synching insights into a CRM without any manual involvement, and precise campaign performance measurement.

Can I Build an Agent?

Building a basic agent might be easier than it seems, and in its simplest form, doesn’t require any coding skills. During a recent presentation, EventMobi CEO Bob Vaez built an agent to call event registrants the night before the event to confirm participation and answer questions in under 10 minutes using Lindy. For trade shows and events, EventMobi’s built-in AI agents can automatically create sessions, update attendee records, and automate attendee communications. Platon Trifan builds and uses agents to support different areas of her work and life, ranging from keeping up with the AI news to tracking emerging events. She uses N8n, Deep AI, Anthropic Claude, and Google AI Studio, depending on the complexity and integrations required. “I prioritize agents that connect seamlessly with the tools I already live in: Google Workspace, Notion, MailerLite, Slack, and WhatsApp. Integration is everything,” she says. “An agent that works in isolation might be ‘cool,’ but it’s not helpful if it doesn’t live where the rest of my systems do.” To start exploring AI agents, the first step might be trying one of the pre-built agents released by most LLMs. The next generation of AI-native browsers, such as Perplexity’s Comet and the upcoming browser by OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, are likely to push capabilities even further.

‘Out-humaning’ AI

“We’re running a different kind of race now, against a runner much more powerful and faster than we are,” says Hunter with Impact XM, “but this runner still can’t quite articulate how the pavement feels under their feet, and how the wind feels in their face.” “We have the advantage of making sense of the world in a sensorial way that is so undeniably human,” she says. “It’s something I think we’ll see more of at in-person events in the future. We’re going to need to be savvier about what’s been created by AI and what hasn’t. It’s going to sharpen (or soften) our storytelling, force us to elevate in-person interactions, and really consider what humans desire in any given moment. So yeah, I’m really excited to watch the humans win some races. It’s going to surprise all of us how we got there.”

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Photos: Courtesy of Salesforce; Anna Huddleston

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Source: Originally published at Event Marketer on August 12, 2025.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

AI in Trade Shows

Q: How is AI currently being used in trade shows? A: AI is being used in trade shows for various purposes, including providing knowledge access through custom chatbots, automating tasks with AI agents, improving company and process efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and generating revenue through AI-powered products. Q: What percentage of companies are using AI tools in their business functions? A: According to a UFI’s Global Exhibition Barometer report, 63 percent of companies globally indicate that they currently use standard AI tools (like ChatGPT, Google Gemini) in at least some of their business functions. Q: What are the primary goals companies are pursuing with AI in trade shows? A: The main goals companies are pursuing with AI include improving company and process efficiency (72%), improving customer experience (68%), and generating revenues using AI-powered products (54%).

Chatbots vs. AI Agents

Q: What is the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent? A: Chatbots typically respond to queries, while AI agents can proactively perform tasks and pursue goals with minimal human input. Q: What are some examples of custom chatbots being developed for trade shows? A: Examples include custom GPTs for gamified AI learning experiences, training modules, and educational bots for onboarding employees or subject matter training. One example mentioned is "The Creative Edge". Q: Can you provide an example of an AI-powered consulting solution for exhibitors? A: Yes, Genesis Exhibits launched "Maestro", an AI solution trained on industry knowledge and real-time marketing data to help exhibitors navigate trade shows.

AI Agents in Action

Q: What is the predicted growth for Agentic AI adoption? A: Deloitte predicts that 25 percent of companies using generative AI will launch Agentic AI pilots this year, growing to 50 percent in 2027. Q: How are AI agents being used internally for trade show planning and production? A: Internal agents are being used for tasks like managing speaker bios and session assets, compiling information into databases, flagging missing details, generating email reminders, tracking confirmations, summarizing information for briefings, and generating post-show content like clips and blog outlines. Q: What tasks can AI agents perform on the show floor? A: AI agents can perform tasks such as lead prioritization, personalized follow-up messaging, CRM syncing, and precise campaign performance measurement without manual involvement.

Building and Using AI Agents

Q: Is it difficult to build an AI agent? A: Building a basic agent can be easier than expected, and in its simplest form, it does not require coding skills. Q: What tools can be used to build AI agents? A: Tools mentioned include N8n, Deep AI, Anthropic Claude, and Google AI Studio, depending on complexity and integration needs. Q: What is the most important factor for an AI agent to be helpful? A: Seamless integration with existing tools and systems (like Google Workspace, Notion, Slack) is crucial for an agent to be truly helpful.

The Future of AI in Events

Q: What is the unique advantage humans have over AI in the context of events? A: Humans possess the advantage of sensorial understanding and the ability to make sense of the world in a way that is undeniably human, which AI currently cannot replicate. Q: How will AI transform in-person interactions at future events? A: AI's growing presence will necessitate a sharper understanding of AI-generated content, encourage the elevation of in-person interactions, and push for a deeper consideration of human desires in the moment.

Crypto Market AI's Take

The rapid integration of AI into trade shows mirrors the disruptive potential AI holds across various industries, including finance and cryptocurrency. At Crypto Market AI, we leverage AI to provide sophisticated market analysis, AI-powered trading bots, and a comprehensive understanding of the crypto landscape. Just as trade shows are evolving with AI-powered chatbots and agents to streamline operations and enhance attendee experiences, our platform utilizes AI to optimize trading strategies and deliver actionable market intelligence. Our focus on AI agents, akin to the trade show applications described, aims to automate complex tasks within the financial sector, offering users intelligent insights and efficient management of their digital assets. For those interested in the intersection of AI and finance, exploring our resources on AI agents in finance and cryptocurrency trading strategies can provide valuable context.

More to Read:

• The Rise of AI in Financial Advisory
• Understanding AI-Powered Trading Bots
• Navigating the Evolving Crypto Market Landscape