AI, Personalization and Global Growth: Cvent’s Graham Pope Unveils the Future of MICE at IMEX Frankfurt 2025

At IMEX Frankfurt 2025, Graham Pope, Vice President International Sales, Cvent, offered insights into how the platform is transforming the global meetings and events (MICE) industry through AI-driven innovation and strategic market expansion. Cvent, a 26-year-old industry leader, connects over 330,000 event planners with 340,000 venues globally. The platform streamlines venue sourcing, RFPs, event logistics, and performance analytics—making it a vital bridge between planners and suppliers.

Pope emphasized that personalization is reshaping the guest experience, driven by AI’s growing role in curating recommendations and streamlining operations. AI not only helps planners craft precise RFPs but also assists venues in responding quickly, forecasting demand, and enhancing service delivery.

Cvent is actively expanding into emerging MICE markets such as Japan, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. Within Europe, planners are sourcing beyond traditional hubs, favoring unique, experiential venues like galleries and historic landmarks. This diversification is fueling creativity and competition in the events space.

The company is investing in AI-powered features like smart venue matching and predictive analytics, with future upgrades focusing on improved data insights and ROI measurement tools. Cvent also sees increased interest in sustainable tourism and culturally immersive events, prompting planners to choose secondary or rural destinations that offer authentic local experiences.

With a tech-forward approach, Cvent is helping shape the future of MICE by empowering planners to deliver hyper-personalized, efficient, and memorable events. As demand shifts toward digital innovation and experiential design, Cvent remains at the forefront of the evolving event landscape.

Could you please introduce yourself?

I am Graham Pope, Vice President of International Sales at Cvent. Cvent is a 26-year-old company and the largest global meetings and events platform in the industry. We connect event planners with hotels and meeting venues across the world. Currently, we have about 330,000 active users using our technology on the event planning side, and around 340,000 hotels and venues listed on our platform internationally.

How does Cvent serve event planners and venues?

We provide technology solutions for event planners to help them manage their event programs, and also offer solutions for hotels and event venues to receive and manage business from those planners. Essentially, we connect planners with venues, help them respond to RFPs (requests for proposals), manage event logistics, and analyze business outcomes. We act as a bridge between these two groups, ensuring smoother business operations for both planners and suppliers.

What emerging trends in the MICE industry are reshaping guest expectations?

The biggest trend reshaping guest expectations is personalization. A major driver behind this shift is the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the guest experience, whether for event attendees or hotel guests. AI plays a key role in understanding and catering to individual preferences, offering highly personalized experiences. With the rise of AI in the industry, personalization is now an integral part of the event experience, and data and content are the foundations fueling AI-powered personalization.

How can AI-powered solutions enhance the personalized guest experience?

From an event planner’s perspective, AI helps streamline and personalize multiple aspects of the event planning process. For example, AI-powered RFP tools can now assist planners in curating specific RFPs. Planners can use AI search to be highly specific about their requirements and get precise recommendations for hotels, venues, and destinations that match their exact criteria.

For instance, if a planner needs a venue in San Francisco with 300 rooms, 4 restaurants, and specific proximity to the airport, AI can quickly suggest the most suitable venues. Over time, AI will be able to learn from past preferences, helping planners identify the best venues for their specific event needs.

On the venue side, AI helps create a personalized event experience for attendees and automates responses to RFPs. Additionally, AI can predict trends and forecast industry demand, providing insights to help venues plan better. AI is enhancing productivity, streamlining processes, and increasing efficiency across the entire meetings and events ecosystem.

What new target markets is Cvent focusing on for 2025, and how is the competition evolving?

We are seeing growth in several emerging markets, particularly in Japan, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. These markets are showing significant potential for the MICE industry.

In Europe, we’ve noticed a broader spread of events being sourced beyond the typical hubs like London. In fact, over the last 12 months, 46 European countries were sourced by U.S. planners alone, indicating that planners are increasingly looking beyond traditional hotspots. This signals that event planners are diversifying their choices, and we’re seeing the rise of unique venues competing with traditional hotels. With this increased demand, there’s a rise in creativity and competition among venues, making the market more dynamic.

How is the demand for unique venues impacting the MICE industry?

The demand for unique venues has been growing, especially in Europe, where non-traditional venues are becoming more popular. Planners are no longer solely focused on conventional hotel conference rooms; they’re exploring venues such as castles, art galleries, museums, and historical landmarks to create distinctive, memorable experiences. This is reshaping the landscape, as unique venues are competing with traditional hotels for event business.

This trend also aligns with the increasing need for creative and experiential events. Attendees today are seeking more than just conventional meetings—they want experiences that stand out. Event planners are recognizing that non-hotel venues can offer authentic and unique environments for events, while also enhancing brand value for the organizations hosting them.

What are the key factors influencing MICE sourcing patterns across regions?

As planners look to increase the diversity of event destinations, they are increasingly sourcing beyond traditional locations. The industry is seeing a rise in secondary cities and even some rural destinations becoming appealing to planners due to the availability of unique venues, less competition, and attractive price points.

The rise of sustainable tourism and local cultural experiences is also influencing sourcing decisions. More planners are incorporating authentic, localized experiences into their events, often choosing destinations that allow them to tap into cultural richness and offer attendees a memorable and engaging experience.

How is Cvent leveraging AI to enhance the sourcing and planning process?

Cvent’s platform uses AI to help event planners by providing personalized recommendations for venues, creating customized RFPs, and offering predictive analytics that can anticipate trends and attendee needs. With AI, planners can now source venues more efficiently, receiving suggestions tailored to their event needs, making the decision-making process faster and more data-driven.

Additionally, AI is being used to automate responses to RFPs, saving time for venues and helping them respond quicker to business opportunities. It can also predict future trends in the MICE industry, including forecasting event demand and business rates in specific destinations.

What are some of the upcoming developments in Cvent’s platform to meet evolving planner needs?

Looking ahead, Cvent is continuously improving its platform to integrate more AI-driven tools that can help planners and venues optimize their processes. One major development is the AI-powered RFP creation tool, which enables planners to be more specific in their venue search and receive recommendations based on data-backed insights. This eliminates the need for time-consuming manual searches and speeds up the planning process significantly.

Moreover, Cvent is working on expanding its analytics capabilities, enabling planners and venues to gain actionable insights into event performance, attendee engagement, and ROI metrics. These tools will help stakeholders make more informed decisions, increasing the overall effectiveness of the event planning process.

How do you see the MICE industry evolving in the next few years?

In the future, the MICE industry will continue to embrace technological innovation as a key driver of efficiency and personalization. AI will play a growing role in personalizing events, with planners able to use data-driven insights to tailor content, recommend venues, and craft unique attendee experiences.

We’ll also see a geographic diversification in event destinations, with planners increasingly sourcing locations across emerging markets like Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia, and even more niche locations in Europe. Non-traditional venues will continue to rise, with more emphasis on offering unique experiences that help brands differentiate their events from the competition.

As the demand for personalization and efficiency increases, the MICE industry will become even more data-driven and technology-enabled, allowing planners to curate events that are tailored to attendees’ interests while providing measurable outcomes for businesses.

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