For years, the search for a destination for a congress or corporate event followed a similar sequence. Planners reviewed official city websites, contacted destination organizations, researched hotel and convention center capacity, and then created a shortlist of suitable options. AI is beginning to change the starting point of that process. Planners can now ask AI tools to compare criteria ranging from hotel capacity and air connectivity to convention centers and costs, allowing them to conduct an initial screening before any direct contact with the destination organization takes place.
The scale of this change is also reflected in industry data. According to Cvent’s 2026 research involving more than 1,650 event planners worldwide, 75 percent of respondents use AI tools during the venue research process. Another 79 percent expect to increase their use of AI in this area. The technology is being used not only to search for and select venues, but also to compare proposals, analyze attendee data, and identify properties that fit an event’s requirements.
The shift was also discussed from the destination perspective at Destinations International’s Global Leaders Forum, held in Geneva at the end of September. A destination can now be shortlisted or eliminated by AI without ever knowing that it was under consideration. This is taking digital competition between meeting destinations into a new phase.
A Destination Can Be Eliminated Before Receiving a Bid Request
In the traditional model, there were several signals that a destination was being considered. A website visit, a question sent to the sales team, or a formal request for proposal indicated that a potential event had entered the sales process. In AI-supported research, that contact may never happen. For example, a planner looking for a city for a 5,000-person congress may ask AI to recommend five suitable destinations. If the system concludes that a city does not have sufficient hotel rooms or convention capacity and leaves it off the list, the planner may simply move on to other options.
If the information is incorrect or outdated, the destination could lose a potential event while the local sales team remains completely unaware that the opportunity ever existed. As a result, the indicators destinations need to monitor are also beginning to change. Alongside website traffic, search rankings, and incoming bid requests, how a city is described by AI is becoming a new area of visibility.
The City AI Sees May Be Different
One of the concepts discussed at Destinations International meetings was how a destination is represented within AI systems. A city’s actual infrastructure, its reputation among people, and the narrative AI creates about that city may not always be the same. Even the language used or the way a question is phrased can change the outcome.
This is particularly important for rapidly changing destinations. If new hotels, expanded convention centers, newly launched air routes, or renovated event venues are not sufficiently visible in up-to-date sources, AI may rely on older information when making assessments. A destination can therefore be represented according to its past capacity or an outdated perception, while its current meetings infrastructure may not be reflected in the results.
Planners Have New Tools at Their Disposal
Alongside general-purpose AI systems, event-industry-specific tools are also entering the destination research process. PCMA has integrated Destinaitor, an AI-powered destination and venue research platform, into its Spark ecosystem. The system is designed to help planners access verified information about destinations and venues more quickly and compare different options.
Cvent is similarly incorporating AI-powered venue recommendations into its supplier network. Planners can describe their requirements in natural language and receive a list of suitable properties. These developments show that AI is moving beyond being a tool for writing content or building agendas and is becoming directly embedded in the purchasing and destination selection process.
A New Visibility Race for Destinations
The new system requires a different kind of digital preparation from destination organizations. Cities need not only compelling promotional content, but also clear, up-to-date, and easy-to-understand information on hotel capacity, event venues, transport options, and other essential infrastructure. Regularly updated information, structured data, and consistency across reliable sources are becoming increasingly important if AI systems are to represent a destination accurately.
