Event technology
How event discovery has changed forever( and what to do about it)
ust when event marketers
J thought they’ d mastered the digital game – emails optimised, social media strategies locked down – the ground shifts beneath their feet, writes ASP CEO Jon Benjamin. Today’ s potential event attendees are asking ChatGPT to find them the perfect conference, Instagram posts from six months ago are now competing in Google search results, and traditional search methods can barely keep pace with how quickly information becomes obsolete. The AI transformation isn’ t coming, it’ s already here, and it’ s rewriting every rule event professionals thought they knew about discovery.
The Instagram game-changer Instagram ' s professional and creator accounts are now open to Google indexing by default. This means your Instagram posts can appear in Google search results, ChatGPT responses and other AI tools. Your Instagram content now has a much longer shelf life – instead of disappearing quickly in feeds, well-crafted posts can continue driving traffic years later through search engines.
The keyword connection is crucial: align Instagram with your SEO strategy by using the same keywords your potential attendees are using in their searches.
The new search reality People are asking longer, more specific questions than ever before. Instead of searching“ AI conference”, they’ re asking:“ Help me find an AI conference that specialises in machine learning with networking opportunities located within 30 miles of London.”
These detailed queries happen across Google, ChatGPT, Instagram discovery and YouTube searches. And unless your website contains comprehensive written information directly answering these detailed questions, AI tools may automatically provide outdated information about your event – or worse, recommend your competitors instead.
Your content goldmine: recorded sessions Most event organisers are sitting on a content goldmine. Those conference sessions you’ re already recording can become your most valuable SEO assets. The process is simple: record sessions, get transcripts, transform them into optimised blog posts, publish with speaker attribution and keep them live year-round as‘ past sessions’.
A blog post‘ by’ a recognised industry leader will always outperform the same content written by your marketing coordinator.
Quick wins Audit Your Keywords: Identify 5-10 primary keywords your target audience searches for using tools like Google ' s Keyword Planner.
Optimise Instagram Strategy: Include target keywords in captions, add descriptive alt text to images, and ensure your account is set to‘ Professional’ or‘ Creator’.
Revamp Speaker Pages: Create comprehensive speaker bios and session descriptions. After events move them to a‘ Past Speakers’ section. One of our event website clients saw 320 clicks in three months from a single past speaker page.
Year-Round Resource Strategy: Transform your website from an annual brochure into an evergreen information hub with FAQ sections, detailed networking information, and industry focus areas.
Ready to begin? The key is to start small: research keywords and begin including them in Instagram posts. Small improvements can yield significant results.
The AI transformation is reshaping how audiences discover events and speakers and smart event professionals are leveraging it to their advantage. Your event website should work for you 365 days a year, and AIpowered search makes this more achievable than ever.
By embracing the AI transformation today, you ' re not just staying ahead of competitors, you’ re positioning yourself to thrive in an exciting new landscape where visibility, engagement and success are all within reach. EW
n ASP is a leading event website specialist that designs, builds, hosts, and supports industry-leading websites. For more information, visit: https:// www. asp. events / www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 5 2025 53