Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026: AI, Sourcing and Our Partnership

By George Popa, Director of Operations, CongressBookers

I spent two days at Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026 at the InterContinental London – The O2 and came back with one clear takeaway: our industry is changing fast. AI is moving into sourcing and planning, attendee data is getting smarter, and more of the work between venues, agencies and clients is being automated. Much of it will be standard by next year. Some of it we already use at CongressBookers, because this autumn we started working with Cvent on hotel and venue sourcing.

Here is what I saw in London, what Cvent has announced for the months ahead, and what our partnership means for the pharmaceutical companies and agencies we work with.

Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026 at a glance

Cvent CONNECT Europe ran from 20 to 22 October 2026 in London. The first day was reserved for smaller sessions: an invite-only Partner Summit for agencies and partners, a leadership summit and hands-on training. The main conference followed on 21 and 22 October.

The agenda was built around disruption and change, with sessions on AI, data, venue sourcing and the future of events. There were separate tracks for planners, marketers and hotels, a life sciences workshop, and product roadmap sessions on what Cvent plans to release next. I joined the Partner Summit on the first day and the main programme on the second.

AI moves into sourcing and planning

AI came up in almost every session and conversation, and the focus was on day-to-day work: finding venues, answering RFPs, preparing reports.

Cvent has been clear about its direction. At its US conference in July it announced more than 70 product updates, 34 of them new AI capabilities, backed by a planned multi-year investment of $1 billion in product development. Each one is live, in beta or due before the end of 2026.

The changes most relevant to congress travel are:

• Cvent Assistant. Planners describe what they need in plain language and the system turns it into actions, from setting up an event to recommending venues and pulling benchmarks.
• Venue recommendations. A shortlist of hotels and venues from the Cvent Supplier Network, built from a written brief, with the reasons behind each suggestion.
• RFP support. Reminders, follow-ups and help with proposals, for both planners and hotels.
• Room block management. An overhaul of Passkey, Cvent's group housing tool, with improvements due through the end of 2026.

For medical congresses, this matters most at the start of a project. When a major congress opens registration, the team that can shortlist suitable hotels near the venue within hours is in a stronger position than one working through emails for days.

Connected data is the real work

One figure from research Cvent commissioned from Forrester Consulting stayed with me: only 36% of organisations fully capture and integrate data across all their events. An AI assistant is only as good as the information behind it.

In pharma, data is also a compliance question. Clients need to show who travelled, where they stayed, what was spent and whether it met EFPIA and local codes. When requests, proposals and decisions sit in one place, that reporting is easier to prepare and easier to check.

People still make the difference

Cvent has built its new brand promise around what it calls the Presence Premium: the growing value of meeting in person as AI-generated content fills every channel. The same Forrester study found that 70% of event professionals say live events matter more, not less.

That matches what we see during congress season. Software can find and compare hotels. It cannot rearrange transfers for a delegation whose flight was cancelled the night before a symposium, or judge whether a property is right for a group of healthcare professionals. That part stays with our team.

Our partnership with Cvent

This autumn CongressBookers signed an agreement with Cvent to use the Cvent Supplier Network and its sourcing tools across our teams. Implementation started in October with Cvent's implementation team. We are rolling it out across our regional desks, starting with team leaders and account managers, with training sessions running into November.

We have already started sending hotel requests through the platform for upcoming congresses, and the first proposals are coming back. The aim is straightforward: faster answers for clients, proposals that are easy to compare, and a clear record of every request.

Cvent does not replace the relationships we have built with hotels over many years. It adds reach. We will keep working directly with the hotels and partners we know, and use Cvent to widen the search and speed up the first round of proposals.

What this means for our clients

For pharmaceutical companies and agencies planning congress delegations with us, the practical changes are:

• Faster hotel and venue shortlists for congresses, internal meetings and advisory boards.
• Proposals presented side by side, so rates and conditions are easier to compare.
• A clear record of requests, proposals and decisions to support compliance reporting.
• Competing clients kept separate when it comes to venue placement.
• The same team, the same on-site support and the same point of contact.

What comes next

Cvent plans to release the rest of its announced features by the end of 2026, including a knowledge base where organisations can upload their own procedures and approval rules to guide event set-up. Its next US conference, CONNECT 2027, will take place in Denver.

On our side, we will complete the set-up and training in November and use the platform fully for the 2027 congress season. I will share what works, and what does not, once we have a few major congresses behind us.

Thank you to the Cvent team for a well-run event and for their support with our implementation. Plenty to take back to the team, and plenty already in progress.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cvent CONNECT Europe?

Cvent CONNECT Europe is Cvent's annual European conference for event planners, marketers and hospitality professionals. It covers event technology, AI, venue sourcing and industry trends.

When and where did Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026 take place?

It took place from 20 to 22 October 2026 at the InterContinental London – The O2, with a pre-conference day on 20 October and the main conference on 21 and 22 October.

What is the Cvent Supplier Network?

The Cvent Supplier Network is Cvent's online marketplace where planners search for hotels and venues, send requests for proposals (RFPs) and compare the offers they receive.

How does CongressBookers work with Cvent?

We use the Cvent Supplier Network and its sourcing tools alongside our own hotel relationships to find, compare and secure accommodation and venues for medical congress delegations, internal pharma meetings and advisory boards.