AI’s Hidden Superpower: Creating More Accessible and Inclusive Events

AI-powered accessibility

Let’s consider some of the common engagement challenges you face:

• Competing with alerts attendees constantly receive on their mobile devices
• Delivering key messages to attendees who speak different primary languages
• Keeping people with invisible challenges, like neurodiversity or hearing loss, engaged
• Embracing the next generation of event participants

Imagine removing language and communication barriers with the help of AI-powered captioning. AI Transcription and Translation from Encore (powered by Wordly) even boosts accessibility for vision-impaired participants by delivering audible versions of its translations or transcriptions, which support multiple languages and provide near real-time captioning to event monitors and personal devices.

Captions do far more than make content accessible. They help all your participants focus and engage with what’s happening on stage.

Why does this work?

According to recent research by Preply:

• 50 percent of adults use captions most of the time when consuming content
• 70 percent of Gen Z (ages 12-26) use captions most of the time

“Captions aren’t just an add-on anymore — they’re expected,” says Encore Customer Relationship Director Gus Capone. “Just like people are used to subtitles on Netflix, attendees now rely on live transcription to help them follow along and absorb the message.” 

For ConferenceDirect’s flagship industry event CDX, Capone uses AI Transcriptions as a default part of his event design, with live captions displayed on general session screens. Because of the positive feedback, Capone will be using the technology in breakout rooms, accessible via QR codes on attendee devices, moving forward. 

AI translation & transcription tools help you stay in compliance with new regulations
 

Governments worldwide are implementing language access regulations to promote inclusivity. New mandates often require services to be available in multiple languages and accessible through features like real-time captions, text-to-speech output, and multilingual support.

Beyond the regulation issue, making content more accessible is a great business and community-building decision. At a recent international manager’s meeting, 300 of the 350 Asian-language and Spanish-speaking attendees used Wordly daily. The translation feature perfectly aligned with the client’s global culture, especially during the opening session where teams from around the world greeted attendees in their native languages. Stakeholders praised the tool’s 99 percent accuracy, highlighting its reliability and ease of use.

Craft more inclusive, engaging experiences with AI

The first time you see AI-generated captions appear as the presenter talks, it’s impressive — but that’s only the beginning. AI Session Summaries from Encore, like award-winning Snapsight, take accessibility and engagement even further, helping to:

• Support different learning styles
• Allow participants to absorb content at their own pace
• Give participants access to content in sessions they might otherwise miss

Picture visually interesting idea clouds, session notes and quotes appearing on in-room displays or personal devices as the presenters or panelists talk. Now imagine being able to interact with that content or access it long after the event ends.

Being able to interact with content in this way offers additional benefits.

• Giving adults the ability to interact with content deepens their educational engagement, comprehension and recall of the material you share.
• Displaying text on stage helps all participants focus and stay engaged.

Sharing session summaries with participants who couldn’t attend or who missed a portion eliminates the feeling of FOMO.

AI is revolutionizing conference notetaking

AI session summary tools help participants stay engaged by eliminating the need for notetaking. It captures key points and big ideas, and highlights action items so attendees can participate. Recent research indicates that companies that employ AI-enhanced notetaking solutions experience a 30 percent increase in productivity and a significant reduction in time spent on administrative tasks. 

“I’m a note-taker by habit, but let’s be honest — finding that note years later is impossible,” Capone says. “With AI session summaries people can pull up summaries and key takeaways instantly, and the content lives far beyond the session.”

AI notetaking also aids comprehension and engagement. According to Preply research, 74 percent of U.S. respondents say text on screens helps them comprehend what’s happening; 68 percent say it helps hold their attention.

Providing AI session summaries enhances the guest experience, Capone says. “Attendees told us they loved being able to double-check what they heard or catch up on what they missed without chasing down a speaker. That’s real empowerment.”

Bonus: Keep attendees engaged post-event

Help attendees stay present in the moment by telling them you’ll take notes for them and share them post-event. AI transcripts or session summaries produce content far more accurate and comprehensive than what any one person can do on their own. Sharing them post-event extends the experience’s glow and generates goodwill — especially if participants get to enjoy takeaways from sessions they missed.

Speaking of post-event benefits:

• 73 percent of the planners we surveyed for Encore Planner Pulse say that content production is very important. But a huge hurdle is finding the time, money or staff to produce it.  

AI translation, transcription and summary services transform this obstacle into an opportunity by providing you with a goldmine of conference content you can easily repackage, repurpose and monetize. With AI tools like ChatGPT or PCMA’s Spark — an event industry-specific generative AI platform — planners can quickly transform session summaries into blogs, social media posts, micro-learning or even marketing campaigns. Because Spark and Snapsight are developed by the same company, their built–in integration simplifies this process, ensuring event teams can maximize value from content with minimal effort.

Another benefit is that sharing these conference content pieces with event participants reverses the “forgetting curve” that usually sets in when attendees go back to the office. Spaced repetition of key takeaways helps cement on-site learnings, reinforces the value of attending your event and encourages them to come back next year.

Maximize your AI investment with a good event technology partner

According to the EventTechnology.org, 94 percent of event planners say they would consider using AI for translation services. Sixty-seven percent say they’re already using AI-powered speech translation, or considering it, for multilingual events.

What about you? How would you apply these technologies to a future event?

“If you’re hesitant about AI, start small,” Capone says. “Try it in one area, build confidence, and you’ll quickly see how it saves time and improves the attendee experience. Be vigilant, but don’t be scared.”

If you’re in the market for AI event technology, we can help you maximize your investment and provide the end-to-end strategic, design and production solutions you need to bring your ideas to life. From industry-specific glossaries to inventive room-set ups, we’ll ensure your event’s AI tools are integrated with in-room displays and other event technology.

Ready to plan more inclusive and accessible AI-powered events? Let’s chat!

 

*Amex 2025 Global Forecast, Encore Planner Pulse H1 2024 and Convene Annual Industry Forecast Nov 2024