Some six-month periods can be summed up in a list of events, launches and team photographs. Others reveal a far more interesting story when you look back.
The first half of 2026 was one of those periods for Eventscase. We took part in industry gatherings, shared knowledge with associations, unveiled product developments, explored real-world uses of artificial intelligence and supported events where technology had one very clear purpose: to keep everything running smoothly.
We also changed the name of our monthly newsletter. What began as a round-up of news became The Event Loop, a space from which to explore what happens before, during and after every event.
Because between one event and the next, we are not simply waiting for the next one to arrive. We are learning, listening, testing and building.
Communities that do not disappear when the event ends
If anything has defined the first few months of 2026, it has been community.
We began the year by strengthening our collaboration with organisations such as EMA, AEVEA, MPI Iberian Chapter and EVA Alliance. Each operates in a different sphere, but all share a common goal: to raise professional standards across the industry and create spaces where knowledge can be shared in a genuinely useful way.
Our collaboration with EMA (Event Managers Association Spain) allowed us to continue supporting its training platform and to take part in initiatives such as Think MICE, a collaborative project bringing together research, professional expertise and artificial intelligence applied to the industry.
The EMA Learn sessions also highlighted a shift that is already under way: the move from an event manager focused primarily on delivery to an event marketer, a role with a more strategic outlook, connected to the customer journey, audience activation, business objectives and performance measurement.
Community was also at the heart of the AEVEA General Assembly, the AEVEA Awards, the MICE Summit, Global Meetings Industry Day, the MPI Iberian Awards, MPI’s new Happenings and the EMA Summer Parties in Madrid and Barcelona.
Large-scale galas, training sessions, small gatherings or conversations over a drink. The formats may change, but the lesson remains the same: a professional community is not built solely inside a conference room. It needs continuity, trust and regular touchpoints throughout the year.
From talking about artificial intelligence to using it thoughtfully
Artificial intelligence has featured in almost every conversation over the past six months. At Eventscase, however, we have tried to approach it without turning it into a spectacle of grandiose claims.
The AI, Tools & Beyond – Powered by Eventscase series, developed with EVA Alliance, was created with precisely that aim: to move from curiosity to practical application.
Across the sessions, we discussed tools, processes, ethics, automation, creativity, data, ROI and operational excellence. We also addressed something even more important: knowing which tasks are worth automating and which should continue to rely on human judgement, empathy and experience.
This approach extended to other initiatives, such as the EMA Learn Online session “Simple AI. Extraordinary Events” and our white paper on artificial intelligence applied to event production and analysis.
The conclusion shared over recent months has been quite clear. AI can help anticipate needs, analyse data, summarise information, identify patterns and save time. But its value does not lie in using it simply because it is fashionable; it lies in embedding it within well-designed processes that serve specific objectives.
Technology can speed up the work. Judgement still determines where we want to go.
Eventscase has evolved through its product too
While taking part in these conversations, our team continued to develop the platform.
During the first half of the year, we previewed some of the developments that will shape the experience of Eventscase users, including a new generation of the check-in app and an Event App offering greater scope for personalisation and engagement.
The new approach to check-in starts from a reality every organiser knows: the internet connection does not always cooperate. That is why the experience has been designed with an offline-first approach, reducing friction and keeping operations running even when connectivity fails.
The Event App, meanwhile, is evolving beyond being simply a place to check the agenda. Its aim is to become a more personalised engagement channel, supporting attendees and maintaining their connection with the community long after the event itself has ended.
We also added the EPSON C4000 printer to our onsite services, expanding the options for high-quality, personalised badge printing.
It may seem like an operational detail, but a badge is one of the first physical touchpoints between a person and an event. A quick, clear and well-organised arrival shows care. An endless queue sends a message too, although it is probably not the one set out in the briefing.
Technology proves itself when it is put to work
Over these months, Eventscase technology also moved beyond presentations and went to work at real events.
We took part in “Madrid is so much more — for your events too”, organised by Madrid Convention Bureau in Barcelona, where we provided check-in and badge-printing services.
We also deployed our access-control and badging technology at the Cotec Gala 2026, held at Madrid’s Círculo de Bellas Artes.
At institutional or professional events of this scale, technology does not need to demand constant attention. Its role is to validate access, manage flows, reduce waiting times and help teams stay in control of operations.
In many cases, its greatest success lies precisely in going unnoticed.
Events are becoming firmly established as a strategic channel
The past six months have also confirmed an idea that has repeatedly surfaced in meetings, training sessions and conversations: events can no longer be understood as isolated activities.
An event can generate content, feed the CRM, activate a community, strengthen client relationships, gather data on interests and behaviour, and open up new commercial opportunities.
It does not compete with other marketing channels. It connects them.
This evolution requires us to look beyond immediate metrics. Attendance figures still matter, but they do not explain an event’s impact on their own. We also need to assess the quality of connections, levels of participation, the knowledge generated, the continuation of conversations and the event’s contribution to broader objectives.
This reflection sparked discussions about measurement and return, as well as Eventscase resources focused on year-round communities and AI applied to event analysis.
Measurement is not about accumulating data. It is about turning it into decisions.
EVA learnt to listen
One of the most important developments of the past six months came through EVA, our virtual event assistant integrated with WhatsApp.
As well as answering questions, providing information, sharing QR codes and sending reminders, EVA can now receive voice notes, understand and transcribe them, and turn them into useful information within Insights.
Adding audio addresses a very simple point: not everyone expresses themselves in the same way. At certain moments, recording a voice note is quicker, more natural and far less rigid than completing a form.
We needed to test this feature in a real-world setting.
So we decided to do it inside a portable toilet.
The Bathroom of Truth: the epilogue we did not foresee in January
On 9 July, during Grupo Eventoplus’s BED Barcelona, Eventscase unveiled The Bathroom of Truth.
The activation transformed a portable toilet into a confessional booth for industry professionals. Inside was a phone with WhatsApp and EVA, ready to listen to anonymous voice notes about what frustrates, worries or delights people about working in events.
Over the course of the day, we collected 136 confessions covering budgets, briefs, clients, stress, technology, networking, catering, wellbeing and professional relationships.
EVA processed the contributions and categorised the topics in a dashboard. We then analysed the patterns and turned them into a report featuring 12 truths about the events industry.
The activation showed that artificial intelligence can also be used to listen. It also proved that an eye-catching experience need not end with a photograph: it can generate data, conversation and useful knowledge for the industry.
It also reminded us of something essential. The industry is not tired because it has stopped loving events. Sometimes it is tiring precisely because it loves them too much.
What we are taking away from the first half of the year
We arrive at this Summer Edition after six months, plus a brief July epilogue, in which community, technology and strategy have continually intersected.
We have seen that training needs to be practical, communities need continuity and artificial intelligence only makes sense when it addresses a real problem.
We have also seen that onsite delivery forms part of the brand experience, that events have become a strategic channel and that listening to attendees requires creating spaces where they can express themselves freely.
At Eventscase, we will continue working to strike that balance: using technology to simplify operations, understand audiences better and create more human experiences.
Now it is time to slow the pace a little, review everything we have learnt and prepare for what comes after the summer.
Because a great deal happens in The Event Loop too.
We will see you again in September.