Search used to feel predictable. If you were running a fintech event, you competed with other fintech events. If you sold marketing software, your rivals were other marketing platforms. Your category defined your competition, and your strategy followed, that model is starting to break.
AI-powered discovery, led by tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot, is changing how people find solutions. And in doing so, it’s expanding who you’re competing against.
The Shift: From Category Search to Problem-Led Discovery
The biggest change is how people are searching.
In the past, users explored within categories. Someone might Google “best fintech events in Europe” and the results would be predictable. A list of events, comparison pages, maybe a few ads. Everything stayed within the same lane. Now, that same person might ask:
- “How do I stay ahead of fintech trends?”
- “How can I meet decision-makers in financial services?”
- “What’s the best way to grow my network in fintech?”
Those are problem-led questions, and AI responds accordingly. Instead of listing events, it might recommend:
- Industry events and conferences
- Curated newsletters or reports
- Private communities or Slack groups
- Podcasts or thought leaders
- Online courses or certifications
From the user’s perspective, these are all valid ways to solve the same problem, from your perspective, that’s your new competition.
What’s Driving Change
At its core, this is a behavioral shift. Users are searching for outcomes instead of specific formats.
That changes three things:
- Category boundaries disappear. AI doesn’t care whether something is an event, a platform or a piece of content. If it helps solve the problem, it gets included.
- Discovery is compressed. Users are no longer clicking through multiple websites because they can get a curated answer immediately.
- Decisions happen faster. With context, comparisons and recommendations built in, users move from question to action much quicker.
The result is a competitive landscape defined by problems, instead of industries.
What This Means for Event Marketers
This shift also brings about changes in how events need to be designed, positioned and marketed.
If your event isn’t clearly solving a problem, it becomes invisible. Which makes it essential to ask before launching a new feature, track or campaign: “What problem does this solve for our audience?”
Why? Because that’s exactly how AI will evaluate you. For example, a fintech event shouldn’t just position itself as “a fintech event.” It should position itself as “the place to meet investors in financial services” or “the fastest way to understand regulatory changes impacting your role.”
That clarity matters, because when someone asks an AI how to stay ahead of fintech regulation, you’re no longer competing with other events. You’re competing with a world of resources — and if your event isn’t clearly tied to that outcome, it simply won’t be included.
The Trust Factor Behind AI Recommendations
Part of what makes this shift so important is how users engage with AI-generated answers.
According to the Reuters Institute (2025), around 50% of users who have encountered AI-generated answers say they trust them, with many others remaining neutral. Users cite speed, convenience and the ability to aggregate information as key reasons.
That level of trust changes behavior, because LLMs synthesize multiple sources, compare solutions and provide context instantly, instead of simply listing options. This makes users feel like they’ve done the research, even if they haven’t clicked a single link.
That has real implications for event marketers:
- Journeys are shorter
- Decisions happen faster
- And crucially, many choices are made without visiting your website
Visibility is no longer about clicks. It’s about inclusion in the answer.
What You Should Do Now
If you want your event to show up in AI-driven discovery, there are three practical shifts to make:
Start with the problem
Your messaging should be built around outcomes, not formats. For example, instead of, “We are Europe’s leading fintech event,” try “Meet the investors actively funding fintech scale-ups,” or “Understand the regulatory changes impacting your role in the next 12 months.”
Be explicit about the value — AI needs that clarity in order to include you.
Write like you’re answering questions
Your website content needs to mirror how people actually search now. That means:
- Clear, question-led headings
- Direct answers to audience problems
- Specific use cases and outcomes
For example, instead of a generic “why attend” section, create content like:
- “How this event helps you secure investment”
- “What you’ll learn about fintech regulation in two days”
This is the type of content AI pulls into its answers.
Make your value easy to interpret
LLMs don’t just surface your brand, they interpret it. They decide what your event is, who it’s for and what problem it solves. If that’s unclear, you risk being excluded or misrepresented, clarity beats creativity here.
Be specific about:
- Audience (who it’s for)
- Outcomes (what changes after attending)
- Proof (who attends, who speaks, what happens)
The Real Shift
Your audience has always been trying to solve problems. AI has just made that behavior visible and accelerated it.
The question now isn’t, “Who are our competitors?”, it’s “What else solves the same problem as us?”, because that’s what AI is using to decide whether you show up at all.
