diff --git a/app/models/event.rb b/app/models/event.rb
index ff798651..686c6aa8 100644
--- a/app/models/event.rb
+++ b/app/models/event.rb
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
 class Event < ApplicationRecord
   include ActiveRecord::Transitions
   include RevisionCount
+  include FormatHelper
+
   has_paper_trail on: [:create, :update], ignore: [:updated_at, :guid, :week], meta: { conference_id: :conference_id }
 
   acts_as_commentable
@@ -337,6 +339,10 @@ class Event < ApplicationRecord
     time <=> other.time
   end
 
+  def serializable_hash(options = {})
+    super(options).merge('rendered_abstract' => markdown(abstract))
+  end
+
   private
 
   ##
diff --git a/spec/controllers/schedules_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/schedules_controller_spec.rb
index 97632f60..22cb7c1a 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/schedules_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/schedules_controller_spec.rb
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ describe SchedulesController do
     let!(:selected_schedule) { create(:schedule, program: program) }
     let!(:scheduled_event1) do
       program.update_attributes!(selected_schedule: selected_schedule)
-      create(:event, program: program, state: 'confirmed')
+      create(:event, program: program, state: 'confirmed', abstract: '`markdown`')
     end
     let!(:event_schedule1) { create(:event_schedule, event: scheduled_event1, schedule: selected_schedule, start_time: Time.now.in_time_zone(conference2.timezone).strftime('%a, %d %b %Y %H:%M:%S')) }
     let!(:scheduled_event2) do
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ describe SchedulesController do
         expect(response.body).to include(event_schedule1.to_json(include: :event))
         expect(response.body).not_to include(event_schedule2.to_json(include: :event))
       end
+
+      it 'contains the rendered markdown in HTML of events that are happening now' do
+        expect(response.body).to include('code')
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/event_spec.rb b/spec/models/event_spec.rb
index 2beb3a20..1ed2ac9e 100644
--- a/spec/models/event_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/event_spec.rb
@@ -448,4 +448,14 @@ describe Event do
       end
     end
   end
+
+  describe '#serializable_hash' do
+    let(:event2) { create(:event, program: conference.program, abstract: '`markdown`') }
+
+    context 'serializes event correctly' do
+      it 'contains rendered markdown in HTML' do
+        expect(event2.serializable_hash['rendered_abstract']).to include('<code>markdown</code>')
+      end
+    end
+  end
 end