Event Inspiration
Event Inspiration is the podcast for event professionals who want to create more engaging, memorable and impactful events.
Hosted by broadcaster and presenter Michael Collie, each episode explores the ideas, strategies and innovations shaping the future of the events industry. From event design, audience engagement and storytelling, to event technology, AI, innovation, experiential marketing and event strategy, we uncover what makes great events truly stand out.
Featuring leading event organisers, event technology experts, agency leaders, designers, strategists and speakers, Event Inspiration goes beyond industry buzzwords to examine the real challenges event professionals face every day — and the practical solutions that deliver results.
Whether you're planning conferences, exhibitions, corporate events, incentive programmes, product launches or brand experiences, you'll gain actionable insights, fresh perspectives and proven techniques to improve attendee experience, increase engagement and create events that people remember long after they leave.
If you're looking for inspiration, innovation and practical advice from the people shaping the events industry, this podcast is for you.
Event Inspiration
The future of events: AI, personalisation and human connection
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Does AI have a role to play in the live events industry?
How do you find the balance between efficiency and authenticity without compromising on the customer experience?
And where does human creativity come into the planning, production and, even, the post-event wrap up?
Get the answers to this and more in episode two of TTA’s Event Inspiration, the deep-dive podcast series for event professionals.
In this episode, Michael Collie sits down with Felicia Asiedu, Nathan Williams, and Kelley Walker to discuss the impact and opportunities AI can unlock in the live event industry.
Felicia Asiedu - Marketing director at Cvent, one of the world’s leading event technology platforms
Nathan Williams - AI integration specialist and founder of gowisely.ai
Kelley Walker - Operations and Innovation Lead at TTA
For more information please visit our website https://tta.live/
Anything's possible really. I think that's the exciting part about where the industry is going.
SPEAKER_02It's about mindset, it's human, AI, human. Do you know that Willy Wonka thing that happened? Yes. Yes. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Where the AI had generated what it was going to be, and all these people turned up expectantly, like, my child's gonna transform and they see Willy Wonka, and then the experience they got was rubbish. And it was nothing like what that was generated. And so that is exactly where you've used it incorrectly. You've used it to sell something that wasn't correct, and your attendees are only going to be let down at the end of it. I don't think that's the intention.
SPEAKER_03But the question's all the way around, isn't it? Somebody coming to you go, we've got an event, we'd like to use AI. AI is a solution and a process to something, it's not the aim of the event.
SPEAKER_00No, it's part of the process, it's part of the solution and the process. The goal is what you're working towards, and the customer experience is always at the heart of every event.
SPEAKER_03Welcome to Event Inspiration, the podcast for event professionals. And in this episode, we're going to be discussing the impacts, opportunity threats, and really everything about the thing that's keeping a lot of people up at night at the moment, and that is, of course, AI. Now, depending on who you listen to, artificial intelligence is either the greatest creative revolution in the history of human communication, or the thing that's about to make everything seem a little bit hollow, a bit a bit not quite right, a bit the same, but the sort of thing you can't quite put your finger on as to why that is. And nowhere in that tension is it more is that more acute than in the world of live events. Now, I'm Michael Collie, broadcaster, presenter, and someone who spent a career working with teams of people making events work for their teams. And my team today, and welcome to you all. Uh Felicia Asidu, uh marketing director at C Vent, one of the world's leading event technology uh platforms. In simple terms, Felicia, uh you've seen it happen already, haven't you? How AI is reshaping really the entire event life cycle.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. It's from beginning to end. And I didn't think we'd get there so fast if I'm being honest, but it is going pretty fast and it's it's end-to-end at the moment.
SPEAKER_03And we'll talk about this, and this is from venue sourcing to post-content material and everything.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, all the way around. We have this big wheel at Seven, and that's what it looks like. It's venue sourcing all the way around to reporting and insights and back again. Wow.
SPEAKER_03Tell us about your wheel a little later. Uh, Nathan, Nathan Williams, uh AI integration specialist, founder of GoWisely.ai. Love that title. Um, you help organizations understand not just what AI can do, but also what happens to human behavior, team culture, creative instincts when it's brought inside the team. I mean, we are talking, we will talk here today, about big changes, good or bad, really.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so we really focus on helping people work with AI and building that kind of confidence that they might be lacking. Um, there's a lot of research that shows, you know, even very experienced professionals in whatever field they might be in still don't know how to apply it effectively to their work. And that's what we focus on.
SPEAKER_03Right. The invitation is open for us to do that then. Uh Kelly Walker, you were operations and innovation lead at TTA, something you've been doing for around 20 years. So you've seen lots of innovations all the way through. But AI has got to be the big one, really, hasn't it?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. It's very exciting. And our team are working really closely with all the changes that are coming in and trying to cut through some of the noise and what's actually valid, what's useful, what is worth your time, and what's going to help you and your processes.
SPEAKER_03Great. Well, together, the four of us, uh, we're going to be finding out what AI can genuinely do for events, where it falls short, how the smartest professionals in the industry are, I suppose, finding the balance uh between efficiency and authenticity. But the goal, of course, as it's always been, is not to do things faster. It's very much, I'm sure, to do them, to do them better the best way we can now. So let's begin with a bit of uh background, I suppose an opening statement from you in a way. Briefly, what is your honest relationship with AI right now? I mean, are you a fan? Are you a sceptic? Are you uh a bit of both? Felicia, you've got to be a fan. You have to be.
SPEAKER_01I have to be, working in technology, otherwise I'm fired. Um, no, I'm a genuine uh fan, even in my personal life. I've been, I asked ChatGPT the other day, you know, how did this relationship begin? And it said, well, it started way back in 20 something. I think it was 22. Um, and I interrogate it, I ask it questions about me, my personal life, crazy, right? My family, my holidays, my work. What kind of work style do I have? Like all sorts. And I'm building agents that can just automate things. I mean, I just investigate everything, every tool. Wow.
SPEAKER_03Wow, definitely a fan. I wonder how many people find that exciting and how people, how many people find that scary? Well, I wasn't going to use the word, but you did. Well, there we go. Uh Nathan, I suspect you're a fan, but your company, as I mentioned, you know, called Go Wisely, it almost sounds like perhaps you could be a skeptic. Oh, tell me.
SPEAKER_02Yes, it is probably something to do with age and having seen lots of technologies over the last 30 years. Because I started sort of early dot com boom, so I've seen lots of waves of technology. So I can't help but treat any new technology, not that AI is that new with a sense of scepticism. There are things about AI I'm sceptical about. Um, but certainly in terms of you know productivity and automation, you know, it's proven and it works. And I think it's extremely useful, particularly as kind of like a sidekick.
SPEAKER_03Aaron Powell So your your scepticism, which to be fair is a phrase I just loaded on you, but that's that's actually it's not you're not being negative about it. You are saying as as as your company says, go wisely.
SPEAKER_02Aaron Powell Yeah, I th I think any technology you need to treat with care. But I think in the case of AI, um there's a lot of noise and buzz that is created by certain people within the industry, not necessarily individuals, but you know, the AI companies themselves, it's in their best interest to generate buzz and the you know hype about the things that it might solve and where AI might lead to. So interesting.
SPEAKER_03I want to talk about that. We'll come we'll come back to that. Uh Kelly, you're in an industry that I I guess where are you? Are you in somewhere in the middle of this, fan sceptic? I don't know. Because you've got to juggle this to make it work.
SPEAKER_00Yes, exactly. I've got to digest it all. So I would say I'm a fan. I am a fan. It is the future, and I'm seeing a natural evolution anyway. So I think we do need to go with it. We've got to embrace the technologies that we have, whether it is good technology and automation or whether it is AI, which is moving forward at a real pace. It's all innovation, and really that's what my role's all about. So, yes, I I am a fan. I do understand the concerns.
SPEAKER_03How interesting. How interesting to understand your different backgrounds and thinking where you've come from on that. So we've got your experiences. We're also going to add into this podcast the envelope of inspiration, which we shall open a little later. And that will be where we set you a challenge to see if you can come up with the best way to use, well, no, let's say the best way to put an event together where AI is definitely a factor that will have to be taken into account. We will cut, I shall lay that on the table and we shall come to that in a while. I feel like as you pulled the envelope out, we should have said, ooh. We'll add that on afterwards. So today then we're following our usual shape. We're looking at the the problem and opportunity with AI. We're looking at the process, how we actually work through dealing with AI and the way to use it, the way to use it well. And then the results, what success looks like when AI has been used properly, and indeed, is it effective in all areas? And then the envelope of inspiration, so all to come. Um let's start then with the problem of AI. Really, let's get it out on the table, what what the problem is. Where is the industry? And I fire this one at any of you really, where is the industry, the events industry at the moment, in terms of AI? Is it, and pick up on what you said, Nathan there, uh is it overhyped? Is it misunderstood? Is it unlocked potential? Where is the industry? What do you feel?
SPEAKER_02I'd imagine like any other industry or most industries out there, um, there's probably a lot of businesses and individuals that feel like they should be using AI, but don't necessarily know where to start or where to begin. Um, you know, I've seen that in various companies that I've worked with. We know we should be doing it, but we're not entirely sure where to start. And I'd imagine that's very common.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02How interesting.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Felicia, is that is that overview actually there in events? I quite like that. And I actually do like that you started because you started with the big wide world and our industry fits into that. And, you know, for years I've been going and doing talks on AI, and I always start with that question, okay, come on, who's using it? And actually back in the day, you'd get a few timid hands raising, you know, yes, we are. Now I'd say hands go up, but it's more generative, you know, um, chat, making sure that they can get their copy out. That's fine. It seems to be acceptable now. Um it seems to be acceptable.
SPEAKER_03So are people putting their hands up because now it's okay? In fact, it it sounds good to say I use AI, whereas previously it was, yeah, I get AI to do stuff.
SPEAKER_01So I would say, I I probably would guess from from the generative perspective, they are. I think chat is a simple thing that people have adopted. Um, it is just the tip of the iceberg, but I think I think it's okay. I will say, and this is going to be a really funny thing to say, but not funny, women seem to be more timid to put their hands up. And when I've asked and dug in, they say, I feel like I'm cheating. When I use chat, when I use, you know, that kind of thing to write my copy, I actually feel like I'm cheating. And I don't remember what research was done, but apparently women do feel a little bit more um, you know, I shouldn't be doing this, but I did, and I'm ashamed to say it.
SPEAKER_03You know, and so what you're saying here is the blokes aren't ashamed of cheating. Nathan, do you want to answer that on behalf? No. But I mean, well, okay, no, fair point. Well, not not on do blokes, but that is the worry, presumably, when you're training people and you're talking to people about am I meant to use this?
SPEAKER_02It it's really interesting. I was just thinking of recruitment, right? Uh 18 months ago, it was a sin to use AI to generate a CV or to apply for a job. Now companies are practically looking for you to do that. Um, so I think you know, in the the example you used, Felicia, I I don't think it's about being shy or feeling that you're cheating. I think it's about being smart. Um if AI can help you use it. Well, considering the job applications are decided by AI, you might as well get AI.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. AI talking to AI. Kelly, that broad question is is AI in the industry, do you think, misunderstood, overhyped? Where are we?
SPEAKER_00I it is being used. Absolutely is being used. And I would lead on from what you're saying there. When people do use it for the generative purposes for the content generation, it always comes with the caveat: well, I did the work first and then I asked AI to improve it for me. And I think that's naturally what people are doing now. And it it also makes sense from a time efficiency perspective because you've got a wealth of information, all saved in your in our case, in our event files. We've got all the details we'd ever need. So we've got a huge content library, and now we want to draw on it.
SPEAKER_03Let's delve into that in a while, because we're almost getting into the process of using it there, which I think would be interesting. What is the correct process? Nathan, you work directly with organizations on AI integration. What do you notice are the problems with how people are using AI?
SPEAKER_02The big one is always compliance. That's an obvious one. It's how do you help people understand, you know, what they can and can't do with AI. Um, that's kind of where you need to really start and ensure that the organization has the you know the guardrails in place as well as the tools available for people to use. Um, but then I think the other thing is helping people understand how they can apply it to their actual work, the actual day-to-day. Um, because there's loads of training and education available on AI for free or paid. Very little of it is this is how you use it as a marketer, as an events organizer, as an accountant, as a journalist. Um, so it's that I think is the biggest gap. It's the actual understanding of how people can use AI in their actual day-to-day work.
SPEAKER_03But I guess people understand using AI in terms of, well, as a search engine, basically, like Google. Is that is that common that that is the use of AI and that's it?
SPEAKER_02I I think it's a behavior that people have. I mean, I do it myself now, the way Gemini has been integrated into the Google search app. Okay, so I I do that. But I think one of the big jobs that we have to do with, you know, employees and organization is to get them to understand that there's a mindset that you need to work with AI. Um, the analogy I always use is working with an intern. If you were going to brief an intern to do something, you wouldn't just say, write me an email and walk away. You would give them detailed instructions, you'd give them context, you'd give them expectation of the output, who it's going to go to. That's the way that people need to use AI. And then the other thing is always then read and work with the output. Never trust what it gives you the first time.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so right, so there's there's the problem. Again, we'll talk in a moment about the process. Um, Felicia, you know, you you you use it daily, you're working at the forefront of AI uh integration. Are there things you well, you've struggled with or you've seen people struggle with in terms of how AI is to be used?
SPEAKER_01Um so even as you were just talking there, I would say what you got my mind thinking about is the push-pull that I see within organizations of the top down. There's this AI readiness that you need in your organization in order for that mindset to to proliferate amongst your employees. And what often happens is from the top, people say, Well, we need to we need to be using AI, we've got to do this, or but let's not do that, or they won't invest in the right technologies, or they won't, you know, ensure that their staff have the training. So it's just like, get on and do it. And I think that has been something where it's not the AI. So we're not at a point of it's the tech that I have a problem with, it's the mindset, but it's the readiness of the organization. And I think that, well, I don't think I know that if senior leaders take the time to invest and onboard themselves and then say this is what I'm doing, this is how we do it, this is how I got myself ready, that would help the employees underneath to then say, all right, let's go.
SPEAKER_03So there's a problem there, and there's a problem, presumably, of some of the things, the reality of actually including AI and things and the the difficulties perhaps nobody tells you before you start and you realize that you're treading into a not a minefield, well, maybe a minefield, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's it's more that you shouldn't have to sit there at your desk and think, right, let me start. That's ridiculous. Like you wouldn't do that with any other tool that you you buy or you you should onboard, you should onboard people. And I think just use saying AI is such a weirdness because it's like, let's onboard the internet. Let's see, it's just it's not correct. It's tools for tasks. Why do we need those tasks? Are we ready? Is that the right you know tool for the task? And how are we going to onboard that into our system?
SPEAKER_03I mean, some of us remember the day when you had to get permission, may I use the internet?
SPEAKER_01I mean, I don't. I'm young.
SPEAKER_03Some of me remember that, but they but uh there you go. Kelly, when you're talking with clients about events, how early on does AI come into this conversation and and and how does that work?
SPEAKER_00Well, that's really interesting because from a generative perspective, I think we're getting so familiar with content that's generated by AI that we're recognising it. So we're recognising it in early stages at client brief level. We recently had a client brief that we thought this this is AI generated. But our response would never be AI generated because it needs to it needs to be created by us. It needs to be creative and it needs to reflect our agency and our RTTA values.
SPEAKER_03So you almost had to pull back from the AI starting point to say we're human and we will we deal with you as humans. Exactly.
SPEAKER_00So our response is a very human response, exactly. But it does make you wonder what what are other responses um being sent looking like and how do ours compare? So it it's interesting, and obviously we're not on that side, so we're not seeing other agency responses.
SPEAKER_03Aaron Powell But from your point of view, from TTA's point of view, it is that human side.
SPEAKER_00It is that human side and we've got to be a very important thing.
SPEAKER_03Of using and making the AI work that works.
SPEAKER_00Interpreting it, yes. But for those personal responses, we probably wouldn't use AI. We might use it to enhance. That's the caveat that everybody uses, but not to generate, no.
SPEAKER_03So that really is about authenticity, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03What about the balance between AI and human authenticity? And and I'm saying that because you're dealing with clients in terms of how you're putting events together and so on. And authentic authenticity is what it's all about. Where do you have a is there a problem? Remember, we're talking about problems. Is there a problem there potentially?
SPEAKER_00Well, human authenticity is key, isn't it? So um moving on from your point there, Nathan, about um using the technology correctly. So where where are you going to use it in your process and and use it as a wrapper almost? So you're still using your human creativity and your strategy, and then you're using some automation within the AI tools to help save you time. And then you are you're wrapping the finesse around the automation that you're using in in your processes. So the AI element is still key because you're the one having conversations with your clients. You're the one who's the face of the event and the personal touch. And that that's super key.
SPEAKER_03All right. So so that human side is important. Let's just uh we're gonna move on to processes a second. I just want to ask, I must ask one thing we haven't talked about, and that is security and the worry, the problem that you put it into AI and that's it, you've lost everything, it's gone for everyone else to use, or something. How real is that worry and what are your experiences? Nathan, can I come to you on that one? Or the the worry that you or the the reality that you would tell people as to what this actually means, this area of security and what AI AI learns from you and what it frankly does.
SPEAKER_02It is very real. I mean, there's there's a term that gets used in corporates, which is shadow IT, which is everyone um putting company information into the public, you know, clawed or Gemini or whatever, rather into the company AI. Lots of companies now are building their own AIs for precisely that reason, so they can create that walled garden where it is safe to share, you know, company data to a certain level. I mean, you should always be sensible. If it's uh sensible, uh sorry, sensitive financial information or PII, for example, even within a corporate AI, there are still rules and guardrails. So it's very, very real.
SPEAKER_03But as far as the problem, which is what we're looking at at the moment, that problem does exist in people's perception and it exists for real in certain areas. Felicia, is that a problem, security of information, when we start talking to AI?
SPEAKER_01It's it's a little bit so I'll take it from our company perspective. So our company has to be secure anyway. You know, we're a technology platform, you have to build from security up, essentially. You know, you get your ISO standards in place, make sure, you know, if you're doing payment card information, it's compliant. We have to have that level of security. Now, if we're building AI into that, we're building it in with all of those standards in practice anyway. So if a customer wants to use and adopt AI within Cvent, they should know that the guardrails were in place as we were building. Now, that is different from what Nathan just described, where someone is now, it's like BYOB, you know, you're bringing your own AI into the equation, which is then not really guard. And I know that, you know, what is good practice in organizations when you get that little pop-up and says, hold on, you're about to go somewhere, you shouldn't. And that isn't really in place for a lot of the AI technology that's out there. Um, it's on WeTransfer, for example. If I want to use WeTransfer, that's not our um desired tool. So we use Box instead. And so it will pop up if we try and use WeTransfer. Sorry, that's not the file sharing system.
SPEAKER_03Because you are giving that file. Exactly. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I think with AI that's out there in the world, I'm not sure it's a risky.
SPEAKER_03So the problems do exist. So we know perhaps in this first section, uh, and there's a danger of putting everybody off by talking about it, but we need to. The problems are the challenges, and they are there. So, you know, how do we deal with them? What does what does good AI integration in events actually look like? How do we get there without losing the live experience that actually matters? What is the process? Now, uh so just now when we were talking about those problems, um, we talked about I I brought up AI, didn't I, Nathan? You know, people using AI like a Google search. What's your recommendation for making people more proficient in how they use AI? What's the process to get into to get it right?
SPEAKER_02You know, in terms of personal use case, I think it's about mindset. It's human, AI, human. So how do I prepare for using the AI? What instructions do I need to give it? Because the more clear you are with the instructions, the better output you'll get. But then it's, you know, always read the the label, you know, always read what it says on the tin, whatever the output is. You know, you as a Particularly if you're experienced in your field and you're using it in a professional context, evaluate the output. Would I put my name against this? Would I send this to a client? Um, it's all about that iteration, I think. So mindset and iteration with the output.
SPEAKER_03This is a change of mindset or or a bedding down into what's needed, isn't it? Because I mean you talked about the intern earlier. You wouldn't just say, okay, write an email and off you go. You tell them what you need. But if you've got to keep telling AI what it need what you need, then letting it do it and then checking everything it's done, it slight starts to be slightly counterproductive, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_02No, it doesn't. I think it I think it takes time and practice at the beginning, right? We all have to teach ourselves how to work with new technologies, right? So I think what I say to people is try and be strict at the beginning. Get into a rhythm of how to get the best out of AI. And once you've developed that rhythm and way of working, then it comes naturally. So it sounds like you have to put a lot of effort in in the beginning, and sometimes you do, but I think long term it's worth it.
SPEAKER_03But so the essential point I'm I'm pulling out of this in the process is human input, let the AI do its stuff, human outputs, understand why it said it, check it, think about it. Does that take you where you want to go? Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Uh Felicia, what was your process for I was going to say making AI your best friend? It did rather sound like it earlier, but but you're nodding to that. Okay. But what was the what was the process for integrating AI in your own life and and and the productivity in terms of your work and how you work?
SPEAKER_01I would say experimentation was a big thing. Um so playing with some of those tools we were talking about, you know, Claude, whether it's whatever, whatever tool of choice, but also experimenting with AI, and I'm saying repeating myself, but in products I already used. So Canva. I stayed with Canva, which is a tool for creating images, which I would do in my day-to-day anyway, um, just to see how it was going. And it was getting better and better and better. And I'm on for the ride. So I didn't use the AI that's inbuilt within Canva once. So that didn't work. I didn't like the fingers that it had on the person because they're really weird. I get it, we're we're in growth mode. So I just sort of stay with it, test another tool, got a little bit of mid-journey, which is a far better tool for imagery, but then went back to Canva for something else. So I'm on, I'm in it for the long haul. I think that in my own mindset is I'm willing to grow with it.
SPEAKER_03But that's an interesting comment. You're willing to grow with it. So it's something that's giving you something personally and professionally if you use it properly.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, if you do, and and you might not, to be honest. If you use it properly, would be like, oh, I've clocked it, I've made it, I've done it. And maybe I'm probably not using it properly, but I'm willing to to try and fail and come again and ask a colleague and check on the internet and go around. I just I want to know. I'm kind of thirsty for it. So yeah.
SPEAKER_03Fantastic. Uh Kelly, let's bring this to events, if you like. And can you talk us through the life cycle, really, from you know, when you're gathering all the material together at the beginning to the post-event content, where does AI work well?
SPEAKER_00Okay, yes. So if we're thinking about the event project lifecycle, the the AI touch points can be used at various stages throughout that. So you've got your your pre-event stages, so the pre-planning, even. So when you're looking to um looking into venue searching or RFPs, there's tools to help you automate that or make that quicker and interrogate briefs in some detail that will help you validate responses and give faster output and suggestions for those things. And then the um predictive modelling is a key point with with the AI tools as well. So, from insights that you've got from past events for a client, you will be able to predict trends in registration. So, how did people engage with registration? When did they sign up? What was it?
SPEAKER_03Because you've done that before yourself. Using a spreadsheet.
SPEAKER_00Using a spreadsheet wouldn't not really okay.
SPEAKER_03Everyone agrees I'm wrong there.
SPEAKER_00If you timestamped everything, if I mean the marketing strategy for events is is much more advanced now in terms of um personalized outreach. So when you're, you know, targeting your audience, you can do it very, very personalized in terms of where am I going to reach this audience? Are they going to be at a trade show? So should I place an advert there and let me track the registration sign up that I'm getting there? Or various other points, really. So at what point are people signing up? Let's use that data. That was a good strategy. So we'll we'll target that this time for the event, or predictive modelling for budgets. So that that that's it's all part of the pre-planning. Um, and then identifying your audience, what they're engaging with from content and growing that. So that helps then shape your agenda, your sessions, which speakers you're going to use. You can use AI tools to help you draft speaker bios, for example, very, very quickly, put that together for you.
SPEAKER_03As long as Nathan, I'm sure, would be about to interject, you check it afterwards and it comes out.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. You get it approved.
SPEAKER_03You can do much more and much faster. What are the sort of highest value cases that you're work you've worked with, the differences that have been made?
SPEAKER_00Differences made when you're using live insights, really. So you can you can adjust your approach. So an example we used quite recently with um an event that we had launched and live with registration was um heat mapping across the website to see the the points of interest. So we would we would adjust it and you know, move buttons, move content around to make it more accessible. I think ultimately, end of the day, you you've got to learn from from what you're using and um and keep it simple as well to a degree. So if it's is it helpful, is it gonna save you time? Is it gonna help your audience engage with the content? It's gotta be, it's gotta make things seamless for your audience.
SPEAKER_03There's a clear evolution here, and an evolution in which event organizers have to put their own intelligence in to work it out. Felicia, uh, the capabilities must have evolved immensely recently.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. Just listening to you know some of the things Kelly's talking about, a lot of that is what we can do within Cvent. And I was listening earlier when we were talking about, you know, what you put in and then what you get out of it. So there is there is this part of AI that I'm gonna have to program, I'm gonna have to think about as an event organizer what goes in. You know, like we spoke about generative things like, you know, how do I write bios and things like I have to put, I have to brief you in and then I get the output. But actually, the evolution is that the technology knows you. The technology starts to get to a point where it's like, hey, look, I know you've done this. Do you want this? I know you went to that session. Would you like some snippets of what was good in the session? Do you do you want them? It's not you as an attendee having to say, oh, I really would like to know about this and this and this. It's the it's the AI saying, here's something interesting, here's an insight, here's something you can go and use. Even with your session content, you know, we've got a solution called Goldcast where the content, as long as it's recorded, the tool will say, Here's some interesting snippets from that session that you could use on social media. Would you like me to package that up for you?
SPEAKER_03You know, so that's the next step. And have you found have you found, Kelly, that your your creative process and the use of that creativity has improved at TTA?
SPEAKER_00Yes, absolutely. So we're using a lot of the touch points there that Felisha's talking about. And I think audience's come to expect that personalisation and that seamless experience now. So we're having to work harder to think ahead.
SPEAKER_03Do you actually do you ever have to push back when a client says, let's leave use AI or whatever? Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Do you think you need to consider what you're getting out? Why are you using it is the important thing. Because a a brief that says I want I want to use AI is is not very concise. It's like, well, what are you trying to achieve? And um, is it going to help your audience engage with the content? Is it is it going to help you meet your objectives?
SPEAKER_03But there are areas of the industry or or of events that you would sort of protect from AI either, that you would say to a client, this is not relevant or not productive to use AI.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, at times I think it is important to get the balance right. It's all about balance, isn't it? I mean, for audiences as well, they don't you you do want to curate an experience to make uh things pr simple and and processes easy to follow for people. Um, but you don't want to over-curate the experience for them. You want to give people choice. So you can't just sort of send them down a track that says, this is your profile and this is the content we're going to show you. You need to give them the the full experience.
SPEAKER_03I don't know, I mean I don't know this is probably your area of Felicia in terms of data tracking and you know the enhancements you can get. Is that is that something you can feed into events and how you put events, the background for events together?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. I think um again, you know, we spoke about security and compliance earlier. If you think about logistics, so a lot of a lot of events is a lot of logistics, and logistics can be automated in places, you know, things like session recommendations, it just it will just do that because of your profile if you want to be known. So within, you know, the EU and the UK, you can you should always give your attendees the opportunity to turn that off. Maybe I don't want you to know me, I don't want you to personalise to that extent. In the US, it is pretty different. They switch it on as a standard. Um, and I only know that because I see large conferences where it's like we we want to know, we want to over-personalize, and they do. Whereas here we have to wait for an attendee to turn on, yes, I want you to know me, and then I can say, Well, I recommend you meet David, I recommend you do, you know, and so we just we do have to balance it out of what kind of data we're using.
SPEAKER_03Okay, lots of issues there. Uh Nathan, what do you say to people about teaching them how to decide what AI should support and what should stay human?
SPEAKER_02If we're speaking in the events um case, I would be looking at how can it remove friction for the actual people attending the events? So, yes, there's you know, how can we make it easier for the companies running the events and the organization? Um, but I'm from a customer experience background. That's what I've always been in. Um so for me, it's always about the end user, the end customer. So, how can we make the experience of an event really great? And what role can AIAI play within that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'd agree with that. I mean, that's exactly it. And that's an ail on the head when we asked earlier, you know, customer briefs, things like that. It's like, what do you want your attendees to get out of this? Why are they coming? How are they gonna leave changed and transformed? And if AI can help people to do that, you know, if I think about, I'm gonna give you a really, really bad example. But do you know that Willy Wonka thing that happened? Yes, yes, yes, where the AI had generated what it was gonna be, and all these people turned up expectantly, like, my child's gonna transform and they see Willy Wonka, and then the experience they got was rubbish, and it was nothing like what that was generated. And so that is exactly where you've used it incorrectly. You've used it to sell something that wasn't correct, and your attendees are only gonna be let down at the end of it, and I don't think that's the intention.
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna punch this one in on you, Nathan, because somebody told me you've got a great example to do with Bjork, which I don't know if you can talk about that one or not, but I'd love you to.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that's that's just a silly example. We we were talking the other day about a way that AI can be used creatively, and a friend of mine had created a he called it a creative council, so it was just a custom GPT, but he created a custom GPT that had um the personas of lots of musicians, artists, painters, authors, etc., so that you could use it kind of as a sidekick. So you could write something and then say, how would Bjork phrase this? Um, or what would Bjork's point of view be on this problem? So it was just a fun thing, but I thought it was quite a nice, interesting use case where you create, you know, all these multiple different personas and perspectives. Uh, you could get them to argue, you know. Um, so yeah, it was just a nice fun use case.
SPEAKER_03Well, we shall get her on the programme next time because anyone else for yourself how how do you build, how do you encourage people to build genuine AI capability and not just using it as a tool?
SPEAKER_02I think it's the same for people as it's the same for organizations, is and I'm speaking about professionals here, people that you know have the potential to use AI in their work day to day, is work out where the pain points are. Just sit down, if you're doing it as an individual, what do I do every day? What are the tasks I hate? What are the tasks that take a long time? What are the complicated ones? You know, just understand your own personal pain points and then think. You might need someone to help you initially if you don't have the skills, but think: can AI solve this problem for me? So can it take something that takes four hours down to a couple of minutes? And it's exactly the same for a large organization. They all have processes. Where are the pain points? Where can AI help us address this?
SPEAKER_03Oh, right. So we've gathered a lot there, I think, about the process, about how to use uh AI. Now, assuming we've got the process right, and assuming we're using AI with responsibility, uh, intent, intelligence, let's turn to the question of what success perhaps actually looks like. What are the real results? And how do you know when AI has given you something which uh frankly is better than you could have done on your own and yet still feels human, still gives you everything you want. So, really, time to talk about the results and what success is like. Uh Kelly, how do you measure success with events when it comes to the use of AI?
SPEAKER_00A good experience for the audience ultimately, and objectives met for the client and good return on their investment for the event. So if they've met those three things and AI's been integrated within that, then it's been a success.
SPEAKER_03And are you able to measure that in because in a way you'd be hoping you would have been hoping for that anyway. And you would have been looking for that anyway in events. Can you measure the fact that this particular extra success is very much down to AI?
SPEAKER_00From various touch points you can. So from feedback, you're always seeking feedback with events. That that's how we grow and that's how we evolve. So you're looking for your customers' success feedback experiences. And a seamless experience is integrating throughout the touch point. So we're saying there from um from a delegate experience, has the process been without friction to your point, Nathan? Have they been able to access an invitation, register, receive details to join, download an app, and then access the content they were looking to access? Have they received the content and been able to summarize it using for um session snapshops, for example, and summaries? Have they got what they need and have they given you the feedback on that?
SPEAKER_03You deal with a lot of healthcare, pharma type events. Is there a danger of them starting to feel homogenized if AI is being integrated in all those events?
SPEAKER_00I don't think so. I think as long as we're keeping the objectives and the goals at the core and keeping and and always coming back to those key considerations about what why we're using something, not just because it's a novelty value, but because it is helpful and because it is helping engagement.
SPEAKER_03So that's the important thing. That's TTA's role. That's the human role of the people in TTA to make sure that happens.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. So you're always going to have the creative, you need the creative brain behind it. Although we are training the AI all the time, so uh to the points about evolving and growing with it and helping it speed up time, speed up processes, which is just giving added value. It is still the human element around that creative and that strategy and the finesse.
SPEAKER_03The events are about, I mean, they're about creating, well, you know, we've been to them, we know what they're like. Good ones are about creating memories. Memories, yes. About creating relationships and also uh creating trust with the people there, with the people you meet with with the brand.
SPEAKER_00And that's why live events are so important, aren't they? Because um it it that's the memories over the the content at the end of the day. It's the experiences that that the live events deliver. And um people remember experiences.
SPEAKER_03Felicia, can you can you talk to us about measuring the success of AI, maybe events you've been involved with where AI made a measurable difference?
SPEAKER_01I think that is hard. I can see why you were kind of saying what you were saying, Kelly, when you were kind of like actually it's the little things. So if I give you, let's let's go back to some of the stuff I said earlier. So I've had our own events, Event Connect Europe. You know, we have 1,500 people that are all on site and we get to roll out technology. So that's actually the biggest place where we see impact because we roll out, we were there when we rolled out those session snapshots, and everyone was like, oh man, this is so much easier to have someone walk out of the you know, main general session and be like, I didn't have to do anything, it's just taking notes for me. When I go back to the office, I can prove why I came out today. You know, it's it's hard to take that and quantify it, but you can just see the delight on people. And as we start to use more of those content wrap-ups where my team, I see the relief on them when I'm you don't have to log hours of video and figure out the most important parts that were interesting. Just run it through the AI, let the AI suggest what was interesting, vet it, see if that's right. Would you have chosen that? And then just put it out on social media, and then the attendee that was really happy skipping out of the general session can consume that content and have those memories because they've been also snapshot and on social media. Hey, Sarah, do you remember when we went to this? You can see the um connections and all of the engagements happening on social. And so it's just kind of happening. And organizers notice this as well today.
SPEAKER_03And not that not that AI is just dealing with the efficiency of the event, but also in the experience of people as well.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. That is it's one of the biggest outputs. And actually, let's talk about the experience, yes, of attendees, but also of their teams. Like we've got a situation where everyone's being stretched, do more with less. Your team is always overrun and overworked. And so if we can have, you know, we've introduced natural language search and venue search. So what does that mean? That means that the person can say, I've got an event in Vienna that's a pharmaceutical, I've got 150 people, I need three breakout rooms, this, that, and the other, go. And suddenly the tool is like, I got you. I see what you need. And so you see the relief on your team. That's really important as well, because if your team is thriving and not having to deal with small tasks and nitty-gritties, they can be creative and they can say, actually, I've got an idea. Why don't we take them on a boat ride? You know. So that's what you want to see it all around. It's for the attendees, for the teams, it's for the people.
SPEAKER_03Right. Nathan, let's bring this one to you because we're talking here about people and how people react to the process of using it, the experience of being involved in something. What are the the cultural behavioural changes that need to be made or behaviors that need to be understood by teams if they're going to use AI successfully?
SPEAKER_02There was a piece of interesting research I saw recently. I forget exactly who it was by and where it was from, but it was actually saying that users of AI in in businesses tend to actually be a bit more social. Um, and I think the insight behind that was that it actually frees up their time. Um, so it actually gives them the time to be more social um and more interactive with other people in the team because you know you've had those pain points removed. It's like, right, I can move on and do something else now. Um, so that would that was a really interesting, I think, dynamic that was uncovered.
SPEAKER_03So you're going to see the difference then with successful use of AI in the conversations that your teams are having, in their in their confidence to go out and discuss ideas? Is this is this something you're you're training people for?
SPEAKER_02That's that's something I would push people to do. So what one of the biggest uh impacts I've seen when people are using AI in a professional sense is when they have a breakthrough, is to share it with other people. You know, look, I did this. This job that took four hours now takes me two minutes. And that really helps kind of like inspire everyone else, but you know, encourages people, okay, maybe I should be adopting this as a tool, maybe it can be useful for me. So I think it's really important that people share, you know, where they have successes, but also share the failures. You know, I tried this, it didn't work.
SPEAKER_03Um But I mean I have it a thought if you're getting that success quickly with AI and you're getting excited by what it's giving you, that relationship you're building with it, putting material in, checking what comes out, and so on, you're going to spend more time doing that rather than chatting to colleagues who perhaps aren't as productive as the AI idea.
SPEAKER_02Yes, but there's another interesting piece of research that um if you Google it, just Google the term brain fry, um, where people have started to measure the um oh not overuse, but intensive use of AI. Actually creates brain fry in people, uh, in that you might be sat at a desk, but you can actually be quite exhausted by the end of the day. And I think it's because of the speed at which information is thrown at you. Felicia sadly is nodding at this.
SPEAKER_01Do you feel it? I do. I've in my experimentation, I have I used to be a content manager, so I love writing content and creating content. And sometimes I'd find myself in this loop with with the AI where it's like we're going back and forth and we're going round and I feel like I've been in there, and I have to just detach myself from this thing and recognize that actually your output's too much. It's overwhelming. You've given me too many headers and paragraphs, and I'm lost now. So sometimes I'll just start again with a blank sheet.
SPEAKER_03What can I say, Felicia? We've got people you can talk to at the end of this podcast just to help you through that. Okay, last thought in this success, the results side of using AI well. Predictions for the future of AI. And Kelly, the future?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think thinking at events and the technology side of things at events, I think we'll see much more with mixed realities and things, which will enhance the experiences as well. So it's bringing bringing digital elements into live elements. So a bit of AR, augmented reality, where you have um physical elements that people can scan, for example, that takes them into an immersive world that they can further explore. So within exhibition forums, that that's becoming more of a thing. And then with in-person events that people are attending, um, you can speakers can convey journeys and experiences using various um QR code experiences, for example, to tell a journey on stage, and then they can be surrounded by more immersive kind of staging and set and kit and whiz bang and and just creating the whole, you know, wow, you do well already.
SPEAKER_03Seeing where this one goes. Felicia, inspire us.
SPEAKER_01Oh, if I could paint the picture of the future, I would say it is hyper-personalization. It's down to the individual. Think about those billboards that are already knowing that you're on the approach and change to advertise something for you because they know that's your billboard, and the next person will spite their billboard. Like I'd love it to get to that point where it says, I know you're coming from Harlow today to my event, there's an Uber close by or something, and then it gets you from your home to the event, it personalises throughout the event, and as you're back in your office.
SPEAKER_03Memorable for all the right reasons. All right, uh, we've talked a lot. Let's put you to the test now. Because uh, if you've joined us on events inspiration before, uh, you'll know this is the moment in every episode where we do something a little different. We open the envelope of uh inspiration, a wonderful gold-colored envelope. Uh yes, it may be actual gold, I don't know, but it's certainly a gold colour. Uh the envelope for inspiration. So the idea is simple. Before we uh recorded today, we prevent uh we prepared a scenario, a real-world scenario of the sort of thing that lands on a professional's desk, probably not in a gold envelope, but even so, on a Monday morning, and this is what you're presented with. Something that perhaps sounds a little familiar. Uh, it's sealed in this envelope. Who would like to open it and read it? And I don't mind. Any of you can. Felicia's going to. There you go. We're going to open it. Uh, read it out, if you would. And then unrehearsed, let's look at it. What is the problem you're going to be faced with? You're looking scared already. Uh what is the process you'd follow if we get it right? Uh, what does the result look like?
SPEAKER_01Felicia, what have we got? I'll put my reading voice on. A pharmaceutical company is launching a new treatment at a one-day healthcare professional meeting for 150 attendees in Amsterdam. The marketing director has just attended a competitors' event and wants the same AI-powered experience she saw there: personalized schedules, a registration chatbot, real-time session summaries. Your planning team is excited. Their compliance team is nervous. And one delegate has already emailed asking how their data will be used. The event is in 12 weeks. Where does AI help and where does it stay out of the way?
SPEAKER_03Okay, brilliant. Have you got that in your minds? So there we are. Uh 150 attendees in Amsterdam. I love how the marketing director says, right, this is how we're going to do it, get on with it. And the uh the planning team has obviously been told to be excited. So there we are. What are the problems? Let's won't dwell on these too much, but what are the problems that spring to mind?
SPEAKER_02Nathan. First of all, it's healthcare. So everyone's compliance radars are going to be going off. Um the delegates, so sensitive industry. And the delegate, uh sorry, the delegate raising a concern, treat that as a gift because they're probably not the only people thinking that as well. So, you know, take the compliance seriously and address their concerns.
SPEAKER_03So you've got a compliance flag going up. Uh Kelly, what what do you see as the problems with that scenario you've just been given?
SPEAKER_00Well, not the lead time, which is quite nice with race. I think it's understanding more about what that marketing director is alluding to with the touch points. They've used the magic AI word, but what you know, what's their goal? What do they want to use those I touch points for? In terms of um being on board with the audience journey, they they are addressing that they want to make it um a good experience for the attendee. Which is nice as you can do somewhere to get that. Exactly. So then it would be considering all those touch points and experiences absolutely something that can be worked with. So that yeah, we can look at the pre-event strategy, the on-site, there's lots and lots of exciting things to work with.
SPEAKER_01Uh so uh just you know, no alarm bells, but more, okay, we understand there's compliance challenges and and things like that. I my actual the first thing I thought of when I when I thought about problems here is what tool are you using today? Because if you're a C Vent customer, all of this is absolutely possible. If you're not and you have just come back excited, but your technology is a disparate bunch of, you know, a little bit of an Excel spreadsheet here and a little bit of something there, I don't know that you're gonna achieve this AI dream that you want.
SPEAKER_03So nicely, you're looking at possibilities. What's the process then? How do we pick that up, having recognised there's a few problems here? What's the process we're gonna go through?
SPEAKER_00I think you would do a reassurance piece around the compliance first. So I think there's the whole data transparency piece, the um the opt-ins, um, making sure that that that concern is addressed with how you're going to work the event in and you know, execute the brief essentially, and then go through all the lifecycle points for the delegate experience.
SPEAKER_03I'll come to Nathan in a second, but Felicia, any thoughts on the process of working through that?
SPEAKER_01I agree. Looking at um, I said earlier, you've got to think about your events as logistics and then you know, the the experience and the output, and those are two different sides. If you can get to a point with logistics that would enable and enhance some of this, that's that's great. Because you can take care of some of that AI usage in logistics, and then you've got your output and your experience. Now, things here like where it says real-time session summaries, why not? That's not you know private information, it doesn't require any delegates to particularly give anything away for you to do that. I would almost put that into a logistics category because it's like, how will I get this to you? Easy. But if there are things that you need to think about from that, you know, data compliance perspective, just list them down and start to see what your comfort level is with each, and then give your delegates the option to turn on and turn off. List them down. I can see you with a pen and a piece of paper.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Write it all down. But basically create that process. Oh, absolutely. Establish one, create the process. So the results then, uh getting it right, how do we know we've got it right? What would you be looking for for that conference? And I know Felicia's hanging on to the scenario just in case she needs it again. What would you know, what would you for a successful event?
SPEAKER_00Successful event is all around the audience experience and make sure that they've had a seamless experience throughout the journey of the registration process and the communications around the event and then attending it and the touch points there. So we can integrate all the AI points in there. I mean, you've got your digital check-ins and everything's um smooth touch points really.
SPEAKER_03So success is going to be making sure your compliance is sorted out right at the beginning, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. You would get the concerns addressed early on and then focus on the experience and then measuring the engagement.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, measuring the engagement is is probably the big one there in terms of you know just looking at that registration chatbot. You can see the engagement. You can see, you know, what was the adoption of it. Did people use it and interact with it? Did they drop off at a point because they're frustrated, or did it get them the answer that they wanted? And you can see all that.
SPEAKER_03Okay, there we are. An example of uh the reality of AI in an event. And I know we've whizzed through it, but I think it's good to understand the pro the problems of process and you know what can be got out of it. Um, I promised you some AI tools uh from the people who are actually using them to take away. Uh let's close with some of the things perhaps you would tell someone to do or advise that they did. So, Kelly, if a client came to you tomorrow and said, we want to use AI at our next event, we don't know where to start, what's the one piece of advice? Is the one piece of advice you would give them? How would you steer that question?
SPEAKER_00I'd always want to know more about that. What is your event? What are you trying to achieve? Who's your audience? What experience do you want them to have? What are your goals? Because uh it's all achievable, but it's which direction or which path do you take to do that? But just thinking it, who's your audience essentially? Do you need translation tools? Do you I mean there's so many different things to consider, but um, anything's possible, really. I think that's the exciting part about where the industry is going with AI.
SPEAKER_03I suppose in one way, I'm not deliberately, I put the question in a bit of a trick way. I didn't mean to, but it but the question's the wrong way around, isn't it? Somebody coming to you and go, we've got an event, we'd like to use AI. AI is a solution and a process to something, it's not the aim of the event.
SPEAKER_00No, it's part of the process, it's part of the solution and the process. The the goal is the is the is what you're working towards, and the customer experience is always at the heart of every event.
SPEAKER_03Okay, ten seconds each. Hey, how about this one? What's the one thing you'd say to an event professional they should do to do with AI now, not in the six months ahead? But what's the thing you'd said, just take this in, engage with it, find out about it.
SPEAKER_01Felicia, Felicia? It's gonna be it's gonna be nothing to do with AI at all. It's gonna be mapping processes of your teams. That today, what are we doing? And I mean on a team level, not individual, but how much time is being spent on our stuff today, map it out, get yourself ready for the tools that could then become useful for you. Wow, you've taken us back a step there.
SPEAKER_02Very important, I think. Nathan have a conversation with AI, you know, learn to go back and forward with it, don't just ask it a question and walk away, work with it. Kelly, you're agreeing to that?
SPEAKER_00I'd agree with that. And I've tested AI because it's got a lot more patience than I have. It never gives up. So you can keep training it, you can keep going back to the drawing board, you can keep saying, I'm I'm not quite happy. I don't think we're quite there yet. And it never disagrees with you. You even apologize.
SPEAKER_03You're quite right. Do be nice to AI, though, won't you, Kelly? Do be nice.
SPEAKER_00And always use your manners. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03Do not lots to talk about. And thank you so much, uh, Felicia, Nathan, Kelly. Thank you so much for your thoughts on that. There were, of course, people who said many years ago that decimal currency wouldn't last. There were those who said the internet was just for computer geeks. There are those who say, as we've pulled out today, that AI is, you know, the biggest threat to authenticity, to how humans talk to each other, to how humans interact. I I hope one of our intentions today was to establish that one of the big issues is if you get it wrong, or if you run away from it and don't deal with it at all. Because by, I was gonna say confronting it, not confronting it, but by coming to terms with what AI is all about, which is I hope what we've managed to do to some extent, it'll allow you the opportunity to produce inspirational events with a whole new level of understanding and insight. That's what it's about, because surely professionals who do that, who figure this out first, who use AI to free up inspiration, to free up thinking, to free up people's time and not replace it, not fill it up with things, are going to be the ones that make inspirational events that people remember. Do find out more. Tta. Bye bye.