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AIPC ’ S CEO , SVEN BOSSU LOOKS AT WHAT AI CAN BRING TO VENUES AND TO ORGANISERS
W hen even the Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC ) gets worried about ‘ AI-washing ’, we should be careful about the expectations created by companies worldwide , heralding AI as the ‘ next big thing ’. Taking the changing delegate expectations as a starting point , the technology does however offer opportunities which could result in a better delegate experience and new revenue sources .
On 14 February , SEC chair Gary Gensler warned companies to avoid AI-washing in their communication with investors . About 40 % of the companies listed in the S & P 500 index mention AI in their annual report and , in many cases , they do not make clear how AI actually impacts their results . In addition , Gensler expressed his concerns about the impact AI has on the ‘ buy side ’ of the investment world : if everybody starts using the same AI-models to decide in which companies to invest , everybody will have the same ‘ blind spots ’, possibly leading to systemic errors .
It ’ s unlikely the event industry will face this type of concerns , but the basic question is the same : how can the use of AI be beneficial to convention centres ? For me , there are two starting points for exploration : improve the delegate experience and enhance efficiency .
The new generation of decision takers has a very different view on the purpose of events than the previous one and very different expectations in terms of experience . Networking remains top of list and is preferably facilitated .
Bringing together a community is of
Above : Sven Bossu
course important , as long as I can self-serve via a personalised agenda . And I want to be sure that the event I ’ m attending is sustainable and inclusive . And I am happy to contribute to making this happen , especially if I can see the impact of my individual actions on the overall objective . Of course , the overall experience needs to be unique and immersive .
It becomes interesting when the data collected from different sources is used to design events both on overall and individual levels and covering the full event life cycle . Venues will play a double role in this . First of all , they need to be ‘ tech-friendly ’, enabling the use of these technologies . Secondly , venues will use the data collected at events they host to offer the organisers a toolkit which allows them to use the facility in the most optimal way to achieve their objectives . This is where AI kicks in and translates data into intelligence . Just imagine the collective dataset of 100 events taking place at one venue and the insights it can provide in terms of delegate behaviour and mapping these insights to objectives set by organisers before reaching out to them – it will be a very different type of conversation .
Next to that , combining the same set of behavioural data with other venue data such as energy usage , use of space , human resource efforts , etc . will allow venues to increase efficiency by an enhanced matching of requirements and resources .
In a period where bottom-line is more important that top-line , optimal use of ( scarce ) resources is a key success factor .
AI offers many opportunities to convention centres . The trick is to match these possibilities with the overall objectives of the organisation . In the case of convention centres , that is about offering unique experiences in a sustainable way . AI can bring venues to a new level on both fronts . n
ISSUE 129 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 11