AI real. What’ s scary is how quickly these images were distributed.
Andy Price, marketing and communications director, Olympia Events in London, says:“ From a marketing perspective, AI is becoming a practical tool for our teams when it’ s used with intent. With such a diverse mix of audiences, it helps our teams understand much more quickly what different groups care about and how their priorities differ. That insight allows us to tell a consistent Olympia story, while tailoring the detail so it’ s genuinely relevant to each audience rather than relying on one-size-fits-all messaging.”
What AI really gives their teams is breathing space. Instead of getting stuck in long research cycles, they can quickly get to a solid starting point, try things out, see what resonates and adjust as they go. That speed matters when you’ re juggling multiple venues and very different audiences at the same time. AI doesn’ t replace experience or creativity, it just helps get the groundwork done faster, so teams can spend their time shaping ideas, sensechecking what’ s coming back, and making sure it actually feels right for the people they’ re talking to.
Human judgement Crucially, trust still comes from people.“ Our teams are very aware of the volume of generic, AI-generated content circulating online and the impact that has on credibility. That’ s why we see AI as something that sits behind the scenes, helping free up time, not something that replaces human voice or judgement,” says Price.
Simon Clayton, chief ideas officer at UK-based events technology specialists RefTech, argues that AI works best as a support tool rather than a replacement, but feels that trust is being diluted by AI-washing. He says:“ Across the events industry, we’ re seeing more products described as‘ AI-powered’ without clarity on what that actually means.”
Robert Kenward, Fitability Recruiter at Jigsaw Talent Solutions
Andy Price, marketing and communications director, Olympia Events
Simon Clayton chief ideas officer, RefTech
He also highlights the important longer-term issue around knowledge and reliability.“ Developers have traditionally relied on communities like Stack Overflow to share, test and improve solutions, but as more people default to AI-generated answers, usage has dropped. This reduces the flow of new, high-quality information AI models learn from and, over time, that matters.”
“ At in-person events you know you’ re speaking to a person and not a fake brand or persona”
Clayton reminds us that, large language models are very good at sounding confident, even when they’ re wrong, and without transparency or human oversight, that confidence can mask flaws. He says:“ For events, where technology underpins safety, access and experience, trust comes from systems that are understood, testable and accountable, rather than black boxes with an‘ AI-powered’ badge on the front.”
According to Kenward,“ We haven’ t let go of the AI guardrails; we’ re still just working out what game we’ re playing. Trust is built on authenticity and genuine connections, which AI can’ t replicate.”
Right now, the most effective use of AI seems to be as an assistant rather than a replacement. It shouldn’ t be left alone to make final decisions. Cutting humans out of the loop would be wrong. The implication that technology is in charge can erode trust.“ Technology in the loop” sounds better and provides us with the guardrails needed to make the best use of AI. n
ISSUE 141 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 45