Stateside with Stephanie
Revving it up for transformation and monetisation using data and AI
Stephanie Selesnick gets all RevvedUP with somewhere to go: she reports from Sarasota in Florida on a major AI and data C-Suite event
hat are large media and
W exhibition companies doing to monetise data and integrate AI in their businesses? The answers to that question and more were to be heard at the recently held RevvedUP Conference. The one and a half day event, held in Sarasota, FL, USA was designed for and attended by CEOs and their C-Suite teams in leading media, events, information / data, and marketplace businesses. Over 100 industry leaders interested in leveraging digital, data, and AI( artificial intelligence) to fuel growth and enterprise value were in attendance.
This first-time event was produced by industry veteran Heather Holst- Knudsen of H2K Labs in partnership with Kerry Gumas, Metacomet LLC. When asked why the launch of another C-level event in the crowded events and media space, Holst- Knudsen replied that after attending a number of C-level industry events,“ No one was talking about business transformation using data.”
This event changed all that. She continued:“ The media and expo / events industries are at a critical inflection point. It’ s now a matter of using the right data, at the right time, in the right way to market and communicate with the right people.” She noted that hyper-personalisation is key to success with younger generations.
Keynotes from experts outside of the media / expo bubble focused on enterprise leadership and building successful cultures.
The executives in the room were there to better understand how to use, manage, and monetise data and AI for their businesses. I was blown away by the content, knowledge sharing, and people in the room. Here are my biggest takeaways.
• Without data, there is no AI. Bad data means bad AI results. Clean up your databases asap. It’ s no longer a“ nice to have,” but rather a“ must have,” if you want to stay in business.
• No one knows what’ s going to happen in three years from now.
•“ Align your tech with your goals”, Matt Yorke, The Channel Company( Obvious, yet not!)
• Smart media publishers are taking a proactive approach to both AI protection and usage, which B2B and B2B expo producers should emulate. This includes using
Heather Holst- Knudsen
proprietary chatbots that mine their own websites’ content for answers to visitor questions – while increasing user engagement and connection.
For the exhibition business, this means mining your own data to connect event goers and exhibitors / sponsors( and visitors to visitors) using hyper-personalisation.
3.5 Chatbots are out there scraping your content without giving your show / event / IP acknowledgement, referrals, or payment. Take security measures now with( at minimum) chatbot blockers.
• Think about your customers’ customers( the end user) of your events and publications – and how data can help in the process. Allison Merkert, of Future asked media publications:“ Who is our audience( advertisers)? How can we help them engage with their audience?” She later said:“ The biggest challenge with data is measurement.”
In the case of expos, many organisers still have no idea what to do with their data to increase client satisfaction. We need to“ prove it or lose it!” by substantiating the quality of visitors and using microdemographics to reach, recruit, retain, and connect old and new audiences. It’ s not enough to say, we have 10,000 visitors in 50,000sqm.
For example, sponsors and exhibitors want to know visitor purchasing plans over the next 12-18 months and be connected directly with decision-makers and those who influence those decisions. It’ s no longer enough to hope for serendipity.
• Stay focused on solving your clients’ pain points. This is business 101, yet so many organisers focus on square metres and attendance numbers instead.
14 Issue 2 2025 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk