AI is worth more to organisers as a private tool than as a public shop window, according to an events chief. Simon Foster, group CEO of Arc Network, argues the organisers who come out of this cycle ahead will be the ones who keep their community data behind a wall and spend the technology on …

The rise of AI and deepfakes has seen a surge in CMO interest in live events, according to an events industry leader. Paul Miller, CEO of Forge, believes this trend is running alongside an increasing demand for targeted meeting programmes they are willing to pay for. Forge runs around 160 events and was formed when …

The world has become precarious on multiple fronts – whether it is due to geopolitics, economics or severe weather. Because of this, the events industry has become good at contingency planning but remains overly dependent on fixed dates, flagship gatherings, single destinations and hopeful attendance assumptions. Resilience must now be designed at portfolio level. This …

Footfall is no longer a number organisers can sell against digital channels, according to an events leader. Sharon Roessen, COO of Terrapinn, argues that the meeting is the only unit of event value that produces a figure a marketing director can compare with anything else they buy. Terrapinn runs around 90 events a year – …

Event organizers have long attributed the value of shows to the amount of content they can offer to participants – this has been the status quo for years. This means the more speakers, sessions, panels, exhibits – the better. The belief was that this makes the event more impressive and attractive to potential attendees and …