AI will push in-person events into a ‘luxury’ experience

The rise of artificial intelligence will make the role of in-person events more important – to the point it becomes a luxury, according to an industry leader.

Enrico Gallorini, CEO of GRS Research, set out how live shows are essential for trust, collaboration and personal development. 

In this Transformation Story, he further explores the significance of events in human history and how cultural changes can help predict their future role. 

He said: “Events are not just about trade – it’s much more about growing as a person.

“We are living in a hyper, isolated world where we are spending hours in front of a machine.

“We need to physically and mentally gather together.

“Events can be the office of the future – I’m CEO of a company and I know how important it is for my team to gather together, but we are not in the same place anymore.

“We’re in different countries, different time zones and we don’t have the budget to meet together in one place –  but we do have the budget to participate in events. 

“Many companies are bringing more and more people to events, because there they can bond together – they can meet together, they can have a good experience together – this is an opportunity for our industry.”

He set out how it was important to look at how different forms of luxuries have existed throughout time, before becoming commonplace.

For instance, being able to own a car was originally only possible for wealthy people, while another example could be how overseas travel was only possible for a relatively small amount.

Enrico used the example of retreats where people disconnect from technology as being among the high-end experiences of today.

He said: “AI will make it even more important and add more to the responsibility of the in-person experience.

“It will be a luxury, where we exit from our hyper isolation and the way we create trust between one and the other.

“Those moments – at least once per year, when we meet together – are very important.”

Enrico added: “When people gather together, they are the best version of themselves – even if it’s B2B. 

“But also in a concert – when you go to see your favorite artist – you dress in the right way, you feel in the right way, you are the best version of yourself. 

“We are creating those moments. I call it a bubble, because then they disappear and explode and just vanish. But their legacy lasts a long time and we grow through this lens.”

The interview comes after the publication of his book, In-Person: A Journey Through the Unstoppable Evolution of Events.

Enrico takes the reader on an exploration into the future of human gatherings, revealing why the key to understanding the future lies in learning from our past and fully comprehending the present.

He said: “As an industry, we have never realized how important we are. 

“This book is not only for developing industry professionals, but for all people that somehow are part of what we call the in-person industry.

“That includes conferences, but also visitor attractions or places with specific niches of people gathering to meet each other for their needs.

“For me, it was very important to understand more about why some events can really change your life and how they work today. 

“I start with the main question – what do events of the future look like?

“But to understand events of the future, you have to have a clear picture of the event today.

“The event today is just the trajectory of the event of the past. So I went back and I started this journey that became a book.”

Enrico highlighted the idea that at the core of the human condition is the ability to communicate complicated ideas.

This involved the development of a “cognitive revolution”, which was a “new way to use our brain” in terms of communication. 

Humans were then able to share stories and help each other and collaborate with people that are not part of our family, in our community.

But to share these stories, there was a need to gather together. 

Enrico said: “Events are the tool that, from the beginning, allowed humanity to grow.

“The events that we see today are obviously very different from our events of the beginning, but some of the pillars are really the same. 

“For example, the elements of rituality were so important in the past – but are still very important today.

“After Covid-19, the calendar of the year of the exhibition industry was a complete mess. 

“Some organizers tried to change the dates of events, but it’s not that easy.

“Because it’s part of the cycle of that niche that participates in that specific moment that we call an exhibition. 

“What is interesting is that most people in that niche when outside of that space and moment compete for the client, for the innovation.

“Everything inside of the space we call an exhibition, they collaborate because they can share, they can see, they can learn, they can touch.

“This is really amazing. This is why I always say that events are a door into the future to see the future and co-create the future.

He added: “In the B2B experience, there is this need of belonging to something that is bigger than ourselves. 

“For example, the badge is not about the name of the person in front of you. It is so that you feel part of a community – obviously it’s also useful because you have the name and the other things.

“We as a species want to share, but we need to understand with whom – so those elements of spirituality, something that we feel when we feel that we are similar to some other, or that we can fulfil the same needs in the same way.”