Almost 60% of eventprofs say AI won’t axe jobs: report

More than half of eventprofs believe AI technology won’t result in staff being axed, according to a new survey.

This edition of Chart of the Month highlights research from PCMA Convene’s 30th Meetings Market Survey, which shows 27% don’t see any changes to the workforce and 32% only see the need for some upskilling.

That’s 59% of respondents saying that staff numbers won’t shrink, while only 14% said it will lead to a reduced need for both full-time and contract workers.

Source: PCMA Convene

The annual survey was conducted among 788 event professionals from late July to early September, with a majority of respondents being from North America.

Also read 👉 How AI Matchmaking helps you create successful events

AI use among eventprofs expected to increase in next two years 📈

Almost half of event profs also told how they weren’t using AI tools in their jobs.

The survey found as many as 48% weren’t exploring this technology for work, however 68% consider it to be critical for event operations over the next two years.

Source: PCMA Convene

Major use cases of AI in events were found to be in general research and marketing, followed by the creation of marketing materials, agenda sessions and research of potential market segments.

The low adoption of AI can be attributed to fewer eventprofs showing interest in tools like ChatGPT.

Our Transformation Story with Mark Parsons of Events Intelligence goes further than these findings – with his estimates being less than 25% of organisers are exploring the potential of generative AI.

Mark, who was teaching an AI course to 120 eventprofs, discovered that “between 50 and 60 had never used ChatGPT or a similar large language model” and “only 25% had used an image generator such as DALL-E 3 or MidJourney”, while “fewer than five were doing more advanced things with video, code or other mediums.”

He said: “Four years ago GPT-2 couldn’t count to 10, now GPT-4 can write a passable college admission essay.

“The pace of change is profound, and it will really impact those businesses which are unprepared.”

Download now 🔽 the AI Blueprint ebook to learn how data science can help your events.

How AI is improving event experiences 🎯

Generative AI use in events is set to carry on growing in the coming years.

A previous edition of Chart of the Month details the different aspects of tradeshows that will be impacted the most by AI – read about it here.

ExpoPlatform CTO Mykyta Fastovets has also highlighted how ChatGPT-like tools can help event participants and organisers in a range of ways. Get his insights here.

Here are a number of ways event experiences are being improved through AI tools:

• AI-powered matchmaking: AI-driven algorithms analyse attendee preferences and behaviours to provide personalised recommendations for people, products and content.
• Smart booth placement: Optimise booth placements based on traffic patterns, exhibitor relevance and attendee interests – maximising exposure and interaction opportunities.
• Predictive analytics for exhibitor performance: Exhibitors can leverage AI for predictive analytics, helping them understand attendee expectations, preferences and potential leads, enabling more targeted and successful exhibitions.
• Chatbot assistance: Advanced AI-driven chatbots offer real-time assistance to participants, guiding them through the event, answering queries and providing information on exhibitors and sessions.
• Dynamic content curation: AI-driven content curation dynamically adjusts based on attendee engagement, ensuring the most relevant and popular sessions and exhibitors are prominently featured throughout the event.

Additional reading 📖  Six ways AI helps your events make more money

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. At ExpoPlatform, we want to help you build better events and communities. Please get in touch and ask for a demo here. Thank you 😀