The intrusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into business events will enhance the productivity of industry professionals and participants by compacting event duration and delivering a better return on investment, according to a panel of technology experts and event organisers at the MICE and Luxury Forum on June 8.
As part of The Macao Showcase, speakers at the Technology in Events: How to Navigate the Journey Ahead session discussed the impact of AI, the metaverse, ChatGPT and new iterations aiding or threatening the role of meeting planners.
Jason Ho, co-founder of Beyond International Technology Innovation Expo, pointed out that AI could be used to come up with 150 speakers and topics, and chips could be embedded into badges to track the time a participant spends in an exhibition booth and how he navigates the show floor.
Ian Roberts, vice president Asia, Informa Markets, added AI has helped to enhance productivity in areas such as marketing and PR.
However, Glenn Gore, CEO, Affinidi Group, commented some aspects of technology like the metaverse in business events were still five to six years out, and while he believed it has “a place, a niche”, it is not what everyone makes it out to be.
Gore explained that stage one in technology development is characterised by “overpromising” and “not delivering”. The metaverse is now in stage two “stuck in deception” and finding a solution in the next stage is extremely hard before it can “disrupt” and “democratise” at stage six.
Gore cautioned: “AI is smart but it does not understand what it is telling you”, noting that it “takes bad advice from the Internet” and what it churns out amounts to “groupthink”.
Rebecca Hallet, vice president and director of experience, Jack Morton Worldwide, Asia, said carving out a budget to use technology in events would depend on the event and the target audience.
And in answering what industry roles could potentially be replaced by technology, Gore described a scenario where the job is “isolated and task-driven”, could be done “fully remotely” and with the “least collaborative role”.
He reassured the audience: “AI does not have an opinion (unlike what meeting planners provide their customers). Do not be stressed from the initial chaos.”
