Earlier this year on Eventful Encounters, we discussed about the hot topic of AI in the events industry. Our hosts, Leanne Bladen, Director of Sales and Marketing, and Tanita Gill, Marketing Manager, welcomed Sydney Nolan from Soolnua and Adam Baggs from Soaring Worldwide. Both are enthusiastic adopters of AI and believe it had immense potential for the events industry.
Sydney shared that she has experimented with AI tools like Anthropic’s Claude (a large language model similar to – and rival of – ChatGPT) and Midjourney (an AI image generator). She appreciated their ability to generate content and simulate conversations. However, she confessed that she wasn’t an early adopter. Instead, after finding AI to be the central topic of conversation at every industry event and being part of weekly AI office discussions, she gradually got more excited to play around with certain tools and learn more.
Adam, a self-proclaimed geek with a passion for science fiction, had been an early adopter of AI, finding its applications both fascinating and useful. He explained that, as with most tech, he gave it a go to see what happened and then used or discarded different tools depending on how relevant and useful they are. Specifically though, much of his knowledge stems from recent research undertaken with clients including Ottawa Tourism and The Hague & Partners, during which he examined the ethics of AI usage.
As an experiment, before recording the podcast, Adam and Sydney shared a mix of stock and AI-generated imagery with attendees at the ICCA UK & Ireland Conference (where the podcast was recorded). Attendees had to guess which was which: but only got one out of five correct. In scenarios like this, it’s easy to become concerned about AI and its capabilities, if we allow ourselves to. But, as we discussed in the show, it’s important not to be too negative.
Instead, Adam and Sydney emphasised the importance of embracing AI, constructively engaging with it, and believing that it will enhance rather than replace our work. They also stated that most people are using – and benefiting from – AI without even realising it (hello, recommendations on online shopping platforms!).
The discussion also covered the ethical considerations of AI, particularly when it comes to handling data. Adam clarified that AI can promote more efficient event planning but warned against sharing sensitive information with third-party tools. Businesses must abide by data laws but, as individuals, Adam urged us to think carefully about what information we’re making readily available, ensuring we’re being mindful and protecting ourselves. The conversation also touched on the need for critical evaluation of AI-generated content to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Adam explained that there are many ways AI can be used. Most people tend to think of content generation when they think of AI, but it’s also incredibly effective for things like data manipulation and processing that can be extremely helpful for events. Sydney and Adam offered practical advice for integrating AI into event planning.
Here’s a snippet of what they shared:
Start Small:
Use AI features already available in your existing tools and break down what you need. AI can seem overwhelming, but by just trying some element of it, you’ll begin to get to grips with it and discover what’s beneficial to you personally.
Learn Prompting:
Master the art of asking the right questions to get the desired output. Think about what you are asking the tool to do. How are you phrasing your question? What language are you using? How much detail are you giving?
Experiment and Evaluate:
Try different AI applications and critically assess their usefulness.
Fact Check:
AI is still learning us, and we are still learning AI. With written content especially, not everything will be accurate. Always carefully examine output and edit, fact and spell check before submitting.
While acknowledging the rapid evolution of AI, both Adam and Sydney believe that human oversight remains crucial. They foresee AI becoming increasingly accurate and integrated into various aspects of event planning, ultimately enhancing efficiency without replacing the human touch.
