I've been fortunate. I started my career just after the 2008 financial crisis, and right before the big wave of internet startups like Uber, Instagram, and Airbnb. As an event manager for The Next Web, I found myself perfectly positioned to ride the largest technology wave we've ever experienced—the internet.
I was ambitious, worked incredibly hard, but perhaps most importantly, I was simply in the right place at the right time to benefit early from the digitalization of our industry. By embracing tools such as Monday, Slack, Mailchimp, Zapier, Zoom, and dozens of other apps, I reaped career benefits for a decade.
The new technology wave
Now we're standing at the start of another career-defining wave: Generative AI. It will transform our work as dramatically as the internet did 30 years ago.
Just like then, professionals who become early AI adopters will climb faster, experience less stress, earn more, and potentially reclaim some of their valuable time.
If you missed your chance last time, this is your wake-up call. If you're ambitious, embracing Generative AI should now become your highest priority.
Studies confirm the importance of AI
Our imagination often leaps to films like Terminator, Her, or Ex Machina, where machines surpass us, making humans obsolete. But today's reality is different. We should see AI as a co-intelligence: a synthetic colleague who joins us as a co-author, sparring partner, or team member.
In September 2023, Harvard Business School conducted a fascinating study, dividing 758 Boston Consulting Group consultants into groups with and without access to ChatGPT 4 (the most well-known large language model). When performing identical tasks, the group with ChatGPT completed 12% more tasks, worked 25% faster, and delivered 40% higher quality results.
However, the study also highlighted why humans must remain in control:
- Consultants with AI performed 19% worse on complex problems because they trusted answers too quickly, unaware of the model's hidden limitations.
In other words, your professional expertise as an event professional is crucial for continuously evaluating how, where, and when AI truly adds value.
The elusive nature of these AI models is precisely what makes them special. Traditional software always comes with manuals or tutorials. But with these new Generative AI models, it's up to us to discover possibilities and translate them into our field.
Yet, one thing is clear: AI-minded event professionals are more productive, more creative, and deliver higher-quality work.
AI in image, text, audio, and video
Opportunities are unfolding across the five domains of Generative AI: text, images, video, code, and audio.
Since GPT-3's breakthrough in 2020, investment in Generative AI has exploded. Tech giants—Meta, Google, Microsoft, X (Twitter), and Amazon—are all racing to train the best models, unlocking spectacular opportunities for our industry:
- Images: With stable diffusion models like Midjourney, concept strategists can create mood boards, stage designs, or event mockups in minutes, tailored to any creative style or brand identity.
- Text: Large language models like GPT-4o (and GPT-Vision) enable event producers to upload damage photos from an event location, combine them with their insurer’s policy document, and handle insurance claims directly from their iPhone.
- Audio: With speech-to-text apps like HappyScribe, event managers can independently translate and subtitle aftermovies, keynote sessions, or promo videos, eliminating costly delays from external video producers.
- Video: OpenAI’s Sora or the pioneering Runway allows video producers to animate static images into stunning concept videos with just a well-chosen combination of words.
Understanding the unique aspects of these technologies simplifies discovering how they can enhance your work.
Sounds straightforward—so why haven’t we all embraced this already?
Barriers to adopting Generative AI
There are four main reasons why adopting Generative AI isn't easy right now:
- The technology isn't perfect yet
Generative AI is still in its "beta" phase. Interfaces like those of ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini aren't always intuitive and frequently experience glitches or poor performance.
Moreover, current models sometimes "hallucinate" or invent answers, forcing users to verify outputs across multiple models. This friction is expected to diminish over time, but right now, it creates frustration.
- Capabilities are evolving at lightning speed
Humans prefer linear progression, but AI technologies evolve exponentially. Each month brings new research, new models, and unexpected capabilities.
Additionally, hundreds of apps and companies advertise themselves as "the ultimate AI solution," creating a flood of new information that's overwhelming even for experts.
- It's easier to remain skeptical
Criticizing Generative AI’s shortcomings is easy. You'll often hear that it's just a passing hype and event management won't drastically change.
I prefer Ethan Mollick’s mindset (innovation professor at Wharton Business School):
"Today's AI is the worst AI you will ever use."
What seems impossible today might suddenly be possible tomorrow.
- Our industry rarely allows downtime
Successfully collaborating with AI as a form of co-intelligence requires mindset shifts and new skills—it's a muscle you must train. In event management, that's challenging: a programmer might postpone a website deadline, but an event won't move just because you need extra learning time.
Yet, that's exactly what you should do. Our benchmark for adopting tools like ChatGPT starts with investing 10 hours initially, then practicing daily for 15 minutes.
How to join the AI early adopters?
The good news is you're not too late. Research shows that only about 13% of adults use AI tools daily, skewed by students outsourcing homework.
Xander and I are hacking through the AI jungle to demonstrate how it's relevant to the event industry. We'll share practical use-cases, examples from peers, and our perspective on the technology to make it accessible.
Want to start right now? Here's your launchpad:
- Choose any large language model (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) to master essential skills. The skills transfer easily between models; switching later is simple.
- Opt for a paid subscription. Free versions (e.g., GPT-3.5 in ChatGPT) use outdated models, lack critical features, and can reuse your conversations for future training.
- Invest an initial 10 hours, then practice for 15 minutes each day. Experiment by sharing documents, creating tables, or generating images. Train your AI muscles to instinctively recognize its relevance.
Last year, I attended a talk by renowned futurist Yuval Noah Harari. In his book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, he writes:
"The most important skill for the 21st century will be reskilling."
To remain relevant, we’ll have to unlearn certain practices and skills—and replace them with AI-driven capabilities. In upcoming articles, we’ll guide you through exactly which AI skills those are.
