The live events industry is roaring back to life, but this trend is more than just the post-pandemic surge in attendance. Customers don’t want the typical small business conference or corporate event. They are increasingly demanding an experience. 

Attendees are craving uniqueness, such as concierge service, VIP booths, gourmet food, virtual check-ins, mobile apps and much more. But how do you make your conference or corporate event stand out from the noise?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly been a hot topic of many event and conference agendas lately, but are we missing a trick? 

There is no doubt that there have been significant advancements in AI technology and how it can support event businesses with marketing content, matchmaking and transcriptions, for example. However, one area is being overlooked: data and insight. 

Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in the amount of in-person events, this was only temporary — the events space has returned to thriving the way it was before. However, in this post-COVID landscape, event organizers struggle to find ways to connect with their attendees. Luckily, there are some principles that brands can follow to ensure their events resonate with their attendees.

What to Think About When Planning Your Event

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay, and tools such as ChatGPT by OpenAI are transforming the way the world conducts business, including the events industry. In the second part of our blog series, "9 Ideas for Using ChatGPT in Event Marketing," we detail the remaining five innovative ways event professionals can employ the revolutionary tool.

By now, you’ve likely seen ChatGPT all over your social feed. This cutting-edge AI language model is revolutionizing the events industry, streamlining processes and making life easier for event professionals. You may be wondering how you can use this in marketing your events.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace aren’t new concepts, but companies that organically realize these aspects in their culture undoubtedly see varied viewpoints and perspectives worked into their day-to-day operations. For some companies, this is simply part of their fabric and is quietly woven into their culture. 

Following a nearly three-year cessation from conferences and events in most industries due to the pandemic, events are back in a big way. As organizers begin crafting new events, there is an increased focus on inclusivity and accessibility for nursing mothers, largely due to the new Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act, which went into effect in April 2023. 

Inflation impacts all industries, and the event industry is no exception. An economic downturn means higher venue prices, even as the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency causes a greater demand for face-to-face events. And event professionals and teams are caught in the crossfire, forced to find ways to cut costs while still delivering ROI for event attendees. These pressures, in turn, can lead to burnout and turnover. 

Making events easily accessible and inclusive for neurodiverse participants — like those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and others — should be an essential consideration when planning any event, large or small. Let’s dive into how events could be tweaked to cater to everyone, no matter how your participants interact with the world around them.

Understanding Neurodiversity