While artificial intelligence, social media platforms and digital tools promise to revolutionize how we plan, promote and execute events, many industry professionals find themselves caught between excitement and apprehension. The gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application has never been more apparent, or more critical, to bridge.
The Behind the Scenes with Tech learning track at Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2024 consisted of a hands-on learning approach that recognizes a fundamental truth: technology mastery doesn’t come from watching demonstrations but from experimentation, failure, iteration and breakthrough. Sessions allowed participants to work on their actual events, their genuine professional challenges and their specific organizational needs. The result? Not just enhanced knowledge, but immediately deployable skills and strategies that could transform how they approach their daily work.
The three sessions we will explore here – AI strategy development, LinkedIn professional presence optimization and comprehensive AI workflow implementation – were led by industry innovators who understand both the technological possibilities and the practical constraints facing exhibition and event professionals today. Read on to gain insights from these transformative sessions and how you can apply these same principles to accelerate your own technological growth.
From Scenarios to Strategies: Crafting Event Success with AI
Rich Vallaster, DES, CEM, Senior Director of Industry Relations and Community Engagement at Personify, focused on practical AI applications for exhibition and event professionals and moved attendees from theory to action in using AI for event planning and management.
Rich introduced attendees to the concept of applying AI as a “co-pilot” for planning their events, drawing an analogy to aviation “autopilot” to emphasize that AI is meant to assist – rather than replace – human expertise. His presentation covered the fundamental concepts of prompt engineering and AI training, followed by group experiments where participants could test AI tools in real-world scenarios.
Rich addressed AI applications across multiple areas of event management, including marketing, logistics and operations, conference/education, sales, registration and housing, and finance and legal functions. Rather than providing an exhaustive technical explanation of AI models, he focused on practical implementation and immediate value creation.
Rich then moved participants through a hands-on exercise that developed their skills in “asking AI better questions” rooted in five core principles:
- Be specific with details and context
- Use “act as if” scenarios to define target audience and perspective
- Add appropriate tone and examples
- Request specific output formats (summaries, charts, lists, etc.)
- Utilize “do” and “don’t” parameters to include or exclude elements
Participants learned to personalize AI tools by setting formality levels, response length preferences, terminology definitions and organizational voice alignment. As the groups concluded their experiments using various AI tools, participants showcased their results and shared insights.
Key Takeaways
- AI should be viewed as a co-pilot, not autopilot: Just as aviation autopilot assists pilots rather than replacing them, AI tools should augment human expertise in event planning rather than fully automate processes. This mindset shift helps event professionals leverage AI effectively while maintaining necessary oversight and decision-making control.
- Effective prompt engineering requires specificity and context: The quality of AI output directly correlates with the quality of input prompts. Event professionals should include detailed context, specify their role or audience perspective, define desired tone, request specific output formats and clearly state what to include or exclude to get meaningful, actionable results.
- Custom training transforms AI tools into organizational assets: By setting up custom instructions that reflect your professional role, organizational terminology, typical challenges, and preferred communication style, AI tools become more aligned with your specific needs and can consistently deliver responses that match your organization’s voice and standards.
LinkedIn Lab: Crafting Your Professional Presence
Trainer and Speaker Leanne Calderwood, CMP specializes in helping industry professionals maximize their LinkedIn presence for business development and professional growth. In this session, she took attendees through a step-by-step process for transforming their LinkedIn profile from a passive resume platform into an active business development tool.
Leanne stressed that LinkedIn is a powerful business tool that has evolved far beyond its original job-search function. With 1 billion users but only 4% posting more than once per week, she emphasized the significant opportunity for professionals who actively engage on the platform. She also highlighted that 73% of buyers are more likely to consider a brand if the salesperson reaches out via LinkedIn, demonstrating its effectiveness for relationship building and business development.
Leanne walked participants through three interconnected activities that create a “sweet spot” for professional success: optimizing your profile, growing your network and creating consistent content. She explained that these three elements work synergistically and that without all three, professionals miss opportunities for visibility, relationship development and business growth.
Leanne detailed four critical areas for profile enhancement:
- Background photo serving as “prime real estate” and personal billboard
- Headline transformation from job title to audience-focused, keyword-rich hook
- Using the “About” section as a storytelling opportunity with clear calls to action
- Contact information accessibility for easy business connection
Leanne outlined the H.E.A.R.T. storytelling framework (Hook, Encounter, Apex, Resolution, Takeaway) and provided practical content creation guidance including optimal posting frequency, character limits, hashtag usage, and algorithm optimization techniques. She also explored strategic networking approaches for connecting with people before, during and after events, leveraging industry lists, and identifying those who engage with relevant content.
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn success requires three integrated activities: The most effective LinkedIn strategy involves simultaneously optimizing your profile, growing your network strategically and creating consistent content. These three activities create a “sweet spot” in which each element amplifies the others.
- Transform your profile from resume to business development tool: Your LinkedIn profile should shift from being “all about you” to being “all about your audience.” This means replacing job titles with audience-focused headlines, using storytelling in your “About” section to demonstrate how you serve clients, and making it easy for prospects to understand your value and contact you directly.
- Consistent content creation provides significant competitive advantage: Regular content creators have a substantial opportunity to stand out by using structured storytelling (the H.E.A.R.T. framework) combined with strategic algorithm optimization techniques like limiting hashtags, avoiding external links in posts, and engaging actively in your own comments section the same day you post.
Building Your Conference with AI
Chris Gloede, Membership and Marketing Transformation Consultant and Fractional CMO at Ricochet, focused on practical AI applications for exhibition and event management while building attendees’ confidence with AI through nine structured experiments covering the entire conference lifecycle from conception to execution. He included a comprehensive exploration of AI’s evolution from its 1956 conceptual origins to today’s generative AI capabilities, emphasizing that businesses use AI for six key reasons: Mentoring, Innovation, Quality Improvement, Productivity Enhancement, Simplification and Speed.
The workshop was structured around practical experiments using various AI tools including general chatbots, specialty tools for images, presentations, music and video clips. Each experiment addressed a specific conference management need, from initial concept development through post-event engagement.
Chris introduced the H.R.A.C.I.F. prompting framework, a systematic approach to AI prompting consisting of six elements:
- Headline: Clear request that serves as the title
- Role: Giving AI specific context and expertise
- Audience: Defining target audience details
- Context: Sharing reference content
- Instructions: Setting output expectations
- Format: Specifying tone, style and structural requirements
Chris also categorized AI tools into four functional types:
- Generators: Create original content in multiple media formats
- Interpreters: Synthesize information and reformat content
- Forecasters: Identify patterns for accurate predictions
- Recommenders: Analyze data for personalized suggestions
Chris explored practical considerations such as accuracy challenges, legal issues and ethical concerns, and the need for comprehensive AI policies with oversight, approved tools, input/output rules and clear repercussions for misuse.
Key Takeaways
- Structured prompting dramatically improves AI output quality: The H.R.A.C.I.F. framework transforms basic AI interactions into sophisticated, targeted results for consistently high-quality content that meets its exact specifications rather than generic responses.
- AI applications span the entire conference lifecycle: Rather than viewing AI as a single-purpose tool, successful implementation requires understanding how different AI options can address specific conference needs from initial concept development through post-event analysis.
- Organizational AI success requires comprehensive planning and policy development: Effective AI implementation goes beyond individual tool usage to encompass written policies, approved tool selection, staff training, custom AI development, and return on investment monitoring. Organizations must address practical challenges and ethical concerns through structured governance and clear guidelines for appropriate use.
Join the Conversation at Expo! Expo! 2025
As we look ahead to Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2025 taking place 8-10 December in Houston, the transformative power of hands-on technology learning experiences becomes even more compelling. Whether you’re ready to harness AI as your strategic co-pilot, transform your professional digital presence into a powerful business development engine, or implement comprehensive technology workflows that span your entire event lifecycle, Expo! Expo! offers the collaborative environment where theory meets practice and the invaluable knowledge gained translates into immediate success.
