The use of artificial intelligence (AI) used to be the stuff of dreams for event planners, but with the introduction and growing popularity of tools such as ChatGPT, these dreams could soon become reality.

Launched by OpenAI back in June 2020, the AI-based chatbot is creating waves of excitement. With the ability to provide incredibly detailed and human-like responses to highly demanding queries, ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize the way we gain information.

As an event marketer, you know that creating valuable and engaging content for your conference attendees is crucial to the success of your event. However, what happens to all that great content after the conference is over? If you’re not repurposing it, you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to reach a wider audience, extend the life of your event, reinforce its value and leverage past event content to promote upcoming events.

Onsite registration is often the first time attendees experience your brand. Long wait times and poor user experience can cause frustration and unwanted callouts on social media and discourage attendees from returning to future events. Here are some best practices to ensure a smooth and efficient onsite registration process so your attendees can quickly get their badges and take advantage of everything your event has to offer.

As I see the deluge of posts about ChatGPT — mostly humorous queries and B+ grade AI blog posts — I can’t help but feel that most professionals, even those who are typically early adopters, are already being outpaced by the changes in GPT since December.

Unlike other major software developments of the past that are updated incrementally and centrally (i.e. operating systems, video editing software, office software), ChatGPT is spawning — at a daily and even hourly rate — hundreds of new startups leveraging the technology to transform entire disciplines.

Many live events and trade shows are back after a long absence and look very different than in the past. There have been changes in the length, structure, format, venue and content — all for the betterment of the event space. It also caused a change in marketing. Promoting a trade show or live event should be just as interactive as the experience, giving rise to short-form video content. 

Let’s face it: Time is rarely on your side if you arrange any event, from a corporate retreat to a convention. There are vendors, employees and volunteers to manage, not to mention speakers, sponsors and attendees. No wonder event coordination is considered one of the more stressful jobs in the world. 

What if there was an easier way to manage the process? It involves the three C’s: communication, committees and conversion. If you follow this process, you will save oodles of time and keep your stress level manageable! Here are six tips to help streamline the process.

What’s old is new — or at least trendy — again. Tapping into nostalgia is one way to hit a home run when it comes to reaching the right emotional connection points at events. Evoking feelings of the past while incorporating fresh and modern aspects, brings comfort and excitement all at the same time. Here are three ways to bring nostalgia into your events. 

In a recent survey by vFairs, event industry experts were asked what they believed to be the dominant event format long-term: virtual, hybrid or in-person events. Thirty-nine percent of respondents replied that they will be hosting hybrid events going forward. This was the most popular answer, as compared to a 4.5% response of “in-person only” and a 7.5% response of “virtual only.” The remaining respondents plan to use a mix of all event formats. 

Our observations on the impact we made as humans became very clear when we were not traveling and consuming as much as we used to during the pandemic. Having witnessed the decrease in pollution resulting from lack of traffic during COVID-19, we have returned to events and conferences much more aware of our footprint.

After a long shutdown of events, 2022 saw the doors fully swing open, and we eagerly started to gather again en masse. Virtual events became fully hybrid as we found ourselves rubbing elbows and networking like it was 2019. 

Swag bags aren’t new, but they continue to be appreciated and even expected by employees and event attendees alike. However, this reality can make it hard to develop fresh and unique ideas for the kinds of items to include. You want to hand out things that people will use and remember, but there are only so many branded coffee cups one can own before they toss them aside.

Here are a few things to consider for different audiences the next time you build a swag bag.