AEO Conference - Artificial or Reality?

AEO Conference - Artificial or Reality?

Brighton has emerged as a technology hub for cool creatives, which is why, with the theme “Technology – Artificial or Reality?â€' this year's AEO Conference will be returning to the city on 6th and 7th September.

Over the course of the two days, the Grand Hotel on Brighton's seafront will play host to over 250 event industry professionals set to debate the role technology will play in delivering future event experiences. On the morning of the first day this year's Chair, leading technology journalist and presenter, Georgie Barrat, will set the scene for the AEO Conference and introduce the keynote, Stephan Jung.

Conference delegates can expect the usual high quality mix of event industry and external speakers who are specialist in technology that has an impact on the industry. CEO, Chris Skeith, says: “We'll be starting the Conference with a view on the mega trends that will affect how businesses operate. Our keynote, Stephan Jung, is an expert at predicting trends and identifying ways to make the most of them to ensure your business is sustainable. It should be a fantastic overview to set the scene for the rest of the Conference.â€'

The second session of the day promises to be one of the most insightful sessions of the Conference. Over the past few months, AEO Business Technology Innovation Group members have been industriously working on the answer to every organisers' prayers and the results are remarkable. By September they will be in a position to present what the current state of affairs is in terms of enabling technologies and how they are being applied in the events industry. Then comes the big reveal – what is the ideal and how can you achieve it? From the floor examples of progress in achieving the Holy Grail will be shared with the audience.

Other sessions on the first day will show how immersive technologies such as augmented and virtual reality are being used in industry and how, thinking above and beyond visitor engagement, this technology can be applied to events.  This will be followed by the “Mindset over Matterâ€' brand experience session where panelists will discuss why event organisers need to look beyond using technology as a novelty.

Chris continues: “Delegates will definitely leave the Conference with a fantastic overview of the latest trends as well as actionable learnings to take back to the office. It's not all work though, we do, as is customary, have our icebreaker event the night before the Conference, a fantastic dinner and networking drinks plus a surprise interactive session that will be revealed on the day.â€'

“The second day is also not to be missed. There will be a session covering business development and event launches at home and abroad from well-known industry leaders, plus a final presentation on technology, this time AI, why it's important, how it can be used and what that means for the future of UK industry,â€' concludes Chris.

To warm up for the AEO Conference, AEO and tfconnect are inviting the industry to get involved in an Events Industry London to Brighton cycle ride on Thursday 23rd August as this year's fun fundraiser for Events for Namuwongo. To find out more and register your interest contact claire.holdom@tfconnect.co.uk.    

The headline sponsors of this year's AEO Conference are Freeman, Hiscox and RAI Amsterdam.

The early bird deadline for AEO Conference tickets is Friday 15th June so, before heading off to the AEO Excellence Awards, make sure you've booked your AEO Conference places!

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