Do More With Less Using AI (Issue 07)

THE PROBLEM: As Richelle Westhafer and I discussed in the Guidebook webinar, event professionals are stuck thinking of AI as just an efficiency tool rather than a strategic differentiator. Most are using AI as a "magic wand" to solve their biggest problems instead of building systematic capabilities that compound over time.

THE SOLUTION: The Strategic AI Integration Framework we explored helps you move from scattered AI experiments to systematic transformation. As Richelle emphasized, it's not about the number of tools you use - it's about how AI changes the way you work.

KEY IMPLEMENTATION STEPS:

• Start with Easy Wins: Look at your most time-consuming repetitive tasks first (not your most important ones)

• Be Specific with AI: As Richelle noted with her contract review example, you can't just say "scrub this contract" - you need to provide context and clear instructions

• Connect with Other Teams: Your sales and marketing teams are likely using AI tools that could benefit your event planning

• Build Your AI Literacy: Understand different types of AI (machine learning, NLP, generative AI) to use each appropriately

• Document Everything: Keep chat histories to track how your processes evolve

THE SPECTRUM APPROACH: During the webinar, I introduced my 0-10 scale for AI readiness:

• 0: Humans should be doing this forever (Face-to-face client meetings)

• 1-3: Not worth trying yet (e.g., venue layout design)

• 4-6: Limited but growing potential (e.g., rooming lists - save 30-40% time but requires workarounds)

• 7-8: Strong applications today (e.g., timeline generation, data analysis)

• 9-10: Near-complete automation possible

As I demonstrated live, the Timeline Generator falls at a 7-8 - it won't create your entire 30-page event brief, but it will get you a comprehensive starting point in minutes instead of hours.

The key insight from Richelle: "No matter where you are on your AI adoption journey, we can't think of AI as something like take it or leave it... it's already embedded into most of the tools we're all using."

Saga Gardevärn, a freelance event manager who's launched everything from coffee festivals to exclusive VC gatherings, explained one of the industry's biggest time sinks.

While logistics are similar whether you're planning for 10 or 1,000 people, attendee acquisition scales exponentially. Saga's nightmare scenario? "We always dread that we have to send out 1,000 cold DMs on LinkedIn... that's my nightmare."

The Post-Pandemic Shift: Keynote aren’t driving as much attendance. As Saga explained, "We had a super relevant person doing a keynote... and still it was super hard to get people to come." Why? "They're interested in talking to other people during the breaks."

The Manual Labor Crisis: Saga shared a heartbreaking story: "I had the best intern for a while... she interned for a startup conference and the only thing they had her do was source a list of VCs. That's it... She was like, 'Saga, I'm miserable. They don't let me do anything fun.'"

This is the reality of modern event planning - highly skilled freelance professionals spending 85% of their time on manual list building and cold outreach.

AI can help by:

• Automating list building from public sources

• Personalizing outreach at scale while maintaining authenticity

• Identifying the right channels for specific audiences

• Analyzing what messaging resonates with different segments

• Tracking multi-touch attribution across long sales cycles

The key insight? Events aren’t only a logistics challenge. They're also marketing and sales challenges with a logistics component.

Andrew Mayne brings a unique lens to AI as both a professional magician and former OpenAI prompt engineer. In the debut episode of OpenAI's new podcast, he interviewed Sam Altman, on what the future holds in store for AI, and I break down why it’s relevant for event professionals.

Three Game-Changing Insights for Event Professionals:

1. The "Parent Test" for AI Success Altman couldn't imagine parenting without ChatGPT - not for emergencies, but because no one teaches you how to be a parent. The same applies to event professionals: no one teaches you to think like a CMO when justifying budgets, negotiate like procurement, or analyze ROI like a data scientist. Yet these are exactly the skills you need. AI bridges these knowledge gaps instantly, giving you expertise in areas outside your training - transforming you from event coordinator to strategic business partner.

2. Memory Is The Killer Feature "Memory is probably my favorite recent ChatGPT feature," Altman revealed. The AI remembers context about his life and understands requests with minimal input. For event professionals, imagine an AI that remembers your venue preferences, vendor relationships, and what went wrong at last year's gala - without you having to explain it every time.

3. Deep Research Changes Everything Mayne's breakthrough moment came when Deep Research produced better analysis than he'd found anywhere else by following leads "like a human researcher, but better." For vendor research, competitor analysis, or understanding new markets, this represents a fundamental shift from surface-level Google searches to genuine intelligence gathering.

The Hardware Future While OpenAI's device collaboration with Jony Ive (the ex-Apple designer) is "gonna be a while," Altman envisions computers "way more aware of [their] environment" with "way more context." Picture walking into a venue and having your AI automatically assess capacity, acoustics, and technical capabilities - then comparing it to your event requirements.

As someone who made the impossible seem possible on stage, Mayne understands that the best technology, like the best magic, should feel effortless while delivering transformation.

Want to bring Andrew's insights on creating "impossible" experiences to your next event? Book him through Speak About AI or reply to this email.

🎬 Manager, Partnerships @ Sundance Institute (Remote, relocate near Boulder by 2026) – Manage partner relationships and Festival activations for one of the world's premier film festivals. Lead sponsor benefits, coordinate Festival planning, and shape cultural experiences. $54,000–$60,000 + full benefits. Apply here

💼 Events & Partnerships Specialist @ OnPoint Community Credit Union (Portland, OR | On-site) – Execute high-profile brand activations with OSAA and Live Nation, lead concert and championship event logistics, track ROI, and ensure memorable experiences. 4+ years experience required. Salary not listed. Apply here

🚀 Corporate Event Planner @ Netflix (Los Angeles, CA | In-Person) – Plan and execute global corporate events across Netflix, from intimate executive meetings to large-scale productions. Drive innovation in event experiences while managing everything from venue sourcing to post-event analysis. $90,000-$150,000/year. Apply here

🏥 Event Planner II @ Brooks Running (Seattle, WA | Hybrid) – Lead North American and global internal events including holiday parties, leadership summits, and company-wide initiatives. Partner with executive stakeholders to align events with company culture and values. $64,169-$96,254/year. Apply here

Check out the full spreadsheet with 100+ up-to-date event jobs here.

Are you hiring? I can spread the word. Reply to this email with any job opportunities and I’ll add it to the sheet!