Event tech has been around for much longer than the pandemic, but the pandemic put the technology in the spotlight, especially virtual event technology. Slate recently poked fun at the “events syndrome” pointing out that events, which were once the domain of weddings and galas, have oozed into every corner of our world, so much so that the word “event” seems “elastic to the point it’s almost unrecognizable.” The book club, the yoga class, the CEO address, and the product unveiling; they are all events. 

Virtual event technology has served us well, providing ways to assemble assets, register attendees, provide networking and community, and get invaluable data, all in a neat package that made it so easy that even non-professionals mastered it. Now that in-person events are back on the scene, virtual meetings have become one alternative, not the only alternative. All of the platforms that sprang to life during the pandemic need to find their differentiation points. 

We’ve been thinking about event tech differentiation a lot. First, we’d love to see it renamed. Maybe engagement tech? Maybe meeting tech? Second, a company should focus on adding its own special sauce to differentiate it from the pack. Here are some potential differentiators: 

• Compliance – Events, especially in areas like pharma and finance, need to understand the security and data privacy needs of these audiences. These events need strict adherence to archiving and record keeping and a host of other qualifying data.
• Wallets – Merchandise, books, recordings, and special VIP privileges are just a few of the areas where having an event wallet makes sense, yet few of the platforms today allow for e-commerce. And yes, NFTs will reappear as an entry ticket with loyalty benefits.
• Virtual Learning – As we wrote in our last issue, a new cohort of event goers are not going to sit in lectures, but will use an in-person event to interact with each other. Courses and webinars with certificates and credentials are great use cases for virtual platforms. Perhaps some platforms should team up with online learning platforms. 
• All-purpose Communities – Companies like MeetaVerse, Spatial, Virbella and Touchcast are already heavily vested in creating permanent corporate campuses that serve multiple purposes from quick virtual coffee breaks to ideation sessions and formal meetings. 

Event Dissection
The Dahlia Agency is my go-to place when I want an event-centric adrenaline boost. Each Thursday, Dahlia El Gazzar, Michelle Bruno and Liz Caruso dish and dissect events on their show Cut the Sh*T, Cue the Genius. Find past episodes here or watch live on Facebook and LinkedIn. 

MWC23 Brings a Does of AI Phones
Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was in full swing last week. One of the show’s highlights focused on how to bake generative AI into mobile phones. Folks haven’t had a searing reason to upgrade their mobile phones, and generative AI might do the trick. 

Samsung plans to work with Microsoft and Google to integrate their generative AI tools into phones. In Korea, Samsung’s is working on new phones that can already synthesize an AI voice to answer your calls. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chips will allow for more on-phone AI processing so it’s faster and more power efficient. 

Other hot topics at the show included a new generation of glasses-like VR devices, creating digital twins using IoT, and running the metaverse from smartphones. Plus, if you never saw the value of 5G, make way for the new 6G. Best way to keep up? Read Joanna Stern’s coverage in the Wall Street Journal. It’s fun and profound simultaneously.

And for gearheads, Tom’s Hardware gave a whirlwind overview of the news including

• Lenovo’s new concept designs for laptops and phones include rollable displays.
• The OnePlus 11 Concept wowed attendees with its world-first liquid cooling tech.
• Honor's new Magic5 Pro phone could rival the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's phone with its great camera, and Honor’s new silicon-carbon batteries can pack more power into less space.

Stand-Up AI
The prompt was to write a series of jokes about aging told in the voice of 6 different real-life comedians. The results were a bit cliche but I’ve heard worse: 6 Stand-up Comics Analyze ChatGPT’s Attempts at Humor.

WIred Explains Its Generative AI Policies
After the CNET imbroglio, it’s nice to see Wired being completely transparent about how they will (and will not) use generative AI. (Not for images, yes for research, no for copyediting, maybe for idea generation.) 

Talking to the Dead or Imagined
Podcast.ai is a mind-blowing new podcast created entirely by AI. Conversations with Richard Feynman (deceased but with an authentic NY accent) and Oprah Winfrey (alive) are a few of the samples posted. And you can suggest interviews you’d like to take place (Elon Musk interviews Nikolai Tesla, anyone?)