On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, the Stuttgart office invited guests to the TrendLab. The VOK DAMS TrendLab is known for inspiration and innovative industry insights. This year, it was held for the 23rd time. Customers, partners, and industry enthusiasts were invited. The focus was on how AI is becoming a game-changer in the event sector, providing numerous opportunities to enhance events and live marketing. AI is improving creative processes, analysis, project management, and user experience, taking these aspects to a whole new level.

15 years of VOK DAMS Stuttgart - The anniversary team celebrates on site

But let's start from the beginning to understand the impact of AI on the criteria for event success. What are the success criteria for events today? What do events already have to demonstrably achieve? Quite simply: "Events have to SHINE". The acronym "SHINE" stands for the five key criteria that are asked about in 96% of all briefings: Sustainability, hybrid accessibility and therefore accessibility (Hybrid), content that is individually tailored to the individual participants thanks to data analyses (Individual), sufficient space for networking and the low-threshold facilitation of new contacts and encounters (Networkable) and, last but not least, events must of course continue to inspire and should create extraordinary experiences that remain in the memory for a long time, in short: the WOW factor (Extraordinary).

At this year's TrendLab, participants were not only able to find out how these success criteria can now be catapulted into completely new dimensions thanks to AI, but also experience it first-hand. Exciting presentations gave them an insight into how AI is already providing concrete assistance in the various trades and offering a significant increase in productivity while saving time simultaneously.

However, the focus was not only on increasing efficiency in project management, but also on improving creativity, visuality, analysis and the overall event experience through the targeted use of AI applications. Specific application examples were used to show how the furnishings of a room can be experienced and changed in a very short space of time. Red chairs or rather silver aluminum swings? Raised stage or just a small lectern? Bar tables on the right or left? All of this used to require a lot of imagination and the professional work of CAD specialists. Now, thanks to AI, it can be displayed immediately and in real time in the selected room.

The 23rd VOK DAMS TrendLab focused on how much AI can support the creative sector in particular. Not only does AI save time when researching and gathering information, it can also provide helpful and inspiring assistance in brainstorming sessions and the creation of narratives or creative kick-offs - and of course also support the creation of texts, speeches and presentations and provide valuable impulses. Christopher Werth, Chief Creative Officer, gave many vivid examples of how AI can already be used in very diverse dimensions, helping us to achieve new, exciting and inspiring results.

Christopher Werth, Chief Creative Officer and passionate AI expert, uses illustrative examples to show how AI is already adding value to the event process. 

In times when events are increasingly making it possible to generate important data about user behavior, AI can also provide effective support here and generate content that in turn tailors the user experience for individuals even more precisely to their needs and wishes. Measuring satisfaction and sentiment in real time and collecting behavioral analyses are just two examples of the many opportunities for analysis and iterative improvement.

AI Experience Stations on site allow guests to directly experience the possibilities that AI already offers.

AI goes Design

The focus of TrendLab 2024 was on experiencing and trying things out on first hand, not only thanks to the many different examples of AI programs whose possible applications were demonstrated on site. Paul Gonzalez, Executive Creative Director of the AI / Design team at VOK DAMS APAC and Iberia, had also traveled all the way from Barcelona to present some of the latest AI developments from his creative team. The participants were able to follow the developments of various graphic and visual processes that have been implemented by the creative experts in Barcelona in recent months, using examples from the beginning to the end of the development process and see directly how AI can support the elaboration of details or expression possibilities. And see the new visualization possibilities for themselves.

In „amAIzing Design – AI as a turbo for creativity", Paul Gonzalez, Executive Creative Director APAC & Iberia, presented specific examples from his AI team.

Specific und Hands-On

However, a TrendLab not only thrives on inspiration and vision, but of course also on on-site interaction. So it was also possible to experience directly how much of a game changer AI can be and what new possibilities it offers.

At Experience Stations, participants were able to gain their first experience with AI translation on and try out AI multi-language video messages to see what their voice, tone of voice and specific way of speaking sounds like in French, Hindi or Chinese. They could ask an AI hotline the strangest questions and generate, distort and change images with the AI Image Generator. A Dino and Racecar demo as well as an XR demo rounded off the experience.

CO2 reduction through AI

One of the highlights of the TrendLab was the AI DestinationFinder developed by VOK DAMS, which can be used to find the optimal location if participants are traveling from several locations and the aim is to minimize CO2 emissions during the journey. A few parameters are entered into the AI DestinationFinder by the responsible persons (for example the places of origin or departure) and the tool calculates which location is best suited in terms of CO2 reduction. The participants were also able to try this out directly.

amAIzing Impulses

Intensive discussions and exchanges, exciting experiences and excursions into the virtual world - all of this ensured that the participants remained animated and engaged in conversation for a long time. And so the TrendLab combined the festive review of 15 years of success of the Stuttgart team with a visionary outlook into the future, in which AI will revolutionize the event industry. In this special atmosphere, participants were able to see for themselves just how much the future is already here and how much events can already benefit from the use of AI today. And take valuable ideas and suggestions home with them.

Captivated listening as well as enthusiastic experimentation - the VOK DAMS TrendLab offered all participants space for inspiration, encounters and exciting new experiences with AI tools. Click here for our TrendLab movie to see more impressions.

Would you like to find out more about the possibilities of AI?

Were you unable to attend the TrendLab and would like to gain more insight into how AI can help you with your event plans? Are you interested in how our AI LocationFinder can help you realize your next event in the most CO2-saving way possible? Then get in touch with us. Our AI and sustainability experts will be happy to visit you and your team and introduce you to the latest possibilities. Of course, we will also work with you and your team to develop concrete solutions - no matter where you would like to see a little more SHINE at your events.

Simply contact us directly at info@vokdams.de or with a phone call to +49 202 38 907-0.

DAS KÖNNTE SIE AUCH INTERESSIEREN:

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DE&I) IN EVENTS

NACHHALTIGKEIT IN EVENTS: DER VOK DAMS AI DESTINATIONFINDER

VOK DAMS KI BOTS: ALEX, TRACY UND DIE ZUKUNFT DES EVENT-MARKETINGS