When 30+ attendees, including planners and suppliers, gathered for Prevue’s Event Intelligence Summit at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City from May 12–14, it was a gathering to remember—and Conference & Event Wellness Specialist Megan Nolan helped make sure of that.
In her keynote presentation, Keeping Attendees Engaged in a Tech-Heavy Agenda, Nolan demonstrated how to hold audience attention in a world where the average attendee checks their phone 144 times a day.
“People forget, especially when their attention is diverted,” she said. “Within one week of a conference, they only remember 10 percent of what they learned.”
Through micro-interventions, which she referred to as Power Pauses, Nolan got attendees on their feet for guided breathing, movement exercises and engagement with each other, after which there was a noticeable energy in the air.
“I can help prevent that 2 p.m. slump,” Nolan told the audience. In addition to her own keynote, she took time between sessions to refocus attendee attention with movement exercises.
The extra boost of energy was more than a bonus; it helped the audience stay focused and involved through two full days of education on artificial intelligence and the most effective ways to use it.
Is AI (in) Your Future?
Nolan joined James Feldman and Nick Borelli, who delivered fascinating keynotes on the use of AI in the planning industry. The lineup of thought leaders also included a panel presentation from MPI New Jersey, to tackle the Summit theme, Harnessing AI to Plan Smarter, Faster, Better.
“If you’re not using AI and your competition is, you’re in trouble,” James Feldman, CEO of Shift Happens, declared during his keynote, How AI is Transforming the Landscape of Events. Feldman went on to describe the major AI tools available to planners—among them, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and one of his favorites, NotebookLM, which is “a closed system. It does not go out to the Internet,” he noted, for those concerned about the security of sensitive data.
Among the tasks that can be delegated to AI, Feldman said, are things like predicting attendee needs before registration, real-time event optimization and the “15-minute ROI report.”
“Think of AI as your assistant… if you’re not using it, you’re not going to succeed,” he said, adding, “But AI is only as good as the information you give it.”
“Will AI Take Your Job?”
That was the first question posed by Nick Borelli, Marketing Director at Zenus, Inc., an industry leader in ethical AI, who said people reluctant to use the various tech tools might be afraid their skills will atrophy.
Not so, he assured the room.
“You don’t need to use AI just to do things faster; you need to aim for excellence,” he said. “If you’re only using AI to do things twice as fast, that means by next year, half of you will be gone.”
Instead, Borelli told the group, “I want you to go twice as far.”
Users may rave about speed, Borelli explained, but there is a downside to AI: It doesn’t have empathy. It can’t strive for excellence. It isn’t creative; at least, not on its own.
“AI can take all the work you’ve ever done and replicate it forever. That is not leadership,” he said. “Getting more done in less time is great, but if you don’t put that time back into excellence, you’re just doing what you’ve always been doing. Only faster.”
Borelli also had some advice for association planners, saying that “there should be an association for people who want to commiserate about associations.” Early registration for association meetings is key, he noted, and that the longer a person has been a member, the earlier they’re going to register.
Control Panel
A lunchtime panel took the AI discussion further, as the Summit welcomed MPI New Jersey’s NextWave, the chapter’s community for emerging meeting and event professionals, whose presentation—Tech-Enabled, Human-Led: How the Industry’s NextWave is Working with AI—offered a candid conversation on how the next generation of event professionals is navigating the intersection of AI and human insight.
The panel included moderator Tricia Valerio, Sr. Account Manager, Virgo Health (an Omnicom Company), who is co-chair of the MPI NJ Chapter NextWave along with panelist Jordan Lacey, Project Manager, CEO and Founder of Light the Candle.
The panel also included Itai Joseph, Principal & Creative Director of the production company Fondu; and Julie Rice, Director, Convention Sales, Eastern Region for Visit Anaheim.
Harrah’s Atlantic City & Caesars Entertainment
Prevue’s host property, Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City raises the bar for conventions with its massive Waterfront Conference Center, where 125,000 square feet of versatile meeting space includes two 50,000-square-foot pillarless ballrooms that can be configured in 30 different.
Adding in 2,589 onsite guestrooms and suites, 16 restaurants and entertainment venues, a prompt and professional catering team and copious amenities, including a pool, spa and shopping, it ranks as the largest hotel and conference complex between Baltimore and Boston.
Like all meetings held at Caesars Entertainment properties, our event began and ended with next-level dining at signature restaurants and expansive buffets. At Harrah’s onsite Rum Point Restaurant, attendees enjoyed a magnificent buffet highlighted by a massive paella; while a memorable closing feast included seafood towers and a surprise birthday cake for one of the attendees at Il Verde, The Tropicana Atlantic City.
Meanwhile, the destination extended a warm welcome through Anthony Molino, VP Sales for Visit Atlantic City, which also provided transportation to and a tour of the famed Atlantic City Boardwalk.
More information: Harrah’s Atlantic City; Visit Atlantic City.
