The impact of Artificial Intelligence on conventions

In Frankfurt in the summer of 2017, the organizers of IMEX’s most recent international event used a variety of digital communication tools, including the IMEX website, a dedicated Facebook page, and a mobile app. So far, nothing too crazy. What ended up turning heads was their use of a chatbot named Frank. 

As the name suggests, a chatbot is a robot that uses preprogrammed questions and answers to interact with users. Developed by Sciensio, the IMEX chatbot went one step further, by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to adapt and improve in real time with every new question that popped up.

Frank fielded a lot of questions, like: How do I get to Frankfurt? Where can I find exhibitor X? Is there a French bistro near the convention centre? If a question was too complicated or sensitive, Frank would connect the user with a real person.

With any meeting, symposium, or convention, some basic questions get asked over and over again and can easily be handled by an automated system like a chatbot, which is conveniently available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But there’s a lot more that can be done with artificial intelligence. At the Lions Awards in Cannes, an event networking application called Grip used artificial intelligence to help users connect based on shared business objectives, interests, and skills.

There is a growing number of technological tools aimed at enriching gatherings, conferences, and seminars. Solutions like Concierge EventBot by Sciensio, EVA by Event2Mobile, ConfBot, and Morph.ai give event organizers the power to distribute surveys and see the results in real time, and provide users with tons of additional information about everything from hall plans to nearby hotels to meetings and schedules. All that makes for a more personalized attendee experience while freeing up event staff for other tasks.