Event professionals and their C-suite overlords are scared of AI for three reasons: cost, ignorance and the fear that it’ll replace them in the not-too-distant future.
At least that’s the gospel according to Doug Foley.
“Why we don’t get contacted by VPs of marketing or directors of marketing is because they feel we’re gonna replace their jobs,” he told Vendelux.
“AI will not replace you, the person who understands how to use AI will.”
There lies the crux of Foley’s job. As president of AI consulting agency Giant Goat, he works with clients to harness the power of language learning models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to speed up processes and shore up their bottom line as quickly as possible.
He showed off his skills at a recent Zoom webinar with Matt Kleinrock of Rockway Exhibits + Events.
As dozens of attendees fired off questions in the chat, Foley was knee-deep in ChatGPT’s underused functions. He uploaded complex data, demanding Fibonacci-based assessments of sales strategies from the chatbot. On the far-left corner, he clicked on a drop-down menu, switching between ChatGPT’s “modes” depending on the complexity of the task at hand.
“Chat’s actually better at processing data than marketing, it’s just that most people select the wrong version to use,” he told the audience. “Mode 3, mini or high, are the best at data. Pro is designed for reasoning. It’s trying to give me an answer to a problem or a challenge.”
At one point, Foley instructed the chatbot to write an email to prospective clients. The message, while competent, was filled with the typical AI markers we’ve come to know: anodyne copy, green checkmarks and red pinpoints.
“It’s like, yeah, is this perfect? But it gets you moving in the right direction,” Kleinock cautioned.
That’s where most event professionals’ use of AI begins and ends.
“I can use AI as a starting point to shorten work timelines significantly,” said Luke Nicol, an experiential producer at FUSE Create in Toronto. “I now use it to learn more about materials to use when building custom fabrications with our partners, looking into permit requirements, and other questions.”
With his client-side work at Giant Goat, Foley is helping clients like Nicol expand their use of AI to better meet the moment.
“In the B2B space, there’s a slower uptake,” he said.
The technology’s been used in the worlds of technology and advertising for much longer than it’s been publicly available. In 2009, Foley worked with Google on optimizing ads depending on what people typed into the search bar.
“The backend of most advertising platforms has been using some form of AI for a long time,” he said. “When you joke, ‘My phone must be listening to me,’ the core functions of that are the base layers of what AI is.”
Since publicly available LLMs debuted a couple years ago, Foley and his team made a hard pivot to sales and marketing.
To start, “We interviewed 80 sales reps and we built a custom AI to help us understand what were the critical events that helped them close sales or increase sales, and the marketing team now has access to that database. They’re able to produce events faster. They know the better language that produces better copy and improves an event experience.”
He and his team now help clients build custom GPTs that can write marketing collateral, process data and draft standard operating procedures.
It all starts with customer mapping, or identifying what the customer wants.
“We understand the critical points that help with sales,” he said. “Events are always one of them. AI helps us look at the journey faster.”
He sees the best success in companies that “look at this custom GPT as members of a team—not just some basic function.”
Still, there are a few other reasons why many firms are reluctant to employ AI in the ways Foley would like. For one, the price for the most powerful versions can skyrocket when you consider adding multiple team members.
“A lot of the success is strictly limited by budget and not by adoption,” Foley said. “Simply because you gotta pay a certain amount a month per every user. From a B2B or enterprise perspective, you’re seeing a slower adoption because it’s costly.”
And like in every industry, there’s a stigma about using AI without full transparency.
Nicol, the experiential producer, recalls one such instance, when a fabrication partner used AI to render mock-ups.
“When I first saw them, I thought they were real builds that had been created, which can be a good or bad thing. Good, because they can really elevate a presentation and bring ideas to life in a short amount of time. Bad, because my partner didn’t tell me they were AI until I asked further questions on it,” he said.
There’s also the fear that “shortcuts” cut into the integrity of your work.
“I’ve been very reluctant to use AI because I thought it was ‘cheating the system,’ said Nikol, who admits he’s since started using the technology sparingly. “I felt that if I used it, I was less of a producer and professional.”
Foley is adamant that when the tools are used correctly and with enough specificity, they can significantly improve sales. Alternatively, they can destroy your reputation if you wield them irresponsibly.
“If you’re lazy, you’re gonna get lazy outputs,” he said.
