🤖 Event tech’s real differentiator

Event tech’s real differentiator isn't AI, it's whether the technology saves time, improves attendee experiences, or drives measurable business results.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online 🤖 Don't Buy AI, Buy the Outcome Event tech’s real differentiator isn't AI, it's whether the technology saves time, improves attendee experiences, or drives measurable business results.   Miguel Neves, Skift Meetings Editor-in-Chief June 18th, 2026 IN THIS EDITION How the Ebola outbreak is impacting events across Africa. 10 alternatives to serving sweets at events. Event tech experts share where AI shines and where it doesn’t. Plus, our new report on AI & the future of events, UFI confirms Bahrain as 2026 congress host, Prague gets started on convention center expansion and we celebrate Clare Melton. Read on below, but first have your say in our poll! What's your favorite way to use AI in events? (pick one) Captioning & translation Lead capture Matchmaking Photo sharing Session summaries Venue sourcing     FEATURED STORIES Ebola Outbreak Impacting Events Across Africa By Barbara Scofidio This week’s cancellation of a prominent African financial conference comes as confirmed Ebola cases surge, raising questions about whether more meetings will follow. GET THE STORY 10 Alternatives to Serving Sweets at Events By Barbara Scofidio As attendees strive to eat healthier, here are 10 ideas for replacing decadent desserts and sweet treats as room gifts. GET THE STORY Don't Buy AI, Buy the Outcome By Andrea Doyle Event tech’s real differentiator isn't AI, it's whether the technology saves time, improves attendee experiences, or drives measurable business results. GET THE STORY         ICYMI: New Destination Guide: Bourbon Tastings, Bluegrass Jams, and the Kentucky Derby — Reworked for Meetings  Louisville Tourism + Skift Meetings A new guide looks at how Louisville is giving planners access to hard-to-replicate local experiences —  from VIP distillery visits to trackside trifecta tutorials and banjo-picking airport arrivals — to design memorable events. GET THE FREE REPORT         NEW REPORT Our latest report uncovers how AI is transforming the event experience and provides crucial insights for anyone looking to invest in event tech today. What’s inside: A vision of a reimagined the ideal AI-powered event experience. A plain-language explainer on LLMs, agentic AI, and MCP. 130+ AI-native event tech tools mapped across event phases. Questions to ask and red flags to look out for buying event tech. This report was produced in partnership with MPI and is sponsored by Wordly. GET THE REPORT         RECOGNITION The Skift IDEA Awards features five meetings and events categories: hotels, venues & convention centers, destination marketing organizations, event technology, and cruise lines. Submit your entry by July 1. SECURE YOUR ENTRY         DON’T MISS THESE STORIES Bahrain Confirmed as Host of November UFI Congress By Andrea Doyle UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is moving forward with its plan to host its flagship annual congress in Bahrain later this year. The move signals confidence in the Gulf, despite the recent conflict and ongoing geopolitical tensions impacting the region. View Article Clare Melton: Great Leaders Create Successful Employees  By Barbara Scofidio For this long-time leader, the highlight of her career hasn't been the events she's led, but the people she's helped succeed. View Article Prague Congress Centre Expands to Bid for Larger Events By Miguel Neves The Czech capital is investing $65 million to solve a problem many cities face: turning away lucrative large events due to lack of meeting space. View Article         Skift Meetings Toolkit Great events are built on strategy, innovation, and the right resources. The Skift Meetings Toolkit is your go-to hub for best practices in managing meetings and events. EXPLORE THE TOOLKIT         Thanks for being a regular reader. We are switching to a new email platform. Why? This change will allow for better delivery, and more engaging newsletters. Please take a moment to add this new email address to your contacts to ensure you continue receiving your newsletters without interruption. During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States Terms of Service

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The 2026 judging panel is something different. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

Hi there,   This year's Skift IDEA Awards judging panel is one of the strongest and most influential we've assembled to date. It includes the Chief Product Officer of Perk (formerly TravelPerk), the Global Strategic Meetings Manager at Apple, the Chief Marketing Officer of Carnival Cruise Line, and Google UK's Director of Travel, and more.   They're not just evaluating ideas. They're the people who decide what gets built, bought, and adopted across the industry. That's the audience your entry reaches.   Who's reviewing what The judging panel is organized by category group, so your entry lands with people who have direct domain expertise: Industry operators (hospitality, airlines, tourism, tour operators) are reviewed by leaders from Marriott, Tourism Ireland, Etihad Aviation Group, and Malaga Tourism Creative and marketing entries go to the CMO of Carnival and Trip.com's Global Head of Destination Marketing Tech and product categories are read by IHG's Chief Product & Technology Officer and Destination Canada's Chief Data Officer Meetings and events submissions are evaluated by Apple's Global Strategic Meetings Manager and MCI's Head of Global Procurement What strong entries look like Past winners that stood out had a few things in common: a clear problem statement, evidence of real-world impact, and supporting materials that made the story easy to follow. Visit Seattle's "Kissing in the Rain" campaign, VML's alt-text-to-song-lyrics initiative, and Abode Worldwide's Communications entry all won on the strength of narrative and data together.   You can browse the 2025 winners and a guide to crafting a standout submission at the links below.   If you haven't identified which category fits your work, take the quiz. Browse categories and enter → See 2025 winners Entry tips from past winners   Email us at awards@skift.com if you have any questions.   Best, Nicole       Skift, 35 W 31st St., Frnt 1, New York, NY 10001, USA Manage preferences