Organiser voice Main Stage Keynote Presentation Panel Discussion
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Every organiser is now doing something with AI. Far fewer agree on what it is for, and that disagreement is about to matter more than the technology itself.
One side of the industry is using AI to run the same event for less: leaner teams, lower support costs, cheaper outreach. Another is using it to make events worth more: getting more registered people to actually turn up, sponsor outcomes that survive a CFO's scrutiny, and the right connections in front of each attendee on the day. Within two years, that gap will separate the portfolios that grow from the ones that quietly commoditise.
This panel puts the argument in the open. Maanas Mediratta, co-founder of AI platform Bridged, chairs three senior organisers. Sharon Roessen, Chief Operating Officer of Terrapinn, brings the operations and commercial view from a global events organiser. Robin Booth, incoming CEO of Hemming Group, who pioneered AI and LLM-driven search at emap, brings the media and events transformation view. Rory Crone, who leads global marketing for The AI Summit Series at Informa, brings the audience growth and commercial perspective.
Expect honesty about the pilots that stalled and the spend that never paid back, not a highlight reel. Attendees leave with a sharper way to judge their own AI investments by the value they create rather than the headcount they save, and a clear view of which bets are ready now and which are still maturing.
Speakers
Freya Smale is Senior Director of Marketing, Industries Portfolio, Tech Events at Informa Connect, where she leads global marketing strategy across some of the industry's most respected tech events and media brands. With 13+ years in B2B marketing, she specialises in audience growth and lead generation, with a track record of turning engagement into measurable commercial results.
Maanas Mediratta is CEO and Co-Founder of Bridged, the AI-native growth platform for B2B event teams. He built Bridged's framework working with 100+ publishers and media businesses, then reimagined it for conferences, trade shows and exhibitions, helping organisers capture and act on audience signals to drive acquisition, sponsor ROI and personalised experiences at scale.
Robin Booth is newly appointed CEO of Hemming Group, the 130-year-old publishing and events business serving the local government, building services, highways and infrastructure sectors. He joins from emap, where he led a shift in the business model across events, subscriptions and digital revenue, and championed the application of AI, LLM-driven search and personalisation. He has a direct, evidence-led view on where AI earns its place in a media and events business, and where the real risk sits in standing still.
Sharon Roessen is Chief Operating Officer at Terrapinn, with over 30 years in the B2B events industry. She leads Terrapinn's global tech, marketing and sales strategy and has driven the launch and growth of more than twenty large-scale events across Asia, including EDUtech and Solar & Storage Live. She brings a scale-and-execution lens to how new technology, including AI, is adopted across a global event portfolio.