The next Events Industry Game Changer is...

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The most transformative device for the digital evolution of the business events industry to date has been - the smartphone. But the race is on for its successor.

Also: where AI fails, according to Apple research, and news!

"Thoughts & Observations" - the Podcast

If you prefer to listen... I am converting this newsletter into a weekly pod. It is still an experiment, using an AI model to generate a virtual conversation about the items covered in each edition.

Tune in to listen and download (available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other major podcasting platforms).

New and noteworthy - from my log:

Here are some updates from most recent activities.

• "Better Stands" initiative now handled by NZCE

Better Stands, a reusable exhibition-stand framework, has officially opened to the global events industry. Launched at UFI European Events Week in Thessaloniki, the initiative is hosted by Net Zero Carbon Events and supported by IFES - Sharing Knowledge. Originally developed by Informa and piloted in 2023, it has since been rolled out across 400 events in 37 countries and applied to more than 50,000 stands. Better Stands uses Bronze, Silver and Gold certifications to promote reusable and recyclable stand builds, aiming to reduce waste, lower costs and boost efficiency. The framework is now free for all organisers, venues, service contractors and exhibitors to adopt globally.

• More data on challenges for U.S. events planners following U.S. policy changes

Meeting planners are facing mounting costs and growing uncertainty due to recent Trump-era policy changes, according to a new Skift Meetings Meetings survey. 90% of participating U.S. planners listed the raised tariffs as a key concern, with roughly one-third already shifting event locations in response. Respondents also flagged immigration-related hotel staffing shortages and declining international attendance as emerging risks. In anticipation of volatility, many have begun adding clauses to contracts addressing tariffs, riots and travel bans. Organizers say agility and proactive planning are now essential. The survey is based on responses from 103 U.S. planners. You can read my analysis on the global fallout from lasting higher U.S. tariffs here.

• Scrapped U.K. government program blamed for reduced U.K. trade shows presence

U.K. businesses have sharply reduced participation in major global trade fairs since the cancellation of the "Tradeshow Access Programme" in 2021, accorsing to The Times. Attendance at events like Munich’s drinktec has dropped by 75%, from about 100 British exhibitors pre‑pandemic to roughly 25 this year, while fashion and textile fair participation fell from 1,400 to 300. Industry leaders are quoted saying that the loss of £2,500 grants has profoundly affected early‑stage exporters, with some 80% relying on support. Business groups warn the gap undermines U.K. exporters, particularly in newly signed trade‑agreement markets, and call for an urgent reinstatement of this funding.

Our industry's next "iPhone moment" feels close

Trade shows and business events are caught in a curious paradox – for all the speed of change to formats and processes, it is tough to see them. Today, let’s look at the “digital Swiss army knife of change” – and what will replace it!

The rows of booths, the printed banners, the stages and speaker set-ups, and business cards exchanged over (mostly mediocre) coffee are sure familiar. But if we look deeper, we see the quiet digital transformation that has reshaped nearly every operational layer of what we do and how we do it.

Printed catalogues have given way to app-based directories. Clipboards have disappeared, replaced by real-time data capture on laptops. Static signage is out; touchscreens and live product demos are in.

At its core, all these changes have been driven by one device: the smartphone.

An unassuming, pocket-sized “digital Swiss army knife” for life and business that, paired with increasingly reliable venue Wi-Fi around the world, has powered everything from scheduling and lead capture to navigation and content streaming. A pocket computer in everyone’s handbag or jacket pocket.

But what happens when this tool no longer feels sharp enough?

Recently, Ruud Jansen had me on his podcast, and he challenged me to list one upcoming industry change (see story elsewhere in this edition). We ended up discussing what will eventually replace today’s smartphone as the everyday business enhancer tool, and when. So: If the smartphone catalysed the digitisation of business events, what will catalyse its next leap?

Here is where we are:

The most obvious impactful change is artificial intelligence – it is already transforming digital behaviour right now: Traditional search engines are bleeding traffic as users turn to AI chatbots for synthesised responses instead of hyperlinks. These AI systems are also becoming emotionally responsive and potentially addictive, which is already the subject of psychological scrutiny (I will look at that another time).

Meanwhile, “digital only virtual worlds” a.k.a. fully immersive alternatives like Meta’s metaverse have failed to replace real-life interaction once again (adding another chapter to this long history of failed virtual worlds…). Despite billions in investment, the effort to replace physical connection with digital avatars remains what I like to call a “business case zombie”.

But augmented reality (AR) may be gaining the traction that virtual reality cannot and will not.

Smart Glasses, Take Two

Remember the first wave of AR glasses - most notably Google Glass in 2013? They stumbled and crashed amid privacy concerns and a clunky user experience.

At the time, even trade show experiments with AR overlays on smartphones proved more novel than necessary. I saw this firsthand while building the Digital Business division at Messe Frankfurt GmbH: We were early adopters of AR tech, developing a feature in our show companion app that let attendees scan physical displays to reveal digital overlays: specs, videos, and exhibitor links. We felt cool, and it worked, but the behaviour never took hold. Holding up your phone to augment reality simply wasn’t immersive enough. The technology was ready. The users were not.

That may be changing.

Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has yielded Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses that look and feel like their popular regular Wayfarer model, just smart enough to enhance, not overwhelm. According to Counterpoint Research, Meta sold over 2 million units since October 2023, accounting for 60% of the global smart-glass market. Overall shipments rose 210% year over year in 2024, with the market projected to grow 60% annually through 2029.

And signals of cultural shift are emerging. In what might be called an “influencer canary in the coalmine” moment, German footballer Thomas Müller was spotted wearing Meta smart glasses during his club’s national championship celebrations most recently:

Even so, Meta’s own CTO, Andrew Bosworth, has tempered expectations: smart glasses remain complementary, not yet replacements. The smartphone’s app ecosystem and habitual utility remain powerful incumbents.

A New Contender Emerges

And yet, there is a growing buzz again stirring in San Francisco, with Silicon Valley and other start-up ecosystems taking note. Not (just) about glasses, but something potentially more radical.

Recently, OpenAI acquired the design firm of Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief behind the iPhone. Reports suggest they’re developing a pocket-sized, screenless AI device: one that relies on ambient computing, contextual awareness, and real-time interaction rather than display-based input.

If the smartphone digitised business interactions, what would such a device mean?

At the very core, the race is one for the successor of the present interface between us and the digital realm: the (smartphone) screen. For years, the obvious next step has been seen as smart glasses, adding a layer of augmented information to us looking at our real world.

Augmented reality applications are tested and used in a number of industries.

➡️ In logistics, DHL’s “Vision Picking” program tested AR glasses to reduce errors by 40% and speed up order fulfillment.

➡️ In aircraft constructions, Boeing trialed AR to guide technicians through complex wiring setups, cutting production time by 25%.

I will not be surprised if we begin to see AR glasses routinely worn at business events over the next years. Not for gimmicks, but for function. Attendees could view real-time specs, access AI-powered matchmaking, or compare product features through seamless overlays, all without reaching for their phones.

The smartphone won’t disappear. But it may fade into the background, tethering newer devices or acting as a fallback. The race to redefine our primary interface has begun.

This time, it won’t be won by pixels. I will be won by presence.

BONUS: Is AI development hitting a snag?

OK, this edition is already tech-centric. Here an add-on for those really interested in AI development (otherwise - just skip this segment).

Apple researchers have identified significant limits in advanced artificial intelligence systems known as Large Reasoning Models (LRMs). Despite recent progress, these AI models face substantial difficulties handling increasingly complex tasks.

In recent tests using controlled puzzles, Apple's research team evaluated popular models like Claude 3.7 and DeepSeek-R1. They discovered distinct patterns based on how hard the tasks were. Surprisingly, for simple tasks, traditional language models without reasoning features outperformed the more sophisticated LRMs. As tasks became moderately harder, LRMs performed better. However, once complexity rose above a certain level, both types of models failed entirely, pointing to fundamental limitations.

A key unexpected finding was that LRMs initially used more computational power as tasks got harder, but beyond a certain complexity level, their efforts unexpectedly decreased, even though they had sufficient resources available. Furthermore, even when explicitly provided with clear instructions or algorithms, these models didn't significantly improve their performance, highlighting fundamental weaknesses in their reasoning processes.

Researchers also examined the internal decision-making steps of these models and found inefficiencies. LRMs frequently "overthought" simple tasks, wasting computing resources even after successfully solving them. At higher complexity levels, these models repeatedly failed to correct initial mistakes.

These findings challenge previous assumptions about the abilities of current AI reasoning models, raising important concerns about their practical usefulness and efficiency.

Key findings according to the authors:

➡️ LRMs completely fail to solve tasks beyond a certain complexity.

➡️ Reasoning efforts in LRMs decrease unexpectedly as tasks become very complex.

➡️ LRMs often waste computational resources by overthinking simpler tasks they've already solved.

Worth a listen: The Event Design Collective Podcast

I "met" Ruud Janssen, DES, CMM online a few years back and learned about his works with the "Event Design Collective". Recently, our paths keep crossing, and he hosted me on his podcast recently. I am linking to this episode here because it is a part on this week's main story, but really recommend scanning throught all the episodes - there is a lot of good material to explore.

Let's connect in person - Shanghai and Berlin coming up in June

I am in Shanghai this week where the SCEIA hosts a C-level summit for exhibition industry leaders. Like UFI's GCS in Europe and SISO's CEO Summit in North America, it brings together C-suite leaders from its own region and from around the world.

A few days later, I am off to Berlin for the "AUMA MesseTreff". Once a year, AUMA - Association of the German Trade Fair Industry hosts the entire German expo industry and international peers for informal networking. Bis bald dann!

That's all for today. Until next week!