Webinar
Change agents: How AI will transform the business of events
30th June 2026 | 4pm UK | 11am ET | 8am PT
AI is fundamentally changing the business of events. From how events are run to how participants interact with them. Is this a moment of opportunity or a moment of disruption for your business?
This webinar will help you grapple with the short, medium and future implications.
Learn from three of the leading experts navigating the intersection of AI and events: Ben Fletcher, Chairman of event organizer, Oxford Global; Marco Giberti, Founder and CEO, Vesuvio Ventures; and Tim Groot, CEO and Founder of Grip.
This webinar will delve into the insights included in an upcoming Grip report where we interviewed over 12 industry leaders about how AI will change the business of events (Tim and Ben were two of those experts interviewed for the report).
The webinar will detail how AI can act as the ultimate automation tool to remove operational bottlenecks, hyper-personalize the attendee experience and monetize intent year-round.
Join us for a practical discussion where you'll get blueprints for using AI to protect your market share, scale regional micro-events, and drive real outcomes for your attendees, sponsors, exhibitors and bottom line.
We will explore how this generational shift is changing the game.
🔍 What we’ll cover:
💡 The "Amazon moment" for events: Discover why AI is not just a new tool, but a fundamental reconfiguration of how the industry operates, much like the early days of e-commerce.
🛡️ Building the defensive moat: Learn how organizers can protect against agile new entrants by leveraging AI to capture and monetize high-value intent.
🤖 Automating event workflows: See how agentic AI can remove slow processes and automate repetitive tasks in marketing, sales and matchmaking.
🧠 Protecting attendee attention: Explore strategies for using AI to eliminate digital distractions and curate deep, authentic "In-Real-Life" (IRL) connections.
⏳ The end of the old playbook: The organizers who understand this shift early will lead. Find out how AI challenges the rigid annual event cycle, enabling 365-day engagement and highly targeted regional micro-events.
🧭 Who should join:
This session is designed for commercial event organizers, exhibition directors, event tech leaders and anyone responsible for the strategy and execution of B2B events. If you are looking to understand the next evolution of live experiences and how AI will practically impact your event business, this conversation is for you.
Register now
🎤 Panelists include:
Ben Fletcher, Founder & CEO, The Mothership | Chairman, Oxford Global
Ben Fletcher is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and event technology pioneer with over 30 years of experience building and backing B2B events, media, and e-commerce businesses. He is currently the Founder and CEO of The Mothership, a multi-brand e-commerce platform, and the creator of Fast Growth Icons, an exclusive, invite-only event series that connects founders of rapidly scaling businesses across major tech hubs including London, Berlin, Amsterdam, New York, and Paris.
Ben is deeply immersed in the intersection of artificial intelligence and the events sector. As a hands-on builder in the space, his recent projects include developing a working AI-powered sponsor discovery tool. He is also the Chairman of leading events business, Oxford Global.
Marco Giberti, Founder and CEO, Vesuvio Ventures
Marco Giberti is a serial entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years in the media, events and technology industries. He is Founder and CEO of Vesuvio Ventures, an early-stage investment and advisory firm working with founders, corporates, and PE investors across the events and B2B media space.
Marco is also a Founding Board Member of the Events Venture Group (EVG), host of the Business of Events Masterclass, and co-author of The Face of Digital and Reinventing Live, two influential books on the future of events and live experiences.
Earlier in his career, Marco spent over a decade as President and Regional Partner at Reed Exhibitions, and built and exited three businesses in publishing, internet, and events (acquired by Reed Exhibitions, Pearson, and Liberty Media). He has served on the boards of DoubleDutch, LAB Miami Ventures, among others.
Tim, Founder & CEO, Grip
Tim Groot is the founder and CEO of Grip, the AI-powered event platform built for engagement. He founded Grip in 2015 on a simple conviction: that the real value of events lies in the connections they create. He has spent the last decade building technology that helps organisers deliver measurable outcomes for attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. Today his focus is on what comes next: how agentic AI will reshape the business of events into a collection of AI agents that will act on behalf of participants and organisers. A frequent voice at the intersection of AI and events, Tim is part of the UFI Digital Innovation Working Group and built Grip into a platform trusted by many of the world's leading organisers.
Hosted by:
Hew Leith, SVP of Marketing, Grip