At the record-breaking Cvent CONNECT in Nashville, CEO Reggie Aggarwal delivered a powerful keynote, outlining a bold vision for the future of events in an AI-driven world. Aggarwal declared that AI, far from being a threat, represents the "biggest opportunity of our careers," emphasizing that human connection and live experiences are more valuable than ever.
“There's undeniable proof that the more the world embraces AI, the more a live experience is worth. And I have a name for what's happening. I call it the presence premium.”
- Reggie Aggarwal, Cvent Founder & CEO
Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal unveils a bold new vision for the events industry. Discover how AI isn't replacing human connection but amplifying its value, driving unprecedented growth and measurable outcomes.
That feeling, that moment. moment when it all comes together. When you pulled off the best show. When you wowed them. When you brought them something new. When you made the impossible possible. Because you have high expectations and see the details most don't. Because it's not [music] just customer service. It's hospitality at its finest. It's not just an event. [music] It's an experience. It's the place where trust is built for long-term relationships. We see you, the force behind the scenes. For nearly three decades, we've been proud to be on this journey with you. [music] Some question what will happen to events in the age of AI, but we all know something they don't.
>> Nearly 30 years ago, we set out to create a platform create a platform that this industry deserved. [music] And you know what? That hasn't changed. What's changed is how much more that we can do together. With the advent of the internet, I think it had an impact [music] on the industry more than people realize it would. It now helped you outreach [music] to more people. But I'll tell you, mobile was pretty exciting time because all of a sudden it made events even more accessible to more people. When the economy collapsed, planners and hospitality teams didn't fold. They reinvented what an event could justify and deliver. And so did we. No one likes to remember those difficult [music] times of the pandemic. But what I remember most isn't the shutdown. It's how fast [music] you came back. How hard you fought to keep people connected.
Now AI is reshaping everything again. But I'll tell you one thing that you can't automate is showing up to the event. >> This is the pivot. Not because AI is the next shiny thing, but because it gives us the power like never before, to raise the bar, to expect more from events, to prove they performed. We're building the platform [music] that helps you prove what events deliver every time, at every scale. >> In person, [music] virtual, or hybrid, every format, every scale, we [music] build technology for the highest performing events on the planet. And we're not done yet. >> Welcome to the next generation of Cvent, where the presence premium takes its rightful seat in the world.
Please [music] welcome to the stage founder and CEO at Cvent, Reggie Agarwal. Well, good morning, Nashville. It's okay. Still early in the morning. And hello to the thousands of you watching online. I'm so excited to kick things off and officially welcome all of you to Cvent Connect 2026. Now, before I start my keynote, I just wanted to say how awesome it has been to bring this event to new cities. I mean, look, we loved being in Vegas for over a decade. They showed us such amazing hospitality, but it's just really special to showcase other great destinations like San Antonio for the last two years and Denver in 2027. But of course, a huge thanks to Nashville for being such a great host for this year's CE Connect. I mean, they're really setting the bar high. Can we give a round for Nashville? I mean, [applause] in fact, with nearly 5,000 people here in person, this is our largest CEN [snorts] Connect ever, and it's the first time that we surpassed our in-person peak in 2019. And there's no doubt in my mind that Nashville was a big part of that reason. And of course, with the thousands more online, we have nearly 10,000 people participating in this hybrid event. So, thank you all for helping make this a record-breaking year. A lot of claps in the beginning. All right. Now, for those of you who've been to Connect before, you probably noticed something different because for more
than 25 years, we built our brand around the power of human connection and the color blue. As a matter of fact, our corporate colors have been such an important part of our culture and identity that if you ask any passionate sementor, they will instantly say that they bleed blue. But starting today, But starting today, all that changes all that changes because now they're going to say that they dream green because today Stephen is officially launching our new rebrand. And what is particularly exciting for me is that we have the opportunity to unveil our new brand publicly for the first time in front of our most important customers and partners. Look, this is a really special moment for us. And to be honest, I was so excited about our new brand that last night I got all dressed up and took it to the streets. Now, look, I have to admit, these new threads were a good conversation starter. In fact, some of the locals even took me out for a few drinks. And you know how it goes. One thing led to another. I mean, I don't know about you, but I love the way my tattoo turned out. And before anyone asks, yes, one of those arms is actually mine. But seriously, our new brand isn't about a new logo or new colors. It's signaling something bigger.
With AI at the forefront and the business world at an inflection point and during transformational moments like today, we all have a choice. We can hold on to the old paradigm or step into the new one. And we chose to lean in. The new identity reflects our purpose, our promise, and our long-standing partnership with all of you. Because here's what we've learned over the years. As a market leader, the industry looks to us during great times of change. And over the course of our history, we've listened and we've adapted to better support you. As you saw in the opening video, we've spent the last 25 years staying ahead of the curve and seeing around the corners no one else could. Whether it was the advent of cloud-based software, economic recessions, the dawn of mobile, or a pandemic that nearly shut down our industry. We've pivoted and we've evolved right alongside you. And the outcomes we delivered have been transformational. Our platform has turned experiences into measurable engagement opportunities. Mobile apps have put events right at your fingertips. Our hotel marketplace is where $20 billion dollars in group business get sourced annually and our digital and hybrid tools have broadened your reach to new audiences.
Today's events have become [snorts] one of the highest performing marketing channels and in response the best marketing teams have stopped treating event tech as just an operation tool and now they're starting to treat it as a core part of their marketing stack. Event is martekch. That's the next transformational shift. And together we'll help you move your events from the cost column to the growth column because when you spend 34% of your budgets on events. This is exactly what CMOs and CFOs want to see. And our investments for the marketer, they're not slowing down. In December, we acquired Goldcast. So that now you have the power to take what happens in this room and use AI instantly to turn that into content that keeps working even after the event is over. And in April, we acquired on 24, a leading enterprise webinar and digital engagement platform. And now you can track your customers or your prospect journeys, whether it's in person, virtually, through webinars, or on demand. With your ability to leverage all of these different event formulas, it should be clear that events don't just touch the buyer's journey, they're literally shaping it. So look, the shift from Aventtech to Martekch is just the latest in a series of pivotal moments that we've navigated over the last 25 years. We led each one with intention and a clear vision of what success could look like. But we did not lead them alone. You were there. Every bet we came, every bet we made came from listening to what you needed. You're not just our customers, you're also our co-creators. And we're betting big on our future together.
Which is why I'm proud to announce over the next three years, we plan to invest over $1 billion in product innovation. That's right,$1 billion in our technology stack. That's investments in AI, R&D, new products, new integrations, and new agents. All of it. We believe that our industry is at an exciting inflection point. And as your partner, we're betting big because what's a possibility for all of you is even bigger. And bigger starts with one thing, AI. Now, before we continue, I'd like to share with you a personal story about my journey with AI. Last July, I was at an offsite with my entire leadership team, and we've been hearing all the same things you have. AI is coming for your job, your budget, and it may completely disrupt your business. So naturally, we had a lot of conversations about the hype and the fear. And one of the things we talked candidly about was just how similar we felt during the pandemic when everything was being disrupted. And at the peak of it, the headlines were brutal. Events are dead. In person was over. Our customers were shutting down programs overnight. And our entire industry was being called into question. It took years to rebuild and earn back that trust. But over time, we proved our industry wasn't just resilient, it was essential. And we finally felt like we put the pandemic in a rearview mirror only to be faced with the new challenges and potential disruption of AI. And
candidly, it was exhausting. it was exhausting. But it was through those discussions that something shifted for me and I stopped seeing AI as a threat to manage and started to see it as the biggest opportunity of our careers. The companies that win the next decade won't be the ones who fear what AI will replace. They'll be the ones who imagine what it unlocks. And at CENT, that's the mindset we're bringing to you. AI is not just one more initiative that you can check the list. It's literally changing how we think. When the pandemic hit, we reinvented ourselves around virtual almost overnight. We held our breath while we launched our allnew virtual platform live for 42,000 people in August of 2020. It was one of the most rewarding and exhilarating moments I've ever experienced. But this is bigger because the more powerful I AI becomes, the more the human moments matter. And for all of us here today, that might be a once in a generation opportunity. I mean, just look at these headlines. Founders, analysts, CMOs, the press, they're all saying the same thing. The world is betting on experiences. And in an age where AI can generate almost anything, people are craving for something authentic. They're looking for communities formed around a common purpose, a trust built through conversations. AI can't sit across from a prospect and make them feel seen. It can't manufacture the moment that changes a relationship. It can't inspire a crowd the way a new destination can. When the world around us is so noisy, choosing to be present is the rarest signal in modern business. And the more the world automates, the more valuable that signal becomes. And the numbers prove it. Globally, business events delivered $1.3 trillion in direct spending. And just a few months ago, Helman and Freiedman acquired Hive Group, one of the world's largest trade show companies, for $1.8 billion. And Apollo just recently announced their acquisition of trade show companies Emerald and Questex for a billion and a half. I mean, that's serious capital being invested in B2B events for some of from some of the world's smartest private equity firms. Look, the market is proving that events are where business gets done and they become one of the company's most powerful growth channels. And look, while these numbers are impressive, there's even a more critical part of the equation, and that's trust. Now, look, we recently asked hundreds of marketing professionals a simple question. Is AI making it harder to build trust with your audience? And look, 85% said yes. And you know what? Live experiences are the answer. And that's why 98% said events are a critical part of their marketing strategy. And that's all event types, not just in person. Because when we bring people together, whether it's in person or online, the impact is real. So let me summarize all this in one sentence. There's undeniable proof that the more the world embraces AI, the more a live experience is worth. And I have a name for what's happening. I call it the presence premium. Now, the question is, what's going to help you act on it? This is where we
come in. We know you're all being asked to do something genuinely difficult. AI adoption is not a simple technology change. It's a massive cultural shift and the pressure to make it work has never been higher because the rate of change is accelerating at a pace we've never seen. Navigating this moment requires more than just a great platform. It requires a partner who has successfully navigated multiple technology shifts and knows what it takes to come out stronger. At our core, we exist to show the world what events can do. And we believe this moment demands more. More from your events, more from your data, and more from your technology partner. So when we say expect more, we mean it. Because in the age of the presence premium, platforms like Cvent become more than just event technology. They become the operating system for designing moments that connect people in a more meaningful and a performancedriven way. Let me be more specific. You should expect more from your technology because when the stakes are high, the world's largest organizations trust us to deliver. and increasingly turning to us to capitalize on the AI opportunity because the AI running on top of our platform CEN IQ is purpose-built and can be applied to almost every industry vertical. AI power isn't something we're promising
on a road map. It's already being delivered. Let me give you a few examples. For planners, the planner assistant builds your events and websites in minutes. It learns your policies, your preferences, and your entire program strategy. It works the way you work. And over time, it'll take complexity out of the equation and help you unlock the full capabilities of this event platform. All tailored to your outcomes. And for attendees, the AI assistant knows the event inside and out because it's pulling from one source of truth, the Cvent platform. So every attendee question can be answered instantly and accurately. But look, it goes beyond just Q&A. It builds their agenda. It guides them to the right boots. It captures their favorite session moments with one tab. And of course, it can tell you what to wear at the evening event. And by the way, I hope it says not a green suit. Now, that's a completely reimagined attendee experience. And it's live right now in your mobile app. So, I hope you're using it. And on the sourcing side, planners can now describe what they need in plain language and get curated venue recommendations instantly. That means better results, better fit, and better events. And for the hotel years, it means better and more tailored leads. and the ability to craft RP responses in just minutes. Our product teams are reimagining nearly every part of the event life cycle. And these are just a few of the many announcements you'll hear on the road map sessions coming up later this morning. Second, expect more from your data.
Events offer the richest first party data you will ever get. Not just who showed up, but who leaned in and who's ready to buy. and most organizations are leaving it on the floor. Now, we put that data to work before, during, and after every single event. Let me give you a practical example. At last year's Seven Connect, we collected over 1 million marketing engagement touch points across the three days for both our inperson and our virtual attendees. I mean, who would have thought that in just one single conference, it could give you so much marketing data? And for hotel years, our AI services market trends and competitor insights you might have missed. And that means better leads, more planner engagement, and more bookings. And third, expect more from this
ecosystem. In our industry, your network is everything. And no one connects planners, markers and venues at the scale that we do. And honestly, just look around you. SMA Connect is our ecosystem in action. Thousands of the sharpest mind in the industry who are leaning in on this technology transformation are here with us today. You all are learning, connecting, and putting performance first. And finally, you should expect more from
us. We have 25 years of strategic partnership with all of you under our belt. We have nearly 6,000 employees, including 2200 customer support experts and over 2,000 engineers that are bringing real solutions to you. And finally, we actually run more than 800 of our own events every year, like this one. So we don't just know the technology, we know the challenges because we've lived them. And because of our size and scale, we're in a unique position to bring thought leaders together to find answers to real problems you're facing. In fact, we're developing a thought leadership arm that will unlock research, best practices, and ideas that move the industry forward. You'll hear more about that in the coming months. So when we look at the whole picture, it's these four things that make up this event difference. Look, our new brand is sharper, cleaner, and delivers one promise, performance. And our customers, all of you, are at the center of every decision that we make. So look, you've heard a lot this morning. A new brand, a billion dollar investment in our platform. and a clear point of view about where our industry is going. So, let me leave you with this. This
next error is going to reward the companies that move faster, learn quicker, and connect with audiences in a more meaningful way. Companies will be defined not just by what they do, but the impact that they create. And that's exactly the future we're building for. We're your partner for harnessing AI, not as a hype, but as a practical advantage. We're your partner for delivering incredible experiences and proving they work. We're your partner for modern marketing, for turning the art and science of events into a winning growth strategy. We're your partner for standing out and connecting with the right buyers. Because in a world full of automation, a real connection is still what closes the deal. And we're your partner for what comes next. That's what the new Cvent represents. So if you're looking for leadership in the age of AI to help you drive growth through experiences and move forward with clarity and confidence, we're ready. We're bolder. We're built for what's next and centered on helping you show the world what events can do. Thank you. digital team is [music] just pulling the reporting directly out of CENT into those dashboards. And now all of our sales teams, all of our executives, all our entire [music] marketing team has access to these dashboards in one single click. I mean, Stephen really took hours and hours a week off of [music] my plate. The data is [music] everything and so being able to look at the reports without relying on other teams that really allows us to tailor our strategy. In terms of the customers who attended, we grew in-person attendees by 33%. Do you know what? A round of applause for our amazing customers in that video. I love that. Love hearing from our customers. [applause] And what an amazing opening speech from Reggie. Now we know. Look at the green out here. We're going to talk about that. As you can see, it's my opportunity now to speak with some fabulous Cvent execs, the leadership team. Uh let's see. So, we've got Chuck, Dave, and Barrett. They've been with Cvent since the very beginning. And Amy, welcome. Amy has been with Cvent for just over a year. So, you know what? Let's start with our newcomer. Amy, welcome. You must be feeling great right now because one of your first moves at CENT was making the case to rebrand a 27y old company. A rather bold choice. So my question to you, why rebrand? And and why now? >> Okay. Well, marketers dream. You join the company and then you find out there's so much more goodness than the marketing the market even knows about. So, I was really excited to come in and see the level of passion for customers, which by the way, I've worked in amazing companies and the passion for our customers. This event is unmatched. And then the level of innovation here was just incredible. And I really wanted to make sure the whole world knew about that. So, [clears throat] we talked to a lot of customers. We looked at over 10,000 customer data points. And it turns out our customers told us three things that they wanted from us. The first one was stay relationship focused. The second one was make it easier to understand everything you offer. It's kind of hard to get our arms around everything that you do because there's so much good problem to have but simplify and then modernize modernize what you do. So um customers stopped measuring their events in terms of logistics a long time ago. It's about pipeline, revenue, retention, brand lift, and that's what drove us to build this brand around outcomes and performance. >> You know, marketers in the room especially will know how much goes into a job like this. But was there a specific highlight for you? >> Honestly, we worked so hard on this and we got customer input along the way, but we did all this work and in the and we took the brand back to a set of amazing customers, some who are over there right now. Thank you. and okay, what do they think? And when they saw it and they loved it and they said go, that was the moment that made me really proud. >> Outstanding. A lot of excitement in the room. Chuck, let me turn to you. Amy has really set the bar with that that line we saw and there it is on the screen, expect more. When you look at companies actually living that, getting outsized results, what are they doing differently? What's the secret source? >> Sure, Mark. The these companies treat their event program as one consolidated system, events under management, not a series of oneoffs that reset every time. And when winning companies map a buyer's journey, as you saw Reggie's slide, events show up everywhere. It's a webinar, it's an executive dinner, it's your conference, it's a trade show booth. Each one of those events is an influencing moment. And Mark, when teams approach it with that level of intentionality, two things come to light. First, you start delivering better outcomes with the same number of resources. And second, you get much better at proving it to the seuite because that single source of truth ties each event touch point to revenue. If it happened at the event, it's measured and it's in the pipeline. >> So, are you saying basically no more trust me, it went great to the CFO? Exactly, Mark. Exactly. Okay, that's that's right. And you know, we have customers living that dream. Um, technology advice, uh, who's here in the room weave their webinars into their total event program. No longer something that was separate and they standardized on CENT webinar. The result, without any increases in resources, the same threeperson team delivered 109% year-over-year growth in event volume and 160% year-over-year growth uh from revenue. >> That's actually really really impressive. Um Amy Chuck just showed us results and those are results that we all would love, of course. What does the mindset actually look like? Well, it's about before and after the event, not just during the event. I feel like the best marketers, they know which accounts they're targeting, what it means for pipeline. Um, they tailor everything accordingly and the leads get into the CRM fast and sales follows up fast. Just a little hint, the faster you follow up, the more likely you are to close. I always tell our sales team that. And content from an event can be repurposed in a dozen ways after to keep generating leads long after the event. So that's a whole throughine there. And some of you may say, well, do you do this at the event? I checked. I made sure. Yes, we do. We do it ourselves. Everything here even at Connect is built with a before, during, and after lens. Um, I'm going to put in a shameless plug for the session on Wednesday. If you want to hear more about this, we have a session with LinkedIn and on 24 if you want to go deeper. >> I do you know what? That is a very good way to promote your session and I actually think already it's one of the top 10 sessions so you might be on the wait list. That's pretty cool. >> So, um, Chuck Amy just said you'll never have to justify the budget again. I mean, that sounds great, but as we all know, there's still a CFO in every building who looks at events and they well, they see a cost center through their glasses. What's the argument that actually moves there? >> Yeah, sure. We've seen this pattern recognition many times, but let's start with some context. As Reggie called out in his speech, Gardner puts 34% of marketing program spend on events. That's more than paid search, paid social, and PR combined. Mark, so CFOs aren't wrong to scrutinize that number. But the argument that moves them isn't the event net promoter score. It's math. pipeline generated revenue influenced ROI and we've seen it time and again that the right technology puts you on the offense in those conversations. Capture every event touch point at an event precisely then push it into systems that the CFO already trusts. Anything else less than that is just a spreadsheet that no one believes. >> Right. And we've all seen that spreadsheet normally attached to an email at 11 PM or something. >> Yeah. So that is so true. So our customer Kaix doesn't have to send that email anymore. They unified their event program on Cvent. That's registration, RFID. GIF will now for executive meetings and they pushed everything into Salesforce, a system that their CFO already lives in daily. No more 11 p.m. spreadsheets. Just pipeline data that the CFO trusts. The result, they proved the pipeline in the room went up by 22% in just one year. >> Outstanding. Barrett, city board ready. I know with all these different ways to discover, how do hotels and venues really stand out now? What should they be doing? >> All right. Um, I got to warn everybody, I get very excited when I speak to this group, so please pardon me in advance. But, um, I, uh, it's a great question. I still think there's a lot of confusion out there. Before I answer the question, um, let me just share one thing. When when you or I travel somewhere to an event or a personal trip, there's always this euphoria, this excitement, this expectation and about about leading up to the event or the or the the trip that we're going to. Why does that happen? What happens that gets us all this anticipated excitement? It's the content. What is content? Well, content is text. It's video. It's pictures. It's 2D. It's 3D. It's the sunrise. It's a sunset. It's an influencer stuff. It's all of those things today. Um I we get we have the privilege of seeing a lot of the search text and I noticed one search that where a planner said my CEO doesn't want shower curtains. Who puts shower curtains in their profile today? Nobody. But because of AI, what does it do? It goes, it scans the pictures. It saw a picture of the bathroom and it said, "Okay, great. It's sliding doors. We're safe. Great. Let's let's go ahead and put that venue in there." So it's really interesting to see how the content game is changing. Do >> don't you think that eventually everyone will just master the content game? >> Of eventually that's going to happen, right? So there is some first mover advantage there, but that will happen. But then let's make sure that content is not just pictures and images and those things. Content will manifest itself in many different ways. What is those? Well, it's a thorough RFP, a quick response, better response times, it's better conversion rates, it's better back and forth between planners and suppliers. All that is part of content. So the ones that do it better I feel will have disproportionate advantages. >> Outstanding. Thank you Dave. You've been lucky so far just sitting here observing your colleagues. But I have got questions for you. So what is actually driving Cvent's product strategy right now as we head all the way through 26 and beyond. >> Yeah. Simplest way to think about it is we're trying to build a single AI platform for your total event program. you know, one system like Reggie said that can handle your inerson and virtual events, driving value for all your internal and external stakeholders, your attendees, your exhibitors, uh your sponsors, etc. We want to clearly prove that AI can help drive outside of that. We want to put into the system an AI the context of your full program, your organization with Cvent's deep knowledge of 27 years worth of industry experience, smarter output, existing workflows that people can work the way they work today. But more importantly, when you think about what's coming, people are more and more working in additional tools like chatttp or claude or sometimes even using agents to deliver that value for them. So we're building that platform to execute in all those new spaces to deliver value for you. And like Reggie said earlier, he announced that we're going to spend a billion dollars in the next three years going towards that vision. It's going to take a lot of investment. >> Are you going to spend every penny of that? >> I'm going to spend all of it with my team. Yes. >> All right. We look forward to seeing the results. We do. Uh Barrett, how is the planner venue relationship changing? What does that mean for our lovely hospitality professionals who are in the room right now? >> Uh it means a lot of things, but I'm gonna stand up because I >> Oh my I I get my ADD kicks in and I got to stand up. Um >> thank you. Um so anyway, I think >> he's building up his part, but that's okay. Carry on. I I I think this is the first time frankly since the internet mobile where we have the privilege of reimagining what does a planer venue relationship look like. Um from the planet side gone are the days we hope that you have to have a binary search where you're clicking a filter and click this and click this and click this and then the narrow the venue keeps getting narrow and narrow. That's not ideal anymore especially when we know what AI can do. So when AI surfaces the 8 10 most perfect venues for you, ones that you couldn't even imagine are so perfect, when technology takes care of the proposal, when the room block is completely automated, when guest logistics are handled, all of that does one very important thing that we all have been dying for. It gives us back the most valuable commodity of time. That is what most people have complained about. We didn't get into this business to sit behind a laptop and a computer and just transact that way. We got into this business to do this, be together, get that human connection going. So that's a shift. Hospitality as a transaction is going to back to hospitality as a relationship. Who would have thought with the most technological advancement we get to increase our relationship? Your team handles everything that makes somebody want to come back again and again because you have time now. So that is one of the biggest shifts that I hope we get to see in the very near future. >> Outstanding. Barrett, thank you very much. Take a seat. [laughter] I'm out of breath. >> You got a lot of energy there, buddy. Now, I can't believe I'm even going to say this, but not everyone in this room runs their events on Cvent. I know. So Dave, give us the top line. Why should the next event be on Cvent? >> Well, I mean, just like we have over the last 27 years, we have to continue to prove that it makes sense to put your events on us, right? And we're going to do that by showing that the more events you put on the system, the more powerful the system becomes for you. Uh, you know, and this is all with the event of AI, your data and your data being able to be accessed and driven together is really proving that additional enhancement, right? You're not going to have two different CRM systems. You're not going to use Salesforce as an organization, but then also use Microsoft Dynamic because that data is not accessible. So, with the power of AI and the things that are changing, one of the things you have is event tech tends to be disparit. So you have lots of different systems out there with AI coming in and what the platform can do for you. That is really changing in order to amplify and compound the effect for your program. You really need to be in one place that can be accessed by that system in that AI. So no one's going to run two CRM and that holds true for the event space as well. >> Outstanding. Thank you very much. That was a strong close. I'm going to give you that. Okay. So now we enter a lightning round and the rules are two questions initially, 20 seconds max. Okay. And we'll go down the line. So, what's one thing you would tell everyone in this room to do differently starting Monday because that's when we finally get back into gear again? Start with you. >> Well, I'm going to I'm going to go back to that that that data access, right? The AI really needs to be able to get a handle on that. So, stop analyzing different things and figure out what tools can actually get to that data and amplify it for you. >> Excellent, Amy. >> All right. Um, don't let your events live in a silo. Remember, before, during, and after the event, and think about your entire event program. Barrett, it's Monday. >> I think um I think uh the the more a planner, a buyer can treat their venue relationship as a strategic partner, the the the better their events will be. They'll be disproportionately incredible. incredible. >> Great. Thank you, Chuck. >> Find your CFO and show them the pipeline that your last event touched. And if you can't, that's the problem to solve. >> It's the golden rule. Always speak the language of the person in front of you. We know the language a CFO speaks. All right, one more question in lightning round, which is what is it about our customers that really makes you excited to come to work every day? Bearing in mind that a lot of them are right here in front of you, Dave. Uh, for me, it's just coordinating with them to figure out how to use technology to drive value for the organizations. I don't like tech for tech's sake. I really want to drive those outcomes for our customers. >> Excellent. Amy, >> gosh. Um, from the bottom of my heart, friends, the passion and radical intentionality that you bring to your jobs every day. >> Very nice. Thank you. >> Um, I think for me it's a pretty trit answer. For 26, 27 years, there's no doubt we've had so many customers push us to the limit, which has gotten us to where we are today. I am eternally thankful for that. Even though sometimes it's tough, it's great. >> Barrett, thank you. shock. >> In this age of AI, I love the fact that we all are so excited that you can't replicate showing up in the room. The presence premium is what gets us all up every morning. These are fascinating insights and great wisdom as well. Before we thank our amazing panel, let me just tell you this. What's happening next? Marketers and event professionals, your next session is the product roadmap and it's right in here. So, don't go anywhere. Just move up front, grab a seat. will start in a few moments. Hospitality friends, you're heading one floor below to hall A for your product roadmap session. Take the escalators and they'll start in a few minutes. We're done, but right now, a big thank you to our exec leadership team. Thank you all. All right. Yeah. [music]
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