When AI Framed the Questions—and Humans Defined What Matters: Inside VDA’s AI & Human Connection Booth at RainFocus INSIGHT.

At RainFocus INSIGHT, VDA set out with a different intention than most brand activations. We didn’t come to present answers: we came to listen.

Rather than arriving with a finished point of view, we arrived with a framework—one shaped by AI and tested through human conversation. The goal wasn’t to prove what AI could predict. It was to understand whether those predictions actually reflected how event professionals are thinking, planning, and evolving right now.

This idea stemmed from Heather Munnell, Senior Director of Client Experience & Strategy, who envisioned the booth not as a showcase, but as a real-time listening mechanism—one that could turn AI-framed thinking into live, human-validated insight. What followed was something even more powerful to witness: the entire VDA Agency, led by Paulina Modestow, stepping in as if they were the client—owning the vision, pressure-testing the concept, and executing it in real time to elicit authentic conversation, real data, and truly actionable INSIGHT on the show floor.

At the center of our presence was the AI & Human Connection Booth, designed around eight verticals AI identified as most relevant to the modern event professional:

Innovation · Insights · Projections · Logistics · Marketing · Sustainability · Engagement · Strategy

These verticals were never meant to be conclusions, they were conversation starters for INSIGHT attendees.

What followed were candid, unscripted exchanges with people navigating real constraints, real expectations, and real pressure. The quotes shared throughout this piece aren’t aspirational soundbites or curated talking points, they’re reflections of lived experience captured in the moment and echoed across countless conversations on the show floor.

Designing Engagement Before We Even Arrived

Before INSIGHT even began, we made a deliberate decision: while AI would help frame the thinking, engagement itself needed to feel tactile, intuitive, and human.

We believed curiosity would draw people in, but familiarity would keep them engaged.

That belief shaped two simple but intentional interaction points:

• An AI-powered word search, tied to the eight verticals. Finding a word triggered interactive lights—creating a playful, low-pressure entry into deeper conversation.
• A fortune-teller communication tool, inspired by the origami games many of us grew up with, reimagined with prompts connected to each vertical.

The intent was clarity over complexity. Nostalgia lowered the barrier, and tactility slowed people down. Thus, conversation followed naturally.

That design choice mattered—because how people engaged told us just as much as what they said.

What We Heard, Vertical by Vertical

Innovation

AI as enablement, not replacement

Innovation wasn’t framed as excitement about new tools—it showed up as relief from friction.

“AI isn’t replacing creativity—it’s finally giving us time to be creative again.”
“The biggest shift isn’t automation. It’s speed to insight.”
“There’s a real opportunity for AI to simplify chaos, not add another layer to it.”

AI was consistently described as a co-pilot: powerful when it accelerates understanding, frustrating when it complicates already complex workflows.

Insights

Where data meets intuition

Insights weren’t talked about as dashboards or reports. They were described as moments—often happening during the experience itself.

“Learn how to read the room—data helps, but intuition still matters.”
“Don’t chase trends. Chase clarity.”
“You’re often deciphering information, not just receiving it.”

The message was clear: data without interpretation is noise. The strongest desire wasn’t for post-event reporting, but for real-time understanding that allows teams to adjust while it still matters.

Projections

The future feels more human, not more technical

When asked to look ahead, responses became less about technology and more about connection.

“People will crave connection more, not less.”
“The more digital we become, the more intentional we have to be about being human.”
“Technology should disappear into the background—connection should be the headline.”

The future wasn’t framed as high-tech versus high-touch. It was framed as balance—where emotional resonance becomes the true differentiator.

Logistics

The pressure point no one sees—but everyone feels

Logistics sparked some of the most animated conversations, because it’s where pressure lives.

“One small change can create a massive ripple effect across partners, timelines, and teams.”
“Last-minute changes aren’t the problem—how quickly they’re communicated is.”
“Everyone thinks it’s just a 15-minute shift until you realize how many downstream teams it impacts.”

The takeaway? Success comes from designing for flexibility, not perfection. Communication speed and shared visibility matter more than airtight plans.

Marketing

From broadcast to relevance

Marketing conversations centered on resonance—not reach.

“Relevance beats reach.”
“If it doesn’t solve a real problem, it’s just noise.”
“People want to learn the way they want to learn.”

Static agendas and one-size-fits-all messaging are losing ground. Attendees want content that adapts, personalizes, and respects different learning styles.

Sustainability

Longevity, not just footprint

Sustainability rarely surfaced as carbon metrics or materials. Instead, it showed up as a question of continuity.

“So many times you create something and it’s one and done—then you ask, where does it go?”
“How does it live on beyond this moment?”
“You could have a lifecycle for the events you’re creating.”

Here, sustainability meant designing experiences that extend beyond the event itself—where content, connection, and value continue to evolve.

Engagement

Why simplicity keeps winning

The most impactful engagement often didn’t feel engineered at all.

“The best engagement doesn’t feel like an activation.”
“Sometimes the most effective engagement is the most analog.”
“People have a real need to go back to nostalgic things—they’re simple and familiar.”

Optional, playful, human moments consistently outperformed complexity. Nostalgia and conversation proved to be powerful connectors.

Strategy

From post-event reflection to continuous feedback

Strategy was described as something living—not something reviewed weeks later.

“Feedback is a gift—even when it’s uncomfortable.”
“If you’re not closing the loop, you’re wasting insight.”
“It’s not about adding another platform—it’s about fixing the actual problem.”

The emphasis was on adaptability, alignment, and acting on insight in real time. Tools mattered only when they helped solve the right problems.

What This All Means

The eight verticals explored at INSIGHT were initially framed by AI—but they were defined by human response.

The quotes throughout this piece aren’t decoration; They’re proof points. Together, they paint a grounded picture of where the events industry is today—and where it’s headed.

AI helped us ask better questions, but human feedback gave those questions meaning. When AI asked these questions, humans showed us the truth.

The future of events won’t be driven by technology nor instinct alone. It will be shaped by intentional design at the intersection of both—where insight is continuous, engagement is human, and experiences are built to last.

The AI & Human Connection Booth became more than an activation—it became a listening post. A place where event professionals stepped in not to be sold to, but to be heard. Where AI-framed thinking was pressure-tested through real conversation and real-time reflection.

What we heard confirmed assumptions, challenged others, and surfaced nuance no algorithm could capture alone.

Most importantly, it reinforced a simple truth:

Meaningful engagement starts with listening.

This work isn’t finished. It’s an ongoing dialogue—one we’ll continue to evolve as we bring these questions, tools, and listening moments to future conferences and industry gatherings.

Because the most impactful experiences aren’t built in isolation. They’re built by listening—continuously—to the people shaping the work.

And this is only the beginning.

Want to work with a team that listens to your needs? Schedule a meeting with VDA here.