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NEWSLETTER 136
 
VIRTUAL EVENTS GROUP
 

How cool is Paul McCartney? In one month, he blends something old (his 60s Pentax photos) with some new AI to clean up old recordings. Exclamation point: media will change, content will mesmerize, and some older folks age like fine wines.

 
 
 
 
 
 
July 27 | 3PM EDT | Zoom
 
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What we lost and what we gained will change us forever. Register today and help make history.

 
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The Big Guys Add AI Panache
 
 
 
AI innovation continues at the speed of light. While the first generation of generative AI products were mostly “never-heard-of-them-before” (DALL·E2, Midjourney, Jasper, Aug X Labs and Pictory, to name a few), the latest to enter the fray have deep pockets and well-established platforms. 
  • YouTube unveiled AI-powered dubbing, a translation tool for moving your YouTube videos to other languages. The AI power comes by way of Aloud, a product born in Google’s incubator.

  • Vimeo is about to introduce generative AI-powered video creation and editing tools. They are planning to add a script generator, including tone and duration, a teleprompter, and a text-based video editor. Watch this astounding video to see how it will work.

 
 
Vimeo can generate a video in a few minutes thanks to its new AI tools.
Image credit: Vimeo
 
 
  • Canva, the well-known illustration tool, is not sitting still for one moment. Since the launch of Background Remover in 2019, Canva’s been churning out AI tools like butter from cream. There’s text-to-image, magic erasers, presentation templates, music helpers, and more, making Canva a one-stop AI-assisted presentation toolset. Try Canva for free.
 
 
 Canva’s new suite of tools is impressive.
Image credit: Canva
 
 
  • Adobe Firefly reminds us that once only your smart, creative friends could master Adobe tools. Now, Firefly is usable by everyone, and it will blow your mind. Create images from prompts in any sort of style, add fills and much more. It’s free (for now) and is built into Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and is also on the web.
 
 
My prompt is my art with Adobe Firefly.
Image Credit: Robin Raskin prompting Adobe Firefly.
 
 
Are We Overly-associated?
 
 
 

My prediction for Q3 and Q4 of 2023 is that we’re about to see some consolidation of events and associations. How many PR or marketing conferences can you go to? How many groups can you belong to? E3 shuttered its doors again this year, leaving its future looking gloomy. That makes GDC one of the largest survivors (though it’s geared more towards developers than consumers). Some platforms, like Playstation, decided to host their own showcases, eliminating the middleman, saving money, and creating community. Sharon Weisman wrote a critique of Licensing Expo, predicting that while it was good, it would probably merge with Magic because of its lineage.

 
 
 
 
What Went Down at Cannes Lions vs. VidCon?
 
 
 

The interesting event dynamic of the month goes to VidCon (Jim Louderback, who sits on our Advisory Board, was the former GM and is still heavily involved with VidCon) versus Cannes Lions. Cannes is the place for creative types to see and be seen on the French Riviera. VidCon is sort of a workingman’s Cannes, the place for future creatives to learn how to monetize their content, create compelling media, and think about brand extensions. This year, there was some overlap as the studio execs began to sense the next generation of media talent. Both groups had their eyes on AI, the topic de jour. VidCon was focused on AI for more practical work-a-day solutions, while Cannes covered more philosophical ones. Imagine if the two could mingle for a day! The future of events will focus, in part, on microniches, but equally on the cross-pollination of ideas.

 
 
 
 
Scuttlebutt
 
 
 

Check out our New Event Tech Platform HotList 
Event tech, the rage of the pandemic, is rightsizing, merging, and finding its rightful place in the events landscape. We post our updated list regularly, but this one is particularly poignant as the mighty survive. If you think you should be on our HotList please get in touch with Gigi


40K Users Can’t Be Wrong? 
PC Magazine rates Bing, Bard and ChatGPT. ChatGPT gets the winning nod. But heck, it’s early in the game. 


Social Proof 
We’re always inspired to see Julius Solaris’s visual take on the world of events. This week he looks at Persuasive Event Marketing that helps you build strong event communities. 


The Pew Foundation’s Predictions
It is always an honor to be called out by the Pew Foundation’s research. This time we looked ahead to 2035 and tried to predict the effects of AI on humankind. Let’s do our best to make the most of this historic opportunity to harness innovation. 


Eleven Labs’ Voice Synthesis 

AI will be at our beck and call, but ultimately, staring at blank prompt screens is a new skill we’ll need to cultivate. I played with Eleven Labs’ speech synthesis (thanks to Josh, my bot voice) to see what we could dream up together. You should try it.


Read Variety’s Report
A new article titled Getting Real About VR from Variety does a nice job of capturing the gestalt of the VR scene. 


Member Notes
Welcome to our new members:  Gianna Guidini of Making Memories, Mattia Miglio of the Alibaba Group and Linda Nessim and Joel Rubin of DCDMC. Watch for Gianna's contributions to our Ten Questions You Should Ask series. Check out our new promotions page, designed to help you make the most of your membership.

 

 
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We're not publishing this newsletter next week, to give everybody a 4th of July breather. We'll be back the week of July 10th.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Robin Raskin | Founder
917.215.3160 | robin@virtualeventsgroup.org

Gigi Raskin | Sales/Marketing

917.608.7542 | gigi@virtualeventsgroup.org