When the Venue Becomes a Partner: Julianne Jammers on the Future of Convention Centres

Photos courtesy of AIPC

The AIPC Annual Conference in Bilbao left behind a question that is becoming harder for convention centres to ignore: what, precisely, should a venue be built to do?

For Julianne Jammers (right side), President of AIPC and Managing Director of SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, the answer lies well beyond infrastructure. In this post-conference conversation with Headquarters, she reflects on an industry that has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to adapt, while arguing that its next challenge is to shape change — from using AI and data with greater strategic purpose to preserving the human dimension of hospitality.

Her vision reaches towards 2035, when convention centres, she believes, should be judged not simply by the events they host, but by the value they create for their destinations and communities. We discuss the changing role of venues, the relationship between technology and human connection, the growing importance of cybersecurity, and why the future of convention centres may ultimately depend less on the buildings themselves than on what they enable people to do together.
 

For several years, convention centres have been focusing on recovery following disruptions, but one message stood out throughout the AIPC conference: resilience is no longer enough. Do you believe the industry's next challenge is no longer about adapting to change, but about actively shaping it? 

I would suggest that the events industry does much more than simply adapt. If we look at the time since COVID, events have been a pioneer in informing and shaping how organisations can continue to engage through things like hybrid models, they have accelerated the adoption of new technologies like mobile check-in, digital badges, AI matchmaking, a whole host of event apps, event analytics and more.

Further, I would argue that the events industry has led the charge in establishing sustainability standards that influence not only our clients but indeed other industry sectors.

The re-opening frameworks to demonstrate safe event operations developed by the events industry themselves helped to drive and inform public policy particularly during Covid. As early as March 2020 the AIPC and UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released “Good Practices Guide to COVID-19 for Convention and Exhibition Centres” followed by the "Good Practice Guide: Addressing COVID-19 Requirements for Re-Opening Business Events" versions 1, 2 and 3 helped to keep the industry alive and at the same time, underscored the importance and relevance of business events as drivers of economic recovery, innovation, and local development.

I submit that the events sector has not only been both resilient and transformative, but has acted spontaneously and actively to bring change across business, government, and society.

One of the recurring themes in Bilbao was artificial intelligence, yet the discussion rarely centred on technology itself. Instead, it focused on how AI could strengthen decision-making, customer experience and operational excellence. Where do you believe AI has the greatest potential to create genuine competitive advantage for convention centres?

I believe that AI is an enabler, like emails or like excel, but not a differentiator in itself. The real competitive advantage of AI is when centres use and combine AI with their own data to better understand the type of events that they should pursue, the kind of relationships that they should continue to build combined with destination knowledge, which will build better outcomes for our clients. This is strategic vision, with a better enabler. However, I think that we tend to mistake operational efficiencies gained through “automating” things which yield greater returns in the short term, but do not provide a sustainable competitive advantage in the long term.
 

Despite the emphasis on digital transformation, the AIPC conference devoted significant attention to hospitality, culture and people. At a time when automation is accelerating, could the ability to create meaningful human experiences become the defining edge of convention centres? How should venues invest in that dimension?

The most successful convention centers have always recognised that hospitality, delivered through people, is the foundation of their value proposition. When consistently executed at a high level, it becomes a powerful strategic advantage.

Digital transformation is no longer a source of differentiation; it is an expectation. Technology is a capability, not a benefit in itself. The organisations that will lead the market are those that invest in their people, strengthen their service culture, and place both employees and customers at the center of their operations.

This is not different to any other business in the hospitality industry. A restaurant may have exceptional cuisine and a stunning ambiance, but if guests receive poor service, they are unlikely to return and certainly unlikely to recommend it. Ultimately, technology supports the experience, but people create it.
 

“People do not travel for buildings; they travel for opportunities, experiences, and human connections.”

Perhaps the strongest narrative emerging from Bilbao was that convention centres are evolving beyond their traditional role as event venues. Many speakers described convention centres as drivers of innovation, knowledge exchange and community development. Do you believe we are witnessing a fundamental redefinition of their purpose? If so, how should success be measured in the future?

Convention centres have always played a unique role as catalysts for connection, learning, and innovation. We bring together researchers who share, challenge, and advance knowledge; professionals seeking new insights and solutions; and communities united by common interests, challenges, and opportunities. These gatherings create an environment where ideas are exchanged, perspectives are broadened, and hopefully collective progress is made.

But beyond the meeting agenda some of the most valuable outcomes emerge from those unexpected moments. A chance conversation in between sessions, an introduction waiting in the coffee line, or a spontaneous meeting that sparks a new partnership, friendshipor idea. Convention centres are uniquely positioned to create the conditions for these serendipitous interactions, turning simple gatherings into opportunities for meaningful and lasting impact.

And at the heart of it all is human connection. While technology can enhance the experience, it cannot replicate the trust, spontaneity, and energy that comes from face-to-face engagement. We are social beings. We are wired to learn from one another, build relationships, and collaborate in person. This fundamental human need for connection is what gives convention centers their enduring relevance and value, and why they will continue to serve as an essential hub for bringing people together.

Several sessions explored how convention centres are investing in technology, sustainability and flexible infrastructure to remain competitive. Imagine you were advising a city planning to build a new convention centre that will open in 2036. What would you tell them to prioritise, and, just as importantly, what would you warn them against? 

Technology, sustainability, and flexible infrastructure will remain essential components of any successful convention centre. However, before a city even begins designing a new facility, the primary focus should be on defining the role that centre will play in advancing the destination's long-term development goals. The building itself is only one part of the equation. Equal, if not greater, attention should be given to identifying and mobilising the partnerships within the community that will contribute to its economic, social, intellectual, and environmental future.

As competition between destinations intensifies, convention centres will increasingly be judged not by the square meters they offer but by the impact they create. Their success will depend on how effectively they connect delegates with knowledge, innovation, local expertise, culture, and one another. In this context, convention centres evolve from venue operators into curators of experiences and catalysts for exchange, helping to generate investment, stimulate innovation, strengthen communities, and accelerate progress on shared priorities.

This was a central theme of the 2026 Place Leaders Forum at IMEX and the subsequent white paper, which highlighted the growing importance of aligning government, academia, industry, and communities around a common vision for the destination. Convention centres are uniquely set to bring these stakeholders together, but their role should extend beyond hosting individual events. They should serve as platforms that create lasting value and help advance strategic objectives for the destination. Achieving this requires more than infrastructure; it depends on trust, relationships, shared priorities, and long-term collaboration. For many convention centres, this may also require a shift in leadership focus, expanding beyond operational excellence to embrace a more strategic role as connectors and agents of destination development.
 

“The greatest achievement of today's leaders was transforming convention centres from venue operators into strategic partners in community and destination development.”

Another recurring theme throughout the conference was that convention centres can no longer rely solely on venue rental as their value proposition. As client expectations evolve and destinations compete on experience rather than infrastructure alone, how do you see the business model of convention centres changing over the next decade? 

The business model of convention centres has already shifted from selling space to creating value. Like an airplane, the venue serves a critical function, but it is not the reason people embark on the journey. The true value proposition lies in the destination, the experiences it offers, and the outcomes that participants take home with them. The centres that understand this and have embarked on the journey with their destination as partners are winning as evidenced by the Place Leaders Forum at IMEX in 2026.

Consequently, the industry should move beyond the belief that new facilities, technology investments, and physical infrastructure alone will secure future relevance. These are necessary, but they are no longer sufficient. The centres that thrive will be those that recognise that venue and destination are inseparable, working together to deliver a compelling reason to gather. Ultimately, people do not travel for buildings; they travel for opportunities, experiences, and human connections. That is where the future value of convention centres will be created.

If there was one assumption about convention centres that the discussions in Bilbao challenged, what would it be? What is the one issue you believe our industry is still not talking about enough?

Convention centres are increasingly dependent on digital systems, yet many of us underestimate the risk of cyberattacks and technology failures. An interruption to wifi, registration, AV, accounting and financial systems for payment, or security systems can cripple an event as effectively as fires, pandemics, medical emergencies or the like. We are typically well prepared for the later but not for the former. Stronger cybersecurity, system redundancy, and incident response planning are becoming essential, not optional.
 

Allow me to refer back to a question put to the delegates during a round-table discussion at one of the AIPC’s open sessions: if, in 2035, the global convention centre sector were to look back on this decade, what would you expect people to say was the most significant achievement of today’s leaders? Furthermore, how would you envisage the business and role of convention centres in 2035?

I would hope that, by 2035, people will say the greatest achievement of today's leaders was transforming convention centres from venue operators into strategic partners in community and destination development.

Over this decade, the most successful centres will have moved beyond measuring success solely through attendance and economic impact, focusing instead on their ability to drive innovation, attract and employ talent, foster collaboration, and create lasting benefits for their communities.

By 2035, I envision convention centres serving as real partners in the ecosystem rather than simply providers of space. Their role will be to connect people, ideas, industries, and opportunities in ways that deliver meaningful outcomes for clients and destinations alike.

Technology and AI will be essential enablers, but the true differentiator will remain the ability to create human connections, facilitate knowledge exchange, and generate lasting impact. Ultimately, convention centres will be judged not only by the events they host, but by the value they create for the eco-system they serve.
 

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