The sixth episode in our Beyond the Stage series, where we speak to the people behind some of the biggest trade shows, expos and conferences in the world.
Graham Barrett is joined by Zach Butler, General Manager, EMEA at HumanX, the rapidly growing AI conference bringing together executives, technology leaders, investors and innovators shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Following successful shows in the US, HumanX is making its European debut in Amsterdam, bringing together more than 2,500 attendees in its first year.
Zach takes us behind the scenes of HumanX Europe, sharing how the team built the event from the ground up, the challenges of launching a new conference brand in Europe, and what it takes to attract some of the world’s leading AI companies, business leaders and speakers.
From AI adoption and digital sovereignty to audience experience, networking and event growth, this conversation explores how HumanX is creating a trusted platform for business leaders navigating one of the most significant technology shifts of our time.
From Events to AI
Butler reflects on his 14-year career in the events industry, which began in sales before moving into content production and event leadership. He discusses his time running The Next Web after its acquisition by the Financial Times, where he helped develop an experiential, festival-style event. His decision to join HumanX was driven by a desire to build something during a period of rapid growth, while working in a sector that sits at the heart of the current business landscape.
Filling the AI Events Gap
A major focus of the conversation is the gap HumanX aims to fill in the AI events market. Butler explains that the organisation sees itself as a trusted source for senior executives trying to navigate an exceptionally fast-moving field. HumanX aims to connect European AI leaders with Silicon Valley and provide access to senior-level speakers who may not appear at other industry events. Its emphasis on high-quality speakers, community building and rapid media coverage is central to its approach, with journalists receiving content from the stage shortly after sessions take place.
The Big AI Conversations
The discussion then turns to the key themes shaping the Amsterdam event. These include AI sovereignty in Europe, the balance between the potential rewards and risks of AI, the growing focus on governance and cost optimisation, and the challenge of ensuring businesses achieve meaningful returns from their AI investment. Butler also highlights differences between the European and US markets, particularly around investment in European start-ups and scale-ups and efforts to unlock more institutional capital to help them grow.
Creating a Premium Event Experience
The experience of attending HumanX is another important theme. Butler describes the event as deliberately premium and designed around creating an environment where meaningful business can take place, rather than operating as a traditional trade show. The programme combines keynote sessions, intimate masterclasses, private executive gatherings and curated networking, alongside distinctive experiences and evening events. The speaker programme is entirely editorially driven, with a strict ‘no pay to play’ policy, and focuses on leading European AI companies, businesses implementing AI at scale and senior leaders from major technology companies.
Building HumanX for the Future
Finally, Butler takes listeners behind the scenes of launching a major international event, discussing the pressures of building a new brand in an unfamiliar market, managing changing sponsor priorities and ensuring the right people are in the room. He explains how the team balances long-term planning with the uncertainty of the final weeks before an event, while relying on experienced partners and suppliers to deliver at scale. Looking further ahead, Butler sees HumanX developing into a global platform with multiple major events and a wider role as a trusted source of information, insight and connections for businesses building and adopting AI.
