If you’ve ever attended a so-called hybrid event that felt more like a YouTube stream with a chat box, you know how easy it is to get it wrong. Hybrid shouldn’t mean half-baked. When people show up online and in person, they expect more than a camera pointed at a stage. They want a shared experience. One that’s easy to join, easy to navigate, and actually worth their time. That’s exactly what the Rise of AI Conference 2025 delivered. In this post, we’ll walk you through how the conference came together, what made it stand out, and what you can take from it when planning your own events.
What You Can Take Away from the Rise of AI Conference 2025
Let’s be honest: Most conferences struggle to balance bold claims with real insights. Some feel like a lecture. Some are all flash. And when AI’s involved, things can get vague, fast.
Rise of AI 2025 didn’t fall into that trap. Held on May 14 at the Humboldt Carré in Berlin, the event also welcomed remote participants through our virtual venue powered by MEETYOO. From registration to wrap-up, everything ran as a true hybrid experience, not a livestream afterthought.
The theme, Good News from Europe, wasn’t about marketing spin. It was about showing that Europe has its own approach to AI - one built on ethics, collaboration, and long-term thinking. And more importantly: that this approach works. Rise of AI is a curated platform for real progress, strategic networking, and responsible AI use. It brings together business, politics, research, and society to foster meaningful dialogue.
Behind the conference are Fabian and Veronika Westerheide. As hosts and visionaries, they steer conversations that focus on one clear goal: a future where AI empowers people instead of replacing them.
This mission shaped every part of the event - from content to tech to networking. Here’s what stood out.
A Real Hybrid Experience
From Berlin to browsers worldwide - This year’s Rise of AI was fully hybrid. That means instead of just being filmed and streamed, it was planned and built for both in-person and digital audiences from the start.
As the official streaming partner, we brought the historic Humboldt Carré into the digital world. We recreated the Kassenhalle and the Caroline & Wilhelm von Humboldt rooms as immersive 3D spaces. Our platform mirrored the real look and feel of the on-site venue in Berlin. Attendees could visit the virtual foyer, explore digital stages, and talk to our hosts avatars before and during the event. We made sure online participants weren’t stuck watching from the sidelines.
They joined live chats, took part in Q&A, voted in polls, and got real-time support from our AI assistant all from their browser. One login, one platform, one consistent experience. And everyone could access the event space ten days early, which gave them time to look around, plan their schedule, and get comfortable. No last-minute confusion. No barriers to entry.
The virtual venue was built to reflect the real-world event as closely as possible. This made online participants feel part of the action, not just passive viewers.
Two Tracks, One Message
The program took place on two stages, each with a different focus:
- Meta Stage - Focused on the bigger picture: regulation, society, ethics, and policy. This is where leaders and visionaries tackled questions about how AI should evolve in Europe, who it serves, and what rules should shape it.
- Applied AI Stage - Focused on real-world use cases. Speakers shared how they actually use AI across sectors - from business to health to education - including hands-on examples, backed by data.
The agenda was curated by Fabian Westerheide and his team. The audience heard from top speakers, including:
- Dr. Feiyu Xu, board member at Rise of AI
- Eva Gengler, co-founder of the Alliance for Open Generation AI
- Stefanie Krüll, from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Each session offered something concrete. People walked away with new ideas, relevant examples, and - most importantly - a shared sense of direction and the confidence that Europe is not playing catch-up but building something different.
Engagement That Goes Beyond Watching
Our platform didn’t just broadcast the event. It created space for interaction.
Attendees could take part in live chat walls, Q&A sessions, and audience polls. Even those watching from home could engage with speakers, hosts, and each other in real time.
We also embedded video previews in the agenda. These 20-second clips gave each speaker a chance to introduce their session in their own words - giving attendees a quick and personal overview of what to expect.
The event homepage hosted the full program, links to the AI assistant, networking tools, speaker bios, and all event content - including replays.
It wasn’t just easy to navigate. It was designed for active participation.
Meet RoAI: Your Smart Event Companion
Plenty of events say they “use AI.” Few do it well. For Rise of AI 2025, we designed and deployed a custom AI assistant - we called it RoAI.
This wasn’t a chatbot that gave generic answers. RoAI was trained on the event agenda, speaker info, platform features, and even social media content. It was built to support attendees from start to finish.
Before the event:
- RoAI helped users build their agenda.
- It offered speaker suggestions based on interests.
- It even drafted LinkedIn posts, including hashtags and speaker tags.
During the event:
- Attendees could ask for help, tech support, or a session summary.
- RoAI responded in real time, using clear and helpful language.
- It also picked out highlights and quotes from each session, then created post-ready clips with matching headlines and speaker images.
After the event:
- RoAI stayed online. Attendees could rewatch sessions, ask follow-up questions, and browse highlights.
- Nothing got lost. Everything was easy to find and easy to share.
The goal was to make the attendee experience smoother and RoAI delivered.
Networking That Works
Events are about people. The best ones don’t just share ideas, they spark new conversations. That’s why we set up a Walk & Talk area, where attendees could move freely and join conversations based on proximity. No formal meetings. No scheduling tools. Just spontaneous, human connection online.
We also offered smart matchmaking. Users told us what they were looking for (e.g. investors, hiring, partnerships), and the system matched them with relevant people. Then we gave them a way to connect directly.
The result? More meaningful exchanges. Less time wasted. A real sense of community.
Takeaways for Your Next Event
Whether you’re planning a summit, a product launch, or an internal town hall, here’s what this event made clear:
- Hybrid doesn’t mean livestream. It means designing for two audiences equally — with purpose.
- People want to engage. Give them tools that make it easy to ask, share, and connect.
- AI should support, not distract. Use it where it adds value — before, during, and after the event.
- Good content needs structure. Organize it clearly. Help people navigate. Offer previews, summaries, and takeaways.
- Early access matters. Let attendees enter the virtual space days before to explore and prepare.
- Include networking formats that encourage spontaneous conversations, not just scheduled meetings.
Final Thoughts
This year’s Rise of AI showed how thoughtful technology, strong content, and good design can come together to create something meaningful both on-site and online.
For us at MEETYOO, it was a special project. Not only were we the official streaming partner, but we also demonstrated how smart tools can support digital events at every stage. Our AI assistant helped participants before, during, and after the event - from planning and orientation to live info, social sharing, and on-demand access afterward. We made sure the content didn’t just appear once in the stream but could be used long-term. Key moments, summaries, and social posts were created directly from the live content.
If you’re thinking about how to improve your next digital or hybrid event, this one is worth studying.
We were proud to provide the platform. We’re even more proud of what it enabled.
