Jim Hooker has joined The Special Event Company as executive director of academic events and will serve as chair the agency’s annual Academic Event Professional Conference. Hooker brings 27 years of event industry experience to the job, most recently as executive director, university events at the University of Texas at Austin.
We caught up with Hooker shortly after the 2024 AEP conference in Austin, and just weeks after The Special Event Company was acquired by U.K.-based communications agency DRPG.
MeetingsNet: What do academic conferences do differently or particularly well that other organizations might learn from?
Hooker: Having worked in corporate, entertainment, and academic events, I can tell you that there are distinct differences between academic events and those for corporations or the entertainment industry. Academia focuses much more on constituent messaging and the appropriate delivery of that message to our attendees. We need to engage our audiences, but we are very aware that having any elements that appear wasteful or over-the-top can be detrimental. That doesn't mean we don't do amazing and visually stunning events; it only means that each element is strategically shaped to reinforce the constituent message. Academic conferences spend a great deal of time on sharing ideas and educating peers on how to be strategic in their experiential communication. It's all about messaging!
MeetingsNet: You’ve had a long career bringing people together. Looking back, what are the biggest changes you’ve seen in attendee expectations?
Hooker: Twenty-five years ago, attendees didn't have smartphones. They didn't interact with technology on a daily basis, and that change alone has dramatically altered what attendees expect. We have computers in our hands all day that customize our news, advertisements, and even recommend people we should meet or know.
The next generation of events will be "individual experiences" aided by artificial intelligence, with information and messaging directed and presented to each person to maximize their experience. The next five years will bring dramatic changes in how event attendees interact with each other and interact with the institution or business producing the event.
MeetingsNet: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Hooker: I received my master’s degree in communications from the University of Southern California, where my research focused on "The Influence of High-Touch Event Communication on Donor Support.” That, along with a decade of working in Hollywood in film and television, has shaped me into a very visual and strategic storyteller.
