Reinventing Event Revenue: Michelle Troop on Customization, AI Tools, and Selling Beyond the Booth
speaker
I am currently the Chief Revenue Officer of Ai4, the largest and most significant international Artificial Intelligence event, which was recently acquired by CloserStill Media. CloserStill has 200+ award-winning brands across key sectors: Business Technology, Learning, HR & Education and Healthcare and Future Transport & Infrastructure. I have over 35 years of trade show experience, spanning consumer events, trade shows and conferences. Highlights include rebuilding key trade shows to become a Trade Show Top 35 event, traveling the world with the launch of the PlayStation and over the last 13 years, building and co-founding several top tier events such as InsureTech Connect (ITC), Mobile Apps Unlocked (MAU), LeadsCon and others…all of which grew from launch to critical mass and subsequently were all acquired by Clarion and Access Intelligence. Most recently, I helped change the strategy and direction for Ai4, where we have grown it from several 300+ person events in New York to the leading AI event with over 8000 people joining us this year in Las Vegas. I have enjoyed building events, but also amazing teams. Together, we have grown attendance, revenue and stellar experiences! When I’m not building new events, I’m doing animal rescue and enjoying a special glass of wine with my wonderful husband in Dallas, where we live.
SUMMARY
With over 35 years of experience scaling trade shows and conferences, Michelle shares how she’s built, grown, and sold events like InsureTech Connect, Mobile Apps Unlocked, and LeadsCon—and how she helped transform Ai4 from a 300-person event into an 8,000+ attendee global platform.
In this episode, you'll learn: -How to scale event revenue beyond the booth -Why full-cycle sales teams outperform legacy models -The smart way to use AI tools like ChatGPT in sales -How to build acquisition-ready event brands -What leading indicators tell you it’s time to sell -Why curiosity and customization are your revenue superpowers
Whether you're in events, media, tech, or B2B revenue leadership, Michelle’s insights will help you rethink how you build and monetize communities at scale.
About Michelle Troop Michelle Troop is the Chief Revenue Officer of Ai4, the world’s largest AI event, recently acquired by CloserStill Media. With over 35 years of experience across trade shows, consumer events, and conferences, she has built and scaled industry-leading brands including InsureTech Connect (ITC), Mobile Apps Unlocked (MAU), and LeadsCon—all of which reached critical mass and were acquired by Clarion and Access Intelligence. Earlier in her career, she helped launch the original PlayStation globally and rebuilt top shows into Trade Show Top 35 events. At Ai4, she helped transform the event from 300-person gatherings into an 8,000+ attendee global platform. Michelle is passionate about building not only great events but also high-performing teams. She lives in Dallas with her husband and is dedicated to animal rescue and good wine.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00–02:00] Michelle Troop introduced as CRO of AI4, the world’s largest AI event. Career highlights: co-founder of InsureTech Connect, Mobile Apps Unlocked, and LeadsCon, all acquired. Early career at Sony supporting the original PlayStation launch.
[02:00–05:00] Transition from corporate to entrepreneurial roles highlighted. Emphasis on nimbleness, quick decision-making, and community-focused event building. Key success driver: ability to build valuable, scalable, acquisition-ready event assets.
[05:00–08:00] Events have evolved: success no longer defined by business cards collected, but ROI delivered. Key principles: Listen to the customer. Customize offerings (without over-customizing). Avoid static, “boxed” packages that lose relevance over time.
[08:00–10:00] Example: Sponsor idea turned into a productized lead-matching tool at InsureTech Connect. Resulted in a scalable and profitable product offering, showing responsiveness to customer innovation.
[10:00–12:00] Key moment: inbound sales surpass outbound efforts. Large sponsors begin coming to you. Signals market validation and creates internal momentum toward acquisition strategy.
[12:00–16:00] AI4 began as premium, small events focused on quality. COVID forced pivot to digital, which broadened global reach. Post-COVID: consolidated into a large-scale Las Vegas event. Created flexible sponsor offerings (not square-footage-dependent).
[16:00–21:00] Sales team trained to sell full-spectrum solutions, not just booths. Extensive role-playing, product immersion, and customer feedback loops. Culture of openness, coaching, and empowerment built around curiosity.
[21:00–26:00] Avoids “hosted buyer” term — simply called 1:1 meetings. Buyers are eager to learn; sponsors value time-efficient engagements. Meetings are opt-in and finite (e.g., 15 mins). Not all industries suit this model — fit matters.
[27:00–30:00] Post-Acquisition Structure with Closer Still Media. Closer Still allows autonomy while offering infrastructure and support. 3-year window for continued growth under their ownership. Partnership built on trust and shared entrepreneurial values.
[30:00–33:00] Culture built on trust, flexibility, and shared purpose. Remote-friendly, outcome-driven. Full-cycle sales: each rep owns outreach, closing, and renewals. Fosters ownership and pride in business development.
[33:00–36:00] Transparent dashboards shared across team: New vs. repeat business Pipeline pacing Individual performance Encourages team participation in strategy and innovation.
[36:00–38:00] AI tools like ChatGPT used to improve messaging and campaign personalization. Emphasis on creative reinvention of outreach strategies.
[38:00–40:00] No uniform conversational intelligence tool used across the team. Content team built around curiosity and constant market analysis. Content excellence drives both attendee quality and sponsor engagement.
[40:00–42:00] Sponsors are coached to avoid sales pitches. Talks must focus on problem-solving and use cases. Presentations are reviewed and optimized by the team pre-event.
[43:00–45:00] Evolve your offerings and embrace experimentation. Shift with changing customer expectations — today’s buyer wants personalized options and value clarity. Avoid the trap of “this is how we’ve always done it.”
[45:00–47:00] Rapid Fire #1 – Best Meal. Chef-prepared anniversary dinner at home with her husband — magical, personalized experience.
[47:00–48:00] Rapid Fire #2 – Favorite Book. Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — inspires exploration, curiosity, and breaking boundaries.
[48:00–50:00] Advice for Rising Female Revenue Leaders. Listen to your voice and don’t be afraid to fail. Embrace risk, learn from mistakes, and be persistent in trying new things.
Final Takeaways Michelle Troop embodies a modern revenue leader who: Blends deep operational experience with creative risk-taking. Champions team empowerment through trust and training. Builds agile organizations that scale through customer listening and continuous reinvention. Her work with AI4 is a masterclass in: Building acquisition-ready assets. Leveraging crises (like COVID) to catalyze expansion. Positioning events at the intersection of thought leadership and business value.
