This Week Оn Тhe Convene Podcast: AI in Hiring, DEI in LA Tourism, and SXSW’s Neighborhood Pivot

Syndication September 26, 2025

This Week Оn Тhe Convene Podcast: AI in Hiring, DEI in LA Tourism, and SXSW’s Neighborhood Pivot

Here’s what’s new on the Convene Podcast this week.

Convene Article: What Planners Need to Know About Using AI in the Hiring Process

Both employers and job candidates are using AI resources to streamline the hiring process — but sometimes this can backfire. Written and read by Kate Mulcrone, digital managing editor at Convene.

Convene Series: How LA Tourism Champions DEI: Adam Burke on Empowering Small Businesses and Inclusive Growth

What does it take to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into the DNA of a destination? In this episode of the Convene Podcast, Adam Burke, President & CEO of Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, shares how LA is leveraging its diversity to create opportunities for small, diverse-owned businesses through initiatives like Empower LA. From breaking down barriers to entry and providing readiness training, to creating real opportunities within the event supply chain, Burke outlines how LA Tourism is building a more inclusive and resilient future for the city — and what lessons other destinations can take away.

Convene Talk: SXSW 2026 Without a Convention Center: Neighborhood “Villages,” Constraints, and Smarter Brand Activations

How do you reimagine a city-wide icon when its central venue is gone? In this Convene Talk, the team unpacks SXSW 2026 and its pivot to badge-specific neighborhoods across Austin. We dig into why constraints spark creativity, what “villages” mean for brand activations and attendee flow, how to balance strategy vs. serendipity, and whether asking attendees to set goals up front is fair.