SESSIONS

Keynote

AI in the Modern Workplace: What Every Business Needs to Know

Aaron Proietti

AI isn’t coming; it’s already here.

And it’s quietly reshaping how businesses attract customers, manage operations, and stay competitive. Whether you run a growing company, a family business, or work within a larger organization, the time to understand and use AI is right now.

In this practical and engaging keynote, innovation strategist Aaron Proietti demystifies Generative AI, including tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, and shows how they are already transforming the modern workplace. You’ll see live examples of these tools in action and learn simple strategies for getting meaningful results, even if you’re not a tech expert.

You’ll walk away with:

A business-friendly understanding of today’s most powerful AI tools
Real-world use cases across marketing, customer service, operations, and strategy
A look at how to get better results by asking AI the right kinds of questions
Simple, actionable ideas for putting AI to work in your own business
A forward-looking view of how jobs and skills are evolving in an AI-driven economy

This isn’t a tech tutorial. It’s a business wake-up call with clear examples, practical takeaways, and insights you can use right away.

Join us in the cafe at 9:00!

Concurrent Sessions #1

Accelerating Insight: Using NotebookLM to Quickly Digest Large Documents

Ryan McCabe
2303

Ever feel overwhelmed by mountains of documents, research papers, or long PDFs? Say hello to your new AI-powered reading sidekick: NotebookLM! In this hands-on adventure, you’ll learn how to make sense of messy, massive content faster than ever.

Whether you’re decoding dense reports, prepping for a presentation, or trying to understand a hundred pages in five minutes, NotebookLM helps you:

Upload and organize your documents
Ask smart questions and get crystal-clear answers
Spot patterns, themes, and juicy insights you may have missed
Build summaries, citations, and even new ideas from your files

Creating a Comprehensive Marketing Campaign with ChatGPT

Adam Heidebrink-Bruno
2775

This session shows you how AI can serve as a marketing assistant that can help brainstorm campaigns, plan cohesive strategies, and draft content for various channels. You'll learn how to collaborate with ChatGPT to develop and execute a full-scale marketing campaign from scratch. It starts with defining a core campaign message and identifying your target audience and goals. We’ll practice translating that strategy into a multi-platform content plan. Through live demonstrations, participants will see how ChatGPT can create on-brand content for email newsletters, social media posts, website copy, and more.

Prompt Engineering 101: Understanding Generative AI and Basic Prompting

Dave Ghidiu
2755

New to AI? This beginner-friendly session is your launchpad into the world of AI-powered tools and services. We’ll start with a tour of the major players—OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Anthropic’s Claude, and Meta AI—exploring what they can do and how they’re being used in everyday business settings.

You’ll learn:

How to write clear, effective prompts to get helpful, accurate responses from AI
Simple strategies for engaging in productive dialogue with AI tools
Intermediate techniques that can supercharge your results
How to generate images with AI and explore other practical use cases

No tech background required—just curiosity and a willingness to explore. Walk away with prompt templates, real-world examples, and the confidence to start using AI today.

Using AI Tools to Gain Data Insights (Repeated in Session II)

Debora Ortloff
2780

In this session we will explore how to use different tools to explore data to process and find insights in a variety of data sets. We will work on combining data from different sources to move ahead more quickly to decision making.

Prompt Engineering 201: Strategies for Precision, Creativity, and Control in AI Interactions (Repeated in Session II)

Aaron Proietti
Stage 14

Ready to take your AI skills to the next level? This intermediate session is designed for those who already understand the basics of prompting and want to harness the full potential of advanced AI tools. We’ll dive deeper into structuring prompts, managing multi-step tasks, and customizing outputs across platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Meta AI.

You’ll learn:

How to use system instructions, role assignment, and chain-of-thought prompting for greater control
Techniques for refining outputs: from iterative prompting to feedback loops
Methods for handling complex tasks like data analysis, content synthesis, and scenario simulation
How to craft prompts that align with specific goals—tone, format, audience, and more
The art of combining text, image, and data generation for multidimensional results

This session includes guided practice, advanced prompt templates, and real-world case studies from business, education, and marketing. Come prepared to experiment, iterate, and push your AI interactions further—with precision, clarity, and purpose.

Talent Acquisition: Improve the Hiring Process Using AI (Repeated in Session II)

Beth McCabe
2760

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way organizations find and hire talent. In this session, we’ll explore how employers can leverage AI tools to craft job descriptions, screen resumes, and evaluate candidates more efficiently. We’ll also look at how job seekers are using AI—from optimizing their applications to preparing for interviews—so you can stay one step ahead. Whether you’re just starting to explore AI or looking to refine your hiring strategy, this session will offer practical insights to help you streamline and strengthen your team-building process.

Leveraging AI in Search Engine Optimization (Repeated in Session II)

Jeff Dugan
2790

This session, 'Leveraging AI in SEO,' offers a practical guide to optimizing your online presence in the age of artificial intelligence. We'll begin with an overview of SEO best practices, highlighting the critical need to cater to both search engine algorithms and the intent of human searchers. You'll discover how AI can significantly reduce the time spent on repetitive SEO tasks, such as optimizing meta tags and descriptions. More importantly, you'll learn how to leverage specialized prompting to generate unique, brand-centric content that resonates with your audience. We'll also discuss strategies for maintaining consistent messaging and a seamless customer journey across multiple digital touchpoints. The presentation will emphasize the development of sustainable and effective SEO techniques tailored to your specific needs. The session ends with a Q&A segment.

Concurrent Sessions #2

Building Perspective through AI Personas and Simulated Focus Groups

Adam Heidebrink-Bruno
2775

Do you wish you could see how different people might react to your business idea or message? In this session, you'll learn how to use AI personas as a virtual focus group, providing instant feedback from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Participants will practice using AI tools (like ChatGPT) to create personas and pose questions about products, messaging, or plans. This approach helps uncover blind spots and reduce bias in decision-making by introducing diverse perspectives, reactions, and concerns early in the planning process.

GPT Playground for Business: From Logos to Ledgers in 45 Minutes!

Ryan McCabe
2303

Ready to turn your business ideas into real-world results—without a design team, copywriter, or accountant? In this fast-paced and interactive session, you’ll dive into the GPT Playground, where AI tools become your business co-pilots.

Whether you’re a solopreneur, small business owner, or just curious about what GPTs can do, you’ll learn to:

Design stunning logos and visuals with DALL·E and LogoCreator GPT
Craft killer ad copy, social posts, and product blurbs using Claude and SEO GPTs
Dig into market trends and competitor insights with Perplexity and Startup Consultant GPT
Mock up a website—structure, copy, and even code—with Web Planner GPT
Simplify accounting, invoicing, and budgeting using Finance GPTs

This isn’t a lecture. It’s a choose-your-own-GPT adventure, where we will test prompts, build real outputs, and walk away with tools you can use immediately in your business.

Coding for Non-Coders: Using AI to Amplify your Website

Dave Ghidiu
Room 2755

AI can help you design custom functionality for your website. Using nothing but natural language, you can create interactive elements like: Capturing messages from visitors, making slick sliders like customer testimonials, interactive elements like clickable photos that reveal information (product descriptions, employee bios, etc.). This demonstration will broadly cover how to use AI tools to create these elements and the supporting tools to embed them in your website.

Prompt Engineering 201: Strategies for Precision, Creativity, and Control in AI Interactions (Repeated in Session I)

Aaron Proietti
Stage 14

Ready to take your AI skills to the next level? This intermediate session is designed for those who already understand the basics of prompting and want to harness the full potential of advanced AI tools. We’ll dive deeper into structuring prompts, managing multi-step tasks, and customizing outputs across platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Meta AI.

You’ll learn:

How to use system instructions, role assignment, and chain-of-thought prompting for greater control
Techniques for refining outputs: from iterative prompting to feedback loops
Methods for handling complex tasks like data analysis, content synthesis, and scenario simulation
How to craft prompts that align with specific goals—tone, format, audience, and more
The art of combining text, image, and data generation for multidimensional results

This session includes guided practice, advanced prompt templates, and real-world case studies from business, education, and marketing. Come prepared to experiment, iterate, and push your AI interactions further—with precision, clarity, and purpose.

Leveraging AI in Search Engine Optimization (Repeated in Session I)

Jeff Dugan
2790

This session, 'Leveraging AI in SEO,' offers a practical guide to optimizing your online presence in the age of artificial intelligence. We'll begin with an overview of SEO best practices, highlighting the critical need to cater to both search engine algorithms and the intent of human searchers. You'll discover how AI can significantly reduce the time spent on repetitive SEO tasks, such as optimizing meta tags and descriptions. More importantly, you'll learn how to leverage specialized prompting to generate unique, brand-centric content that resonates with your audience. We'll also discuss strategies for maintaining consistent messaging and a seamless customer journey across multiple digital touchpoints. The presentation will emphasize the development of sustainable and effective SEO techniques tailored to your specific needs. The session ends with a Q&A segment.

Talent Acquisition: Improve the Hiring Process Using AI (Repeated in Session I)

Beth McCabe
2760

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way organizations find and hire talent. In this session, we’ll explore how employers can leverage AI tools to craft job descriptions, screen resumes, and evaluate candidates more efficiently. We’ll also look at how job seekers are using AI—from optimizing their applications to preparing for interviews—so you can stay one step ahead. Whether you’re just starting to explore AI or looking to refine your hiring strategy, this session will offer practical insights to help you streamline and strengthen your team-building process.

Using AI Tools to Gain Data Insights (Repeated in Session I)

Debora Ortloff
2780

In this session we will explore how to use different tools to explore data to process and find insights in a variety of data sets. We will work on combining data from different sources to move ahead more quickly to decision making.

Bonus Session

Making Work Easier: Everyday Tasks AI Can Help With

Aaron Proietti
Cafe

Sometimes it’s the little things that slow us down. This session shows practical ways to save time at work using free or low-cost tools. We’ll try turning notes into emails, writing policies, planning events, and even designing flyers on the spot.