Cut through the noisy AI headlines to focus on how AI can create real value (rather than just sheer volume) for your business and team. In this session, Adya from the National AI Centre shares insights from SMEs across the country and keeps it practical. From identifying problems worth solving, supporting your team to adapt and essential practices for using AI safely and responsibly. 

Who it's for: Owners and managers of small and medium businesses at any stage of AI adoption, whether you're just curious or already experimenting.

You'll leave with:

• Insights from Australian businesses applying AI  
• Practical ways to bring your team along
• Essential practices for using AI safely and responsibly

There's no single right way to adopt AI. Where you start depends on your business and the tools you already use. But the goal is always small steps that compound. In this session, Boris Bozic from Thinkmill walks through three common starting points, with relatable, real-world examples:

1. From zero to one: start with an AI assistant, then progressively connect it to your email, documents and business know-how, safely.
2. Automating repetitive work: pick an AI-friendly job and let an AI agent handle the manual steps that you wish were already automated, freeing your team for more valuable work.
3. Rolling out AI in software you buy: use the AI features in software you buy, while protecting your data and meeting your obligations.

For owners and managers of businesses at the early stage of AI adoption. You'll leave knowing which starting point best fits your business and how you take the first safe step.

This session explores how AI will shape the future of shift-based businesses, where work happens in stores, venues, care settings and on the move, not behind a desk.

Designed for small business owners, operational leaders, store managers and HR teams, Ciaran will explain why frontline AI must be embedded in the everyday systems that run a business: rosters, time clocks, timesheets and compliance processes. Through practical examples, he will show how AI can help managers respond to sick calls, fill shifts, balance labour costs and make better decisions with the right information at hand.

Attendees will learn how to introduce AI safely, establish clear ownership across operations, HR and IT, and protect both data and employee trust. The session will also provide a practical 90-day roadmap for automating routine administration while keeping human judgment at the centre of every important decision.

This session explores what we’re seeing from increasingly capable AI models, emerging threats and opportunities, and how small business can you can leverage AI to uplift cyber resilience and defence.

What happens when you give Australia’s most ambitious small businesses access to next-generation AI? They make "more possible." This dynamic panel brings together Google  experts alongside trailblazing Google Accelerator alumni and small businesses to share their honest, first-hand journeys of adopting AI. From automating daily admin to scaling operations, discover the tangible strategies, real-world use cases, and lessons learned by local businesses using AI to drive economic growth and build lasting digital capability.

In today’s fast-moving market, small and medium businesses (SMBs) face an unprecedented dilemma: traditional job boards deliver high application volumes without high match quality, leaving lean business teams drowning in administration while top talent slips away. Meanwhile, enterprise giants leverage massive budgets to win the recruitment arms race.

In this 30-minute keynote, David Holland (MD of Talent at Employment Hero) reveals how SMBs can turn AI from a buzzword into a true competitive advantage. Technology shouldn't replace  human connections; it should expand human capacity, eliminating recruitment friction so business leaders can focus on building high-value teams. Drawing on insights from Employment Hero’s ecosystem (connecting over 350,000 businesses with millions of job seekers) David will demonstrate how AI tools like SARA, AI shortlisting and intelligent candidate matching level the playing field for growing businesses.

Key takeaways:

• Navigating the AI Arms Race: Why traditional job boards fail SMBs, and how AI-native talent ecosystems are replacing manual resume hunting.
• Intelligent Talent Sourcing: How Employment Hero’s 2.3M+ talent pool and embedded AI tools deliver candidate conversion rates 2.7x higher than third-party job sites.
• Real-World Impact (Customer Stories): Practical proof points showing how businesses streamline hiring workflows - from automated screening and instant intelligence to AI-driven candidate engagement without losing the human touch.
• Actionable First Steps: Practical strategies for SMB owners to adopt AI recruitment capabilities immediately, cutting down time-to-hire and reducing manual administrative drag.

As a small business owner, you wear every hat—from accountant to marketer. But what if you had a 24/7 AI-powered collaborator?

Join Google expert Bec Turner for a practical, human-centric masterclass designed to turn AI curiosity into business performance.

Using the practical frameworks from Google’s AI Academy Handbook, this hands-on workshop will show you how to leverage Gemini to conquer daily admin, draft high-quality content, and unlock hours of deep-work time. This is a practical session for real business owners ready to do more.

What you can expect:

• Master top prompting tips —learn how to speak naturally to Gemini, keep the conversation going, and iterate to get professional-grade results.

• See live demonstrations of the Gemini app, Google Workspace with Gemini, and NotebookLM for automating repetitive admin and generating marketing content.

• Discover how to confidently protect your business's privacy and security, address data bias, and evaluate AI content for accuracy.

Nobody starts a business to spend their evenings chasing invoices, sorting receipts and wondering whether last month was actually profitable. Yet for most owners, that's where more than half the week goes.

Join Xero's Jenny Tran (Product), Grace Gown (Global Public Policy) and Gianni Panetta (Small Business Onboarding) for a relaxed, practical conversation about what AI in your accounting software can do for you today, which jobs it can genuinely handle, and where your own judgement matters most.

Who it's for: owners and operators at any stage, whether you're already comfortable with technology or just getting started. Bring your questions, big or small. A laptop or phone is optional but encouraged.

You'll leave with:

• A clear picture of what AI can and can't do for your finances
• Practical ways to spend less time on invoicing, bills and reconciliation
• One small win completed before you walk out the door 

Want to start using AI in your business but not sure where to begin? This small-group session, run in partnership with the Future Skills Organisation (FSO), gives you a clear, practical starting point.

Who it's for: Owners and managers of small and medium businesses who are new to AI or already experimenting without a clear plan. No technical background needed.

Key takeaways: Using the free, government-backed SME AI Coach, you'll:

• assess your business's AI readiness
• receive tailored, practical coaching
• identify two or three safe use cases to trial straight away
• draft an AI policy for your business
• leave with a personalised summary and clear next steps

Nobody starts a business to spend their evenings chasing invoices, sorting receipts and wondering whether last month was actually profitable. Yet for most owners, that's where more than half the week goes.

Join Xero's Jenny Tran (Product), Grace Gown (Global Public Policy) and Gianni Panetta (Small Business Onboarding) for a relaxed, practical conversation about what AI in your accounting software can do for you today, which jobs it can genuinely handle, and where your own judgement matters most.

Who it's for: owners and operators at any stage, whether you're already comfortable with technology or just getting started. Bring your questions, big or small. A laptop or phone is optional but encouraged.

You'll leave with:

• A clear picture of what AI can and can't do for your finances
• Practical ways to spend less time on invoicing, bills and reconciliation
• One small win completed before you walk out the door