About the Event

You are cordially invited to join us for our next Midday Masterclass, conducted by James Cook University. Beyond the AI Hype - Making Smarter Technology Decisions for Your Business. 

In this hands-on workshop, participants will bring a real marketing challenge and work through a practical framework based on PhD research into how regional SMEs evaluate, trust and adopt AI and automation. The session will also introduce JCU’s PhD@Work program, showing how businesses can partner with PhD researchers to tackle real organisational challenges and build innovation and capability.

Cut through the AI hype and focus on what really works for your business.In this hands-on workshop, participants will bring a real marketing challenge and work through a practical framework based on PhD research into how regional SMEs evaluate, trust and adopt AI and automation. 

Presenters:

• Gabby Ryan, Manager, Graduate Research School, James Cook University
• Rachel Hay, Associate Dean Research, James Cook University
• Naomi Porter, PhD Candidate,  and founder of Spread the Word Marketing

Key learnings:

• How to assess whether an AI or marketing tool is right for your business
• The questions to ask before investing in new technology
• How to measure whether a tool has actually delivered value
• Practical ways to reduce administrative workload and improve productivity
• How AI, systems and workplace learning can create capacity for higher-value work
• Where to start on your journey to becoming a future-ready business

No laptops are required, with the session designed around easy-to-use paper-based resources, although attendees are welcome to bring a device if they wish.

Why this workshop is essential for anyone responsible for marketing:

• You're constantly being sold new AI and marketing tools and need a way to separate hype from value.
• Marketing budgets are limited, and every investment needs to deliver measurable results.
• You want to improve productivity without adding complexity to your business.
• You're looking for practical ways to reduce administrative workload and focus on higher-value activities.
• You need confidence in deciding what technology to adopt, what to ignore and what to test.
• You want a clear starting point for using AI and automation in your marketing.

Event Speakers

Event Sponsors