What you’ll get
A fast, practical session built for SME owners and SLTs — not tool hype. Real local case studies, what worked (and what didn’t), and the first 2–3 moves you can take inside your business next week.

Why now
AI is already reshaping margins and workflows. This session cuts through the noise with plain-English examples and a panel of leaders putting AI to work inside NZ businesses.

Who this is for
SME owners, managing directors, SLT members (Ops, Finance, Marketing, CX), and team leads tasked with lifting productivity and capability.

Speakers (panel)

Blair Rooney — Head of Growth, Farm Focus
Agritech SaaS for farmers. How Farm Focus is applying AI across product, customer success, and growth to deliver tangible efficiency for NZ agriculture.
Hannah Hardy-Jones — Co-Founder & Director, Contended AI
Founder/operator perspective on using AI to scale smarter in HR/people contexts — from workflow redesign to safer, more consistent delivery.
Terry Williams-Willcocks — Chief Customer Officer, RUSH
Cross-industry view from a design/tech consultancy embedding AI into CX and service delivery, with lessons SMEs can adopt quickly.

Moderator: Ghanum Taylor - A.Icehouse

Hosted by: A.Icehouse

What you’ll learn

Where SMEs are getting the quickest wins (and where they’re not)
How to start with process + people, then tools — and avoid common pitfalls
Lightweight guardrails to keep experiments safe and on-brand
A simple 90-day adoption path you can tailor to your business

Agenda:

5:00 – 5:30 PM — Arrival, drinks & networking
5:30 – 5:40 PM — Welcome & framing (A.Icehouse)
5:40 – 6:25 PM — Panel discussion: AI in Action for NZ SMEs
6:25 – 6:50 PM — Audience Q&A
6:50 – 7:00 PM — Key takeaways & next steps (programmes kicking off in October)
7:00 – 7:30 PM — Networking

Reserve your free spot — seats are limited and these fill quickly.

Presented by:

A.Icehouse — Powered by Ten Past Tomorrow
A practical, tool-neutral initiative helping NZ SMEs build AI literacy, skills, and strategy — knowledge-first, not tools-first.

Contact

Ghanum Taylor — g.taylor@theicehouse.co.nz
General enquiries — marketing@theicehouse.co.nz

Refund policy

Free event — no refunds (please cancel if you can’t attend so we can release your seat).