Most businesses have already run an AI pilot. Far fewer can say, with a straight face, exactly what it returned. If that gap sounds familiar, this free executive briefing in Calgary is built for you.
From AI Hype to AI ROI: How to Make the Business Case Work is a free, 60-minute session for CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and operations and innovation leaders who want a practical framework for deciding where AI actually pays off and where it quietly doesn’t.
What Is “From AI Hype to AI ROI”?
From AI Hype to AI ROI is a free executive briefing held in Calgary, Alberta, designed to help mid-sized business leaders separate AI initiatives that create measurable value from those that just look impressive. Rather than a technical AI demo or vendor pitch, the session is built around a single practical thesis: AI ROI doesn’t come from using AI it comes from improving a specific business decision, workflow, or constraint that has measurable economic value.
Event details:
- Format: In-person executive briefing, 60 minutes, plus Q&A
- Cost: Free
- Audience: CEOs, COOs, CFOs, operations leaders, and innovation leads at mid-sized businesses
- Date: August 28, 2026
- Location: Stew Hendry / Henry Viney Arena, Calgary, AB
- Register: Event Registration: FROM AI HYPE TO AI ROI – Fill out form
Who Should Attend This AI ROI Event?
This briefing is built for business leaders, not AI specialists. It’s a strong fit if you:
- Have run one or more AI pilots and struggled to quantify what they actually delivered
- Are under pressure from a board, ownership group, or competitors to “do something with AI” without a clear framework for deciding what
- Own budget or approval authority for AI-related spending and want a way to filter good use cases from expensive distractions
- Are responsible for governance, risk, or accountability as AI tools get adopted across a growing part of the business
No technical background is required. The session is deliberately built for decision-makers, not developers.
What Will Be Covered at the Event?
The 60-minute briefing moves through six practical stages, each built to leave attendees with something they can apply immediately:
- Why AI ROI is hard to prove. The common reasons AI pilots look impressive but fail as business cases — no baseline, no owner, and productivity gains that never get captured economically.
- The five AI value pools. A framework for where AI actually creates measurable value: productivity, capacity, speed, quality, and risk-adjusted performance.
- How to prioritize AI use cases. A practical 2×2 matrix, a five-question business case test, and a scoring method (WSJF) for ranking use cases by value versus effort so spending goes to the use cases most likely to pay off first.
- Why time saved isn’t automatically ROI. The difference between AI that saves time and AI that changes a business system enough for that time to become real margin.
- Decision quality and accountability. How to keep clear ownership and accountability for AI-supported decisions as adoption scales across a business a growing expectation from boards, regulators, and insurers alike.
- What can destroy an AI business case. A look at how bad data, false confidence, unclear ownership, and fraud including real, reported incidents of AI-enabled fraud can turn a promising AI initiative into a net loss.
The session closes with a live business-case clinic: attendees can bring a real process from their own business, and the group will test it against the five-question framework in real time.
Why Is This AI ROI Briefing Free?
The session is offered free of charge to make the framework accessible to as many Calgary-area business leaders as possible, particularly owners and executives at mid-sized businesses who may not have an internal AI strategy team. There is no sales pitch built into the agenda the goal is a working framework attendees can apply on Monday morning, regardless of whether they ever engage further.
How Is This Different From a Typical AI Conference Talk?
Most AI events are organized around technology new tools, new capabilities, new demos. This briefing is organized around a business decision: which AI use case is actually worth funding, and how do you know before you spend the budget. Fraud, security, and deepfake risk are addressed directly, but as examples of what can destroy an AI business case not as the headline. The starting point of the session, and the through line of every section, is value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this event really free? Yes. From AI Hype to AI ROI is free to attend. Registration is required due to limited seating.
Who is this AI event for? The session is built for CEOs, COOs, CFOs, operations leaders, and innovation leads at mid-sized businesses. It does not require a technical or AI background.
Do I need to bring anything? No preparation is required, but attendees are welcome to bring a specific business process or AI use case they’re evaluating it can be used as the live example during the closing business-case clinic.
Will this event cover AI security and fraud risks? Yes, as part of a broader section on what can undermine an AI business case, including a discussion of real, publicly reported AI-enabled fraud incidents. Security is treated as one factor in the overall ROI picture, not the focus of the session.
How long is the session? 60 minutes, including time for a live Q&A and business-case discussion at the end.
How do I register? Registration is available at Event Registration: FROM AI HYPE TO AI ROI – Fill out form. Seats are limited.
