Thursday, November 12, 2026
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Fort Tectoria, 777 Fort Street, Victoria, BC (open in Google Maps)
2 min walk. 6 locations within 5 min.
Free Event
Unavailable
Organizer(s): VIATEC
Hosts: Rob Cooper on LinkedIn, Steve Harris on LinkedIn
Featuring: Mark Shepard on LinkedIn
Mark Shepard's talk covers the step after chatting with ChatGPT. He shows how a non-technical owner sets up an always-on AI assistant connected to the tools they already use. One rule keeps it in check. The assistant drafts, and a person approves anything that goes out. Mark describes running his own business on a team of AI assistants, and his examples come from it. One is a morning brief that reads his calendar and inboxes and proposes decisions. The talk runs about 24 minutes with a live demo, followed by questions, and needs no code or prior setup. Presentations start at noon in the Shaw Conference Room, with the Fort Cafe on site for a bite.
Who's in the room: Marketers, owners and consultants who already use ChatGPT and want to know what else it can do.
Anu's Take
Small business owners, this is a good use of a lunch hour. For most owners I work with, time and trust hold them back on AI, and an assistant that waits for your yes before anything is sent goes a long way on trust. Come see how Mark sets his up, and bring a job to hand off.
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Published Tuesday, October 20, 2026 by Anu Jolliffe on LinkedIn
Handing an assistant one boring, repeatable job first is where I'd start too, since a clear, repeatable process is sign five on my list of signs a business is ready for AI.