Unscripted testimonials from the SHES 2026 Pre-Summit Workshop: what heartland business leaders learned about AI, what surprised them, and their honest feedback on hands-on AI training.
It’s easy for a training provider to claim a workshop worked. It’s far more convincing when the people in the room say it themselves. So after the SHES 2026 Pre-Summit Workshop, we asked attendees what they learned and what they really thought of the session, with no script and no talking points.
Their feedback revealed immediate business impact. A hardware retailer's team is now creating marketing content up to 70% faster, while an IT services firm identified its first AI project: automating customer updates and renewal reminders. A tuition centre founder shared that AI doesn't replace what you've built, it amplifies it, and a DBS banker warned that businesses that ignore AI risk falling behind in the long term.
The workshop itself also received consistently positive feedback. Participants described it as informative, step-by-step, and genuinely hands-on, with one recurring request: more time to explore and apply AI even further.
It’s easy for a training provider to claim a workshop worked. It’s far more convincing when the people in the room say it themselves. So after the SHES 2026 Pre-Summit Workshop, we asked attendees what they learned and what they really thought of the session, with no script and no talking points.
Read the full insights below to discover how participants are applying AI in their businesses!
Their feedback revealed immediate business impact. A hardware retailer's team is now creating marketing content up to 70% faster, while an IT services firm identified its first AI project: automating customer updates and renewal reminders. A tuition centre founder shared that AI doesn't replace what you've built, it amplifies it, and a DBS banker warned that businesses that ignore AI risk falling behind in the long term.
The workshop itself also received consistently positive feedback. Participants described it as informative, step-by-step, and genuinely hands-on, with one recurring request: more time to explore and apply AI even further.
Read the full insights below to discover how participants are applying AI in their businesses!
One participant from a hardware retailer walked in with a very real problem: a young marketing operation and a growing weekly backlog of content. What he took away from the session was practical, not theoretical.
One participant from a hardware retailer walked in with a very real problem: a young marketing operation and a growing weekly backlog of content. What he took away from the session was practical, not theoretical.
He’s now training his own team to use AI so they can publish more every week. That’s the outcome VisionAcademy designs for: the skill stays with the business, not with a vendor.
He’s now training his own team to use AI so they can publish more every week. That’s the outcome VisionAcademy designs for: the skill stays with the business, not with a vendor.
For Alvin Yap, Head of Operations at IT4U, the biggest opportunity wasn't marketing, it was operations. He wanted to reduce the manual work involved in maintaining customer records and managing renewal reminders. During the hands-on workshop, what stood out wasn't just the speed of AI, but how naturally it could understand context and respond to more sophisticated questions.
For Alvin Yap, Head of Operations at IT4U, the biggest opportunity wasn't marketing, it was operations. He wanted to reduce the manual work involved in maintaining customer records and managing renewal reminders. During the hands-on workshop, what stood out wasn't just the speed of AI, but how naturally it could understand context and respond to more sophisticated questions.
The experience shifted his perspective. Instead of seeing AI as a simple chatbot with scripted replies, he saw how modern AI assistants can understand context, hold more natural conversations, and support real business processes. For many participants, that realization is the moment AI transforms from an interesting technology into a practical business tool.
The experience shifted his perspective. Instead of seeing AI as a simple chatbot with scripted replies, he saw how modern AI assistants can understand context, hold more natural conversations, and support real business processes. For many participants, that realization is the moment AI transforms from an interesting technology into a practical business tool.
Not every takeaway was about saving hours. Chee Chin Young, Founder of Fun Learners’ School, left with a reframe that changes how a business should approach training in the first place:
Not every takeaway was about saving hours. Chee Chin Young, Founder of Fun Learners’ School, left with a reframe that changes how a business should approach training in the first place:
He also pointed to what surprised him most: building AI agents customised to a specific company’s needs, rather than generic chatbots. That distinction , between a tool employees actually use and one abandoned after week one , is exactly why VisionAcademy teaches leaders to build on their own business data, not on a demo dataset.
He also pointed to what surprised him most: building AI agents customised to a specific company’s needs, rather than generic chatbots. That distinction , between a tool employees actually use and one abandoned after week one , is exactly why VisionAcademy teaches leaders to build on their own business data, not on a demo dataset.
Daniel Li works in DBS’s Loans Department supporting SME businesses, which means he sees the financial realities of heartland firms every day. His takeaway was the most direct of the afternoon:
Daniel Li works in DBS’s Loans Department supporting SME businesses, which means he sees the financial realities of heartland firms every day. His takeaway was the most direct of the afternoon:
He framed it not as a prediction but as a pattern he already observes: businesses that learn early compound small efficiency gains into real competitive distance, while businesses that wait start from behind.
He framed it not as a prediction but as a pattern he already observes: businesses that learn early compound small efficiency gains into real competitive distance, while businesses that wait start from behind.
We also asked for unfiltered feedback on the training itself, what worked and what they'd change. The consensus on the format was clear. A participant from Unidbox Hardware described it as "very informative," highlighting the "step-by-step guidance" and the number of facilitators walking participants through each exercise. Chee Chin Young valued that "it allows you to try it yourself, you can do a quick setup, and instantly you can see the services." Daniel Li described it as "short, sweet, and also very interactive," with real hands-on time rather than passive listening.
Every one of these takeaways traces back to the way the session was taught. Leaders aligned AI to a specific friction point in their own business, adopted it hands-on in the room rather than watching a demonstration, and left ready to accelerate , with a working bot and a skill they can keep building on. That is the AI Success Blueprint , Align, Adopt, Accelerate , doing its job: not as slideware, but as something attendees describe in their own words weeks later.
We also asked for unfiltered feedback on the training itself, what worked and what they'd change. The consensus on the format was clear. A participant from Unidbox Hardware described it as "very informative," highlighting the "step-by-step guidance" and the number of facilitators walking participants through each exercise. Chee Chin Young valued that "it allows you to try it yourself, you can do a quick setup, and instantly you can see the services." Daniel Li described it as "short, sweet, and also very interactive," with real hands-on time rather than passive listening.
Every one of these takeaways traces back to the way the session was taught. Leaders aligned AI to a specific friction point in their own business, adopted it hands-on in the room rather than watching a demonstration, and left ready to accelerate , with a working bot and a skill they can keep building on. That is the AI Success Blueprint , Align, Adopt, Accelerate , doing its job: not as slideware, but as something attendees describe in their own words weeks later.
A heartfelt thank you to SHES 2026, The Federation of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore, and our partners BytePlus and DBS SME Banking for making this workshop and these conversations, possible.
A heartfelt thank you to SHES 2026, The Federation of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore, and our partners BytePlus and DBS SME Banking for making this workshop and these conversations, possible.
The most valuable takeaway wasn't what VisionAcademy said about the workshop. It was what the participants chose to say after experiencing it themselves. Different industries, different business challenges, yet the same conclusion: when leaders build AI with their own hands, they leave with the confidence to apply it in their business.
The most valuable takeaway wasn't what VisionAcademy said about the workshop. It was what the participants chose to say after experiencing it themselves. Different industries, different business challenges, yet the same conclusion: when leaders build AI with their own hands, they leave with the confidence to apply it in their business.
If you missed it: these testimonials are your preview. VisionAcademy runs AI Success Blueprint workshops regularly, and the same hands-on learning that won this room over can work for your team too.
If you missed it: these testimonials are your preview. VisionAcademy runs AI Success Blueprint workshops regularly, and the same hands-on learning that won this room over can work for your team too.
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