The Velvet Desk

AI WorkshopsOctober 14, 2026

AI for
Business.

A hands-on guide to today’s most powerful AI tools—and where they can fit into your work or business. No technical background required.

Reserve your seat See what you’ll learn
Date
Wed, October 14
Time
6:00–8:00 PM
Format
San Diego + online
The Velvet Desk01

A hands-on guide

AI for
Business.
October 14, 2026Hybrid
In person + online Bring your laptop
01The premise

Find what is useful. Then try it yourself.

AI is moving fast. We will move beyond ChatGPT to explore the major categories of modern AI through practical demonstrations and hands-on exercises. You will see how the tools compare, where they fit, and how to bring useful workflows back to your work.

What you will leave with

Confidence you can
put to work.

01

A map of the landscape

Understand the major categories of AI, what each one does well, and how the leading tools differ.

02

Hands-on experience

Use the tools during guided exercises instead of watching another presentation about what AI might do.

03

Practical workflows

Leave with useful ways to research, create, analyze, automate, and communicate in your own work.

04

A quick-start guide

Take home a clear reference so you can keep practicing and put what you learned to work immediately.

02Inside the workshop

The tools shaping work right now.

We will compare categories, demonstrate leading tools, and put the most useful ideas into practice throughout the session.

  1. 01

    Text AI & large language models

    ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other leading models. Learn how they can be used beyond answering everyday questions.

  2. 02

    AI search & research

    Explore Perplexity, NotebookLM, Consensus, and Elicit for deep research, source-based answers, document analysis, and organizing what you find.

  3. 03

    Image AI

    Generate and edit images indistinguishable from reality. Learn how instructions, references, and style choices affect the result.

  4. 04

    Video AI

    See how today’s frontier video generators compare and where AI video can fit into marketing, training, and creative work.

  5. 05

    Voice, audio & music

    Explore voice cloning, conversational AI, and music generation.

  6. 06

    AI coding & app building

    See how a clear idea can become a working website, internal tool, or app live on the internet.

  7. 07

    Automation & AI agents

    You will have access to your own personal assistant that can take action on your behalf. It operates from its own computer and can do almost anything you need it to do digitally. We will help you set it up for day-to-day tasks and show you how to use it responsibly.

  8. 08

    Data & documents

    Use AI to work with PDFs, spreadsheets, reports, and business information.

  9. 09

    Sales, marketing & customer service

    Explore practical workflows you can bring back to your business for lead research, content, outreach, follow-up, and customer support.

Made for beginners

Curious is
qualified.

This workshop is for business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, creators, and anyone who wants to become comfortable using AI before it becomes an expected part of everyday work.

What to bring

  • 01A laptop and charger
  • 02Your curiosity
  • 03A real task or idea to explore

No coding and no prior AI experience required. We will send a simple setup note before the session.

03Admission

Choose how you want to join us.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 from 6:00–8:00 PM. Attend in person in San Diego or join the live online session.

Early birdLimited availability
In personSan Diego · Venue to be announced
$75
OnlineLive workshop access
$30
Regular admission$97 in person · $45 online
Book in person on Eventbrite Join online or share your workshop goals

Limited in-person seats available. Secure payment is handled by Eventbrite.

Good to know

A few answers
before you ask.

Do I need any AI experience?

No. This workshop begins with the fundamentals and assumes you are new to the tools.

Will I need to know how to code?

No. The exercises focus on everyday knowledge work and use conversational AI tools.

Is this a lecture?

No. Concepts are taught in short sections, followed by live examples and guided practice on your laptop.

How does the hybrid format work?

You can attend in person at our San Diego venue or join the workshop live online. Connection details and the final venue will be sent before the event.

What happens after I reserve?

In-person tickets and payment are confirmed through Eventbrite. If you are joining online or want us to tailor the workshop around your goals, complete our short workshop questionnaire and we will follow up by email.

Can you run this workshop for a team?

Yes. Private sessions can be adapted around your team’s roles, tools, and real workflows.