For most conferences, association meetings and leadership retreats, a hands-on AI workshop does more than a keynote. A keynote can reach a big room with one message. A workshop gets people practicing, so they leave able to do something different on Monday. The right choice depends on your audience's size, what they already know, and what you want them to walk away with.
This guide is for event planners, association boards, HR teams and anyone organizing a leadership retreat who has "something on AI" on the agenda. It covers what these sessions do for an organization, how the formats compare, and what to ask a prospective AI speaker. For the sessions Drew gives, see Speaking & Workshops.
How do AI workshops and talks help an organization?
A well-built AI session does more than inform people. When it works, five things happen.
People get a shared vocabulary. Half the friction around AI at work is people using the same words to mean different things. "Using AI" can mean anything from one chat a month to rebuilding a process. A session that gives everyone the same few terms makes every conversation afterward faster.
People practice instead of watching. Watching someone else use AI is like watching someone else exercise. A session where attendees try it on their own work, with help nearby, builds more than one where they take notes.
The room leaves with something it can do Monday. Not a list of tools to research later, but one small habit or task they can start right away.
Leaders and staff hear the same thing at the same time. When an executive team and their staff sit in the same session, nobody has to guess what leadership meant. That alone removes a lot of the hesitation people feel about using AI openly.
A takeaway keeps working after the session. A guide, a set of prompts, or a setup people can give their own AI assistant extends the session long past the hour on the agenda.
Keynote, workshop, webinar or leadership session: which fits?
Each format does a different job. Room sizes below are general, since the venue and setup matter as much as the headcount.
| Format | Best for | Room size | What people leave with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keynote or general session | Opening or closing a conference, setting a shared message | Large, from a full ballroom to an entire association | A clear idea, a shared vocabulary, and one thing to try |
| Workshop or breakout | Hands-on practice for people who will use AI | Small to mid-sized, seated at tables | A skill they practiced, on their own work, and a takeaway |
| Webinar | Spread-out audiences, member education, follow-up | Any size, online | A focused answer to one question, and a resource to keep |
| Leadership session | Executive teams, boards, leadership retreats | A small group around one table | Decisions on strategy, policy and how to support staff |
The short answer
If you're deciding between an AI speaker and an AI workshop, start with what you want people to do afterward. A keynote is the right choice when you need a large audience to hear the same message at once, such as an opening session that sets the tone for a conference. A workshop is the right choice when you want people to practice and leave able to do something new, because skill comes from doing, not watching. A webinar suits audiences spread across a region or members who need a focused answer to one question. A leadership session suits a board or executive team that needs to make decisions, not just learn. Many events combine formats: a general session for everyone, then a hands-on breakout for people who want to go further. Whatever you choose, ask what attendees will take home that keeps working after the session ends.
What should you ask a prospective AI speaker?
AI is a crowded speaking topic, and the sessions vary widely. These questions separate the useful from the noise.
Is it practical or promotional? Ask what attendees will be able to do afterward. If the answer is mostly about what AI will do to the world, expect inspiration without application. The best sessions are built so people leave able to do something differently.
Will they tailor it to your audience? A room of project managers, a room of higher-ed staff and a room of bankers have different jobs and different worries. Ask how the speaker adjusts the examples, the activities and the level. A speaker who gives the same talk everywhere will miss part of your room.
Do they leave something behind? A slide deck isn't a takeaway. Ask whether attendees get a guide, prompts built for their work, or something they can use with their own AI tools after the session.
Are they selling a tool? Some AI speakers represent a product. That isn't always a problem, but you should know. A session tied to one tool tends to teach the tool. A vendor-neutral session teaches people how to think about AI, whatever their organization ends up using.
It's also worth asking how they handle a mixed room. Most audiences include skeptics, beginners and people who use AI every day. A good session gives each of them something to do. We often open with a quick check-in on the AI Proficiency Scale so the room can see where it stands.
Where has Drew spoken recently?
Drew Bloom, Mosaic's founder, taught in Iowa public schools for five years before moving into automation consulting and leading innovation at Affinity, a legal-tech consultancy. He speaks the way he taught: practical, interactive and built around what the audience will do next. Recent sessions include:
- PMI Eastern Iowa Professional Development Day (October 16, 2026, Cedar Rapids): AI for Project Management: Conversations for Skeptics, Beginners, & AI Champions. Read our recap of the PMI Eastern Iowa session.
- A Claude for Legal webinar for law firms deciding whether and how to use AI tools safely, covering privacy, privilege and vendor policies.
- PMI Eastern Iowa chapter event (September 2025): Job-Seeking in the Age of AI, on resume tools, AI-assisted applications and how candidates can stand out.
- Iowa City West High School AVID sessions with seniors on consulting careers and how AI is changing what employers look for.
Will you come to our event?
We're glad to. We work with associations, conferences, schools and leadership teams, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and across Iowa, and beyond for the right event. Sessions run in person or online, and every one is shaped around your audience and what you want them to leave with.
If your goal is training a company's own staff rather than an event audience, that's a different engagement. Our guide to AI training for employees and our AI training page cover those options.
To talk about a keynote, workshop or webinar for your event, see Speaking & Workshops and tell us about your audience.