AI has been everywhere this year — yet many hospitality leaders still feel like they’re already behind. In this session, Sona Co-Founder & CTO Ben Dixon explains why 2026 is the year AI will start delivering real, practical value for hospitality teams.

Ben will demystify what AI actually is (and what it’s not), what changed in 2025 to unlock its potential, and why the biggest impact will come from collaboration, not replacement. He’ll share examples of how AI is already helping managers reduce costs through smarter forecasting, labour and stock decisions, while driving growth through better guest experiences, personalisation and team upskilling.

The result is a new standard of management, where every manager can make decisions like your very best one does today, and clear next steps on how to start taking advantage of it now.