Skip to main content
2026 Annual Employee Ownership Conference Main banner
Back

Panel Proposals

Operational Excellence

Beyond the Hype: Practical AI Plays for ESOP Marketing and Sales Leaders

Tuesday, April 7, 2026
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CDT
Location: Baird Ballroom F
CE: 1
CE Type: SHRM
Education Level: For All Levels
AI is changing how people find and understand companies—from traditional search results to AI-generated summaries. For employee-owned businesses, this shift raises an urgent question: How do we make sure our companies, products, and stories stay discoverable in an AI-driven world?

This session introduces GEO (generative engine optimization) as the emerging layer beyond SEO (search engine optimization) and explores how GEO can help your company improve visibility, strengthen messaging, and reduce marketing costs.
Attendees will leave with practical tools to:
• Assess their current SEO/GEO readiness.
• Build a roadmap for sustainable AI integration.
• Use a strategy-first mindset to turn AI experiments into long-term, measurable results.

You will leave with a clear understanding of how to stay visible, relevant, and competitive in an AI-driven search landscape—even without a large marketing team.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand how SEO and GEO intersect—and why traditional SEO alone is no longer enough to ensure visibility in AI-driven search environments.
  2. Identify key steps to evaluate your company’s SEO/GEO readiness and create a roadmap for improving online discoverability and customer acquisition.
  3. Apply a strategy-first approach to integrating AI tools so that experimentation evolves into sustainable, high-impact marketing practices.