We hear about change constantly - new technology, new threats, new ways of working. But for many established SMEs, real change can feel difficult, disruptive and overwhelming. In this opening session, George sets the scene with real-world examples of why businesses often feel stuck in a state of paralysis: caught between the agility of a startup and the resources of a large enterprise.

George will explore key barriers that most often prevent change from happening (and sticking): a lack of education and awareness, the mindset and people element and a lack of structure and systems for managing change - regardless of the tools or technology involved.

Rolling out new software is rarely the hard part… getting people to adopt it is. In this session, Phil and Ryan walk through the practical change management process that drives real technology adoption. You’ll explore why projects fail even when the system is right, how to plan for adoption (not just installation) and how to communicate, train and support teams through go-live so the change delivers real outcomes - not resistance, workarounds or quiet non-adoption.

The session will also explore the critical go-live period and what happens next, focusing on how to measure success, address issues early and close the loop so new technology becomes part of everyday working, not another system people avoid.

Change is hard when teams aren’t aligned. Even with clear strategy and the right systems in place, progress often stalls when trust is low, communication breaks down, or people pull in different directions. In this session, Cat will explore why team alignment is such a critical factor in successful change and what leaders can do to create the conditions for teams to move forward together.

Drawing on her experience working with leadership teams across a wide range of organisations, Cat will share practical insight into building trust, strengthening accountability and creating genuine commitment during times of change. This is an approach The HBP Group has adopted with Cat’s support, offering leaders a proven way to bring people with them - so change becomes something the organisation does together, not something that happens in silos.

The cyber security landscape is changing fast. Attackers are no longer relying on noisy malware alone. They are using AI to impersonate people, manipulate trust and exploit the very security controls businesses rely on every day.

In this session, Sasha Roshan will break down how modern cyber-attacks work in the real world. Including how criminals can overcome protections like multi-factor authentication, not by breaking the technology, but by tricking the humans behind it.

Through eye-opening, live demonstrations, Sasha will show how AI powered techniques such as realistic voice cloning and token abuse are being used to bypass MFA, gain access to systems and move undetected inside organisations.

Sasha will finish with clear, practical steps you can take to strengthen your cyber defences, reduce human risk and make your business far harder to compromise.

Most Sage 200 customers don’t have a system problem, they have a usage problem. Over time, teams fall into habits, workarounds and “the way we’ve always done it”, meaning valuable features go unused simply because people don’t know they exist, don’t know how to use them or don’t realise the difference they can make.

In this session, Hayley will show how changing the way you use Sage 200 can transform day-to-day processes, improve visibility and help teams spot issues and deviations earlier - giving you more control when things don’t go to plan. You’ll explore practical ways to use Sage 200 more effectively, including smarter bank processing, improved analysis, better reporting options and features that make it easier for the right people to update information without slowing everything down.

If you choose this as your first breakout session, we recommend also signing up for Hayley’s Sage Intacct session next for a broader perspective on how modern finance teams approach system usage, visibility and control.

Sales order processing is a critical part of day-to-day operations but it can also be one of the biggest sources of friction, delays and manual admin. In this session, Steph will explore how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is evolving to support faster, smarter sales order processing, and what this means for businesses looking to improve efficiency without adding complexity.

You’ll see how AI can support this process in practical ways, including a demonstration of Business Central’s Sales Order Agent and how it can help teams automate routine steps, reduce errors and free up time for higher-value work. This session is designed to give Business Central customers a clearer view of what’s now possible and how to introduce these changes in a way that supports your people and strengthens your processes.

In growing businesses, budgeting can quickly become messy — multiple versions of the truth, inconsistent assumptions, and limited visibility once the year gets underway. This session is designed for Pegasus Opera 3 customers who want a more disciplined, structured approach to budgeting that supports better decisions and stronger financial control.

Rachelle and Kirsty will show how Pegasus Opera 3 can help you set clear budgets, track performance against plan and adjust forecasts when needed without creating unnecessary complexity.

AI tools like Microsoft Copilot are rapidly becoming part of everyday work, but many organisations still feel unsure where to start. The challenge isn’t access to the technology, it’s knowing how Copilot fits into existing roles, processes and ways of working without creating disruption or confusion.

In this session, Ingram Micro will explore practical, real-world use cases for Copilot and the common concerns leaders have when introducing AI into the workplace. You’ll gain clarity on how to roll Copilot out in a way that feels supportive, builds confidence and helps teams adapt to changing working patterns, without forcing change for the sake of it.

Many growing businesses reach a point where finance becomes harder to scale. Reporting lives in spreadsheets, processes rely on a few key individuals, and simple changes require manual work, workarounds, or too much time. That becomes a real risk during periods of change and it becomes even more visible when leadership teams start thinking seriously about succession planning and the long-term resilience of the business.

In this session, we’ll explore how a modern ERP like Sage Intacct helps finance teams build a more adaptable, structured way of working. You’ll see how real-time dashboards, flexible reporting, dimensions, approvals and workflows, automation and built-in controls make it easier to respond quickly when priorities shift, without losing visibility or control. The focus is on what changes when finance is no longer dependent on individuals and spreadsheets, and how the right system can help businesses stay confident, resilient, and ready for whatever comes next.

Sales order processing is a critical part of day-to-day operations but it can also be one of the biggest sources of friction, delays and manual admin. In this session, Steph will explore how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is evolving to support faster, smarter sales order processing, and what this means for businesses looking to improve efficiency without adding complexity.

You’ll see how AI can support this process in practical ways, including a demonstration of Business Central’s Sales Order Agent and how it can help teams automate routine steps, reduce errors and free up time for higher-value work. This session is designed to give Business Central customers a clearer view of what’s now possible and how to introduce these changes in a way that supports your people and strengthens your processes.

In growing businesses, budgeting can quickly become messy — multiple versions of the truth, inconsistent assumptions, and limited visibility once the year gets underway. This session is designed for Pegasus Opera 3 customers who want a more disciplined, structured approach to budgeting that supports better decisions and stronger financial control.

Rachelle will show how Pegasus Opera 3 can help you set clear budgets, track performance against plan and adjust forecasts when needed without creating unnecessary complexity.

The cyber security landscape is changing fast. Attackers are no longer relying on noisy malware alone. They are using AI to impersonate people, manipulate trust and exploit the very security controls businesses rely on every day.

In this session, Sasha Roshan will break down how modern cyber-attacks work in the real world. Including how criminals can overcome protections like multi-factor authentication, not by breaking the technology, but by tricking the humans behind it.

Through eye-opening, live demonstrations, Sasha will show how AI powered techniques such as realistic voice cloning and token abuse are being used to bypass MFA, gain access to systems and move undetected inside organisations.

Sasha will finish with clear, practical steps you can take to strengthen your cyber defences, reduce human risk and make your business far harder to compromise.

Change only works when it turns into action, and that requires structure, clarity and consistent execution. In this session, George introduces the EOS model as a practical framework for keeping your leadership team aligned, your priorities clear and your business moving forward through change. EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, is a simple set of tools and disciplines designed to help leadership teams run the business with focus, accountability and a shared rhythm.

George will share how The HBP Group has used EOS as the foundation for driving and managing change, and how established SMEs can apply the same principles to create momentum, strengthen accountability and ensure progress doesn’t stall once the initial excitement fades. You’ll gain insight into how EOS helps teams focus on what matters most, communicate more effectively and turn big plans into measurable progress week after week.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and for many businesses, Excel is the ultimate “old dog”. It’s familiar, trusted and deeply embedded in day-to-day work. But even for confident Excel users, analysis, reporting and data clean-up can still be time-consuming, repetitive, and dependent on a small number of “power users”. With Copilot, that’s changing, creating an entirely new way to work with data inside a tool people already know and love.

In this session, we’ll demonstrate how Copilot in Microsoft Excel can support everyday work by helping users analyse data faster, uncover insights, build formulas, summarise information and explore trends using natural language. Whether you’re an Excel expert or someone who’s always relied on others for the complicated parts, you’ll see how Copilot is reshaping what’s possible in Excel, making it easier for teams to get answers and make better decisions with confidence.

PowerPoint is one of the most familiar tools in business, yet most teams aren’t using half of what it can do. As information increases and attention becomes harder to hold, the way we communicate matters more than ever. The difference between a presentation that lands and one that gets ignored is rarely design…it’s structure, clarity and intent.

In this session, we’ll explore practical ways to use PowerPoint more effectively in day-to-day work. You’ll learn how to structure slides so messages are clear, present information in a way that supports decision-making, and avoid the common pitfalls that cause good ideas to get lost. The aim isn’t to make presentations more complex — it’s to help your message land quickly, clearly and confidently.

AI tools like Microsoft Copilot are rapidly becoming part of everyday work, but many organisations still feel unsure where to start. The challenge isn’t access to the technology, it’s knowing how Copilot fits into existing roles, processes and ways of working without creating disruption or confusion.

In this session, Ingram Micro will explore practical, real-world use cases for Copilot and the common concerns leaders have when introducing AI into the workplace. You’ll gain clarity on how to roll Copilot out in a way that feels supportive, builds confidence and helps teams adapt to changing working patterns, without forcing change for the sake of it.

Change only works when it turns into action, and that requires structure, clarity and consistent execution. In this session, George introduces the EOS model as a practical framework for keeping your leadership team aligned, your priorities clear and your business moving forward through change. EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, is a simple set of tools and disciplines designed to help leadership teams run the business with focus, accountability and a shared rhythm.

George will share how The HBP Group has used EOS as the foundation for driving and managing change, and how established SMEs can apply the same principles to create momentum, strengthen accountability and ensure progress doesn’t stall once the initial excitement fades. You’ll gain insight into how EOS helps teams focus on what matters most, communicate more effectively and turn big plans into measurable progress week after week.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and for many businesses, Excel is the ultimate “old dog”. It’s familiar, trusted and deeply embedded in day-to-day work. But even for confident Excel users, analysis, reporting and data clean-up can still be time-consuming, repetitive, and dependent on a small number of “power users”. With Copilot, that’s changing, creating an entirely new way to work with data inside a tool people already know and love.

In this session, we’ll demonstrate how Copilot in Microsoft Excel can support everyday work by helping users analyse data faster, uncover insights, build formulas, summarise information and explore trends using natural language. Whether you’re an Excel expert or someone who’s always relied on others for the complicated parts, you’ll see how Copilot is reshaping what’s possible in Excel, making it easier for teams to get answers and make better decisions with confidence.

PowerPoint is one of the most familiar tools in business, yet most teams aren’t using half of what it can do. As information increases and attention becomes harder to hold, the way we communicate matters more than ever. The difference between a presentation that lands and one that gets ignored is rarely design…it’s structure, clarity and intent.

In this session, we’ll explore practical ways to use PowerPoint more effectively in day-to-day work. You’ll learn how to structure slides so messages are clear, present information in a way that supports decision-making, and avoid the common pitfalls that cause good ideas to get lost. The aim isn’t to make presentations more complex — it’s to help your message land quickly, clearly and confidently.