Seriun launches sell-out AI event at Crow Wood Hotel

IT and cyber security specialists Seriun have launched their new AI initiative, Seriun Intelligence, with a sell-out event at Crow Wood Hotel in Burnley.

The event, Foundations for AI Success, was designed to help businesses understand where they are on their AI journey and how to move forward with confidence. Delegates explored AI readiness, cultural change, and the three phases of AI evolution, with the clear message that success comes from small steps, not giant leaps.

Seriun Directors, Mark Edwards and Richard Lee led insightful sessions covering practical steps to adopting AI safely and effectively. They introduced the framework of “AI Evolution,” beginning with “Pre-Phase 1” – focused on auditing internal processes, building an innovation-driven culture, and ensuring security readiness.

From there, they guided businesses through Phase I: Getting Started with AI – including tools like Microsoft Copilot, creating safe prompting environments, and developing AI policies.

In Phase II: Unlocking Advanced AI, the team demonstrated how to use Copilot Studio to build human-led AI agents that automate repetitive work.

Finally, Phase III: Shaping the Future of Work explored how businesses could eventually deploy AI agents that operate entire workflows, supported by tools like Power Apps and the wider Microsoft ecosystem.

Guest speakers added further expertise:

Guest speaker Clare Kay from Inturi Technology Solutions presented real-world examples of how Microsoft Power Platform tools - including Power Apps, Power BI and Azure Functions - are helping organisations streamline operations, improve reporting, and integrate systems.

She shared use cases ranging from logistics to charities, showing how low-code/no-code solutions are delivering real value.

Christine Lambe of East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce highlighted the importance of training and upskilling to support AI adoption, underlining that successful AI transformation is as much about people as it is about technology.

The event closed with AI surgeries - interactive roundtables where attendees discussed their own AI readiness, mapped challenges, and received tailored advice from Seriun’s expert team.

Bryn Speed, business development officer at Seriun, said: “The engagement was fantastic – it shows how much interest there is among businesses to embrace AI and integrate it seamlessly into their daily operations.

"Our aim is to unravel AI and give organisations the confidence to use it in ways that bring real value.”

Carole Hartley of Farnworth Rose said about the event: “It’s been very insightful and I’ll be taking a lot of the insights back to the office! The surgeries were useful and was nice to listen to other professionals around the table as to how they’re implementing AI in their businesses. It’s going to help us immensely from straight forward initial enquiries to reporting.

Following the success of this launch, Seriun has confirmed that further AI-focused events will be rolled out in the months ahead to continue supporting the region’s business community.