Event Programme

22 - 23 January 2026 | ITE College Central

Day 1: 22 January 2026

9:00
Registration (Morning Tea Break Served)
10:00
Arrival of MOS Jasmin Lau

Ms Jasmin Lau

Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Education

10:05
Welcome Speech

Mr Peter Lam

Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Technical Education (ITE)

10:10
Welcome Speech

Mr Ang Yuit

President, ASME

10:15
Opening Speech

Ms Jasmin Lau

Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Education

10:25
Keynote Presentation

Dr Benny Ho

Assistant Director, ITE College Central & Co-Director, SME@AITE

Mr Pulse Tan

Chair, Digitalisation, AI and Cybersecurity (DAIS) Action Group, ASME & Co-Director, SME@AITE

10:40
ASME & Lenovo Singapore MOU Signing
11:00
Panel Discussion
From Queue To Conversation: AI Co-pilots For F&B Service And Sales

Labour shortages hit F&B twice - on the shopfloor and online. This panel will show how small and micro F&B businesses can use AI to run an "always on" digital front-of-house that handles discovery, reservations, enquiries, reviews, and simple upselling across platforms.

Speakers will walk through real examples where AI agents sit on top of existing tools such as ordering apps, WhatsApp, social media, and review platforms. They will highlight how workflows changed end to end - from the moment a diner discovers the brand, to booking, pre visit nudges, in store operations, and post meal feedback.

Panelist: Bijan Catering - Mr Eugene Aw, Director

Panelist: Haskyos - Mr Lionel Ang, Director

Panelist: Parrot Social - Ms Hamidah Aidillah Mustafa, Founder

Moderator: Ms Diko Kissimon, Global Head of Client Accounts, NAS Daily

11:45
Break
12:00
Panel Discussion
From Consultation to Conversion: Using AI for Hyper-Personalised Wellness Journeys

Personalisation is the engine of loyalty in wellness and beauty. This panel will explore how studios, clinics, and salons can use AI to manage the full client journey - from first enquiry to package utilisation and long term retention.

Speakers will show how AI supports day to day workflows such as smart scheduling, treatment planning, package tracking, and follow up nudges that keep clients coming back. They will also cover how wellness businesses collect and use client data responsibly, staying compliant with PDPA while tailoring services.

A key focus will be how roles such as front desk staff or therapists have evolved into AI bilingual client journey managers who configure automations, interpret insights, and keep the human touch at every step.

Panelist: Cerulean Capital - Mr Henry Kwek, CEO (Member of Parliament, Kebun Baru SMC)

Panelist: CrossTrack Pte Ltd - Mr Kay Ong, Co-Founder

Panelist: Sunway Intgen - Mr Eric Sng, CEO

Moderator: Mr Dion Eng, Founder & CEO, Next Loop

12:45
Break
13:00
Panel Discussion
Inventory Intelligence and Shopper Insights: AI to Compete with E-Commerce Giants

Local retailers face thin margins and intense competition from global platforms. This session will show how AI can help small and mid sized retailers run sharper stores, both online and offline.

The discussion will cover practical use cases such as demand forecasting, automated replenishment, dynamic pricing, and computer vision that maps shopper movement to improve layout and merchandising. Panelists will share before and after stories of how they changed buying cycles, promotions, and store operations once AI insights became part of daily decision making.

We will also look at how the traditional store supervisor or merchandiser role is evolving into an AI bilingual retail planner who works with data dashboards, pricing engines, and recommendation tools.

Panelist: Jumpstart Commerce - Mr Xavier Lee, Co-Founder & CEO

Panelist: Good Bards - Mr Alan Ho, CEO and Co-Founder

Panelist: Searix - Mr Lance Ng, Founder and CEO

Moderator: Mr Edmund Vong, Senior Lecturer, School of Business and Services, ITE

13:45
Lunch
15:00
Panel Discussion
Always On Outreach: Using AI Agents To Run SME Sales And Marketing Workflows

For SMEs, sales and marketing teams are often just one or two people juggling everything from social media to proposals. This panel will explore how AI agents can act as an "extra teammate" that watches multiple channels, drafts content, surfaces leads, and suggests next best actions - while humans focus on strategy and relationships.

The discussion will follow a full workflow: social listening and discovery, lead capture, follow up messages, campaign content, and simple performance reporting. Speakers will share how they plugged AI into existing stacks like CRM, email tools, and social platforms, and what had to change in their daily routines once an agent started handling repetitive tasks.

A key focus will be on job redesign - how roles such as marketing executive, sales coordinator, or founder-led sales have evolved into AI bilingual growth operators who orchestrate agents, set prompts and guardrails, and interpret insights for the business.

Panelist: 91 Branding and Marketing - Mr Pulse Tan, Managing Director

Panelist: Straits Interactive - Mr Alvin Toh, Chief Marketing Officer & Head of International Operations

Panelist: The Marketing Room - Ms Naeema Ismail, Singapore CEO

Moderator: Ms Audrey Chia, Founder, Close with Copy

15:45
Break
16:00
Panel Discussion
AI as a Legal Shield: Automating Due Diligence and Compliance Monitoring for SMEs

Regulation is getting more complex, yet most SMEs cannot afford large legal or compliance teams. This session will explore how AI powered RegTech can act as a practical shield - reading contracts, flagging risks, and tracking regulatory changes in the background.

Panelists will share examples of AI assisted contract review, policy drafting, PDPA impact checks, and monitoring of new rules that affect employment, data protection, or sector specific licensing. They will show how workflows changed when an AI tool could highlight issues before they became disputes or fines.

The session will also discuss the emergence of AI bilingual compliance coordinators - HR, legal, or admin staff whose jobs now include configuring rules, reviewing alerts, and escalating only the most critical issues to external counsel.

Panelist: Elitez Group - Mr Eevann Seah, Associate Director

Panelist: ITE College Central - Dr Benny Ho, Assistant Director

Panelist: Incisive Law - Mr Walter Alexander, Director & Head of Corporate

Moderator: Mr Anthony Lim, APAC Legal Counsel, at Black Duck Software

16:45
Break
17:00
Panel Discussion
Beyond Spreadsheets: Automating Compliance and Finding Insights with AI in Finance

Accounting and finance teams in SMEs spend too much time chasing paperwork and too little time advising the business. This panel will explore how digital rails such as IMDA's InvoiceNow e-invoicing network, combined with AI enabled tools, can automate routine finance work while surfacing better insights for decision making.

They will share concrete examples of how finance teams changed their daily routines once e-invoicing and AI tools were in place – from chasing documents and keying data, to reviewing exceptions, monitoring cash positions and advising owners on next steps.

The panel will also highlight the emergence of AI bilingual finance operations roles, where accounts executives and how finance staff are upskilled.

Panelist: OA Group - Mr Alan Chang, Group CEO

Panelist: PIVOT Fintech - Mr Victor Lye, Founder & CEO (Members of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC)

Panelist: IMDA - Mr Siraj Iqbal, Assistant Director, E-Invoice Project Office

Moderator: Mr Sebastian Tay, Founder, VYPE Consulting

17:45
END OF DAY 1

Day 2: 23 January 2026

9:00
Registration (Morning Tea Break Served)
10:00
Panel Discussion
From Blueprints to Breakthroughs: AI-Driven Design and Predictive Maintenance

Engineering firms balance safety, cost, and speed. This panel will show how AI can help small and mid sized engineering companies improve design quality, documentation, and asset reliability without adding headcount.

Speakers will discuss use cases such as AI assisted design checks, code and standard lookups, automated generation of drawings and documentation, and predictive maintenance models that highlight issues before they become failures. They will explain how these tools are being embedded into existing CAD, project management, and maintenance workflows rather than replacing them.

We will also look at how the role of project engineers and planners is changing, with a new expectation that they become AI bilingual professionals who can prompt models intelligently, interpret outputs, and work with operations and safety teams.

Panelist: QuikBot Technologies - Mr Alan Ng, Founder & CEO

Panelist: OPSWAT - Mr Eric Tan, Regional Sales Director, Asia

Moderator: Ms Cheryl Lau, Podcaster & Producer, Edit History

10:45
Break
11:00
Panel Discussion
The Factory Floor of Tomorrow: Implementing Narrow AI for Quality Control and Scheduling

Manufacturing SMEs often operate with tight manpower and aging equipment. This session will explore how narrow AI tools can improve quality, scheduling, and safety without requiring a full smart factory rebuild.

Panelists will share examples such as computer vision for defect detection, AI based production scheduling that balances urgent orders with machine constraints, and simple anomaly alerts for equipment, energy use, or EHS incidents. They will walk through how data from existing machines and sensors was brought together, and how line supervisors started using dashboards instead of paper logs.

A key storyline will be the shift in roles from traditional planner or supervisor to AI bilingual production coordinator who manages digital boards, sets thresholds, and works with management to act on insights.

Panelist: ADL Capital Group Limited - Mr Chan Han Meng, Founder and Managing Director

Panelist: Lenovo Singapore - Mr Nigel Lee, Country General Manager

Panelist: Cosmostar - Ms Angy Ang, Change Management Manager

Moderator: Mr Dennis Mark, CEO, Singapore Manufacturing Federation

11:45
Break
12:00
Panel Discussion
Supply Chain Agility: Using AI for Route Optimization and Warehouse Efficiency

Logistics SMEs underpin Singapore's role as a hub but face rising costs and service expectations. This panel will explore how AI can make routing, fleet management, and warehouse operations more agile and predictable for small and mid sized players.

Speakers will discuss use cases such as dynamic route planning, load and driver allocation, ETA prediction, exception handling, and AI assisted warehouse slotting and picking. They will share concrete examples of how dispatchers, planners, and warehouse supervisors changed their daily workflows once AI tools began offering real time suggestions and alerts.

The panel will also highlight the emergence of AI bilingual logistics control roles, where staff oversee multiple systems, interpret dashboards, and coordinate responses across transport and warehouse teams.

Panelist: Pilotpulse - Mr Chong Kian Soh, Founder & Director

Panelist: Lenovo Singapore - Mr Nigel Lee, Country General Manager

Panelist: Go-Genie - Mr Marcus Lim, Co-Founder

Moderator: Ms Cynthia Mark, Head of Digitalisation, Innovation and Data, Jurong Port

12:45
END OF DAY 2 MORNING SESSION/LUNCH