How to Launch an AI Educate Day: Behind the Scenes at ELMO Software

Since AI was introduced, it’s quickly turned from ‘nice-to-have’ to business critical. To embed it meaningfully at ELMO, we recently ran a company-wide initiative to help employees embrace artificial intelligence in their roles.

For organisations like ours, it isn’t simply about adopting new tools, it’s also about building the team’s confidence and curiosity to ensure we’re really getting the most out of every new AI solution and fresh way of working.

To get on top of all things AI, we created a “big bang” moment to help accelerate this shift –  Educate Day! It was a dedicated day for our people to come together to demystify AI, learn about ELMO’s own approach, and experiment with new ways of working safely, securely, and responsibly.Our Educate Day happened to spark curiosity during our recent Performance + AI webinar, and many attendees asked us how we did it. In this blog, we’ll share a behind-the-scenes look at how we designed, launched, and delivered Educate Day, which we hope will give you some ideas you can adapt for your own organisation.

What was the vision and purpose?

From the outset this wasn’t just going to be a bland intro to AI tools. Our People and Culture team desired more than just a ‘knowledge transfer’. Instead, we had a set of crystal clear goals:

• Equip employees with practical understanding of AI and automation in a safe, secure and responsible way
• Build confidence to navigate change at a time when the future of work feels uncertain
• Create a shared understanding of ELMO’s evolving vision
• Strengthen human connection through face to face learning across our office locations
• Drive adoption of our AI and automation tools
• Accelerate implementation by lowering barriers and mindsets around experimentation

At its core, Educate Day was all about living our company values and really leaning into innovation as part of our growth strategy.

How did we plan the day?

To get the ball rolling, we ignited early conversations around why a dedicated day made more sense than scattered learning sessions. Instead, we decided that a single, immersive experience would build momentum, spark excitement, and make space for employees to focus without distraction.

We created a working group to pull together the content from a variety of perspectives, including People and Culture, IT, and senior leaders. We made sure that people across various functions came together to shape the day, with inclusivity, accessibility, and engagement guiding every decision. We really wanted employees to feel empowered to choose their own adventure by opting into sessions that spoke to them personally, while still being connected to the broader vision.

(ELMO Educate Day Program)

How did we design the experience?

Everyone absorbs knowledge differently and nobody wants to hear a presenter speak at them all day. To break it up, impart different types of lessons, and get people involved, we set out to create a mixed approach. Throughout the day we had:

• Workshops: interactive, scenario based sessions designed to build real skills
• Keynotes: internal leaders and external experts offered fresh perspectives and inspiration
• Employee voice: internal experts shaped sessions, answered questions, and showcased use cases
• Practical relevance: the focus was on how AI fits into daily work, from approved tools to tips for maximising impact

We ended up with a really diverse program, from hands-on Gemini sessions to coding dojos, that helped employees see how AI could apply directly to their roles.

Launch and participation

From the outset we knew that a successful day hinged on creating a real buzz, and we would highly recommend aiming for a high level of excitement when you host your own day. To get to that outcome, we stoked curiosity early through frequent Town Halls, Slack updates, AI tips, and leadership communication.

The response was incredible. Participation was strong across all teams and offices, and the energy was palpable.

One standout moment was the Gemini session that demonstrated a much sharper way to prompt. Employees explored real life use cases and shifted from scattergun prompting to a more structured and effective approach.

The ELMO ‘Hackathon’ finals capped off the day with team creativity and collaboration on full display, a true celebration of what’s possible when you create a space for your people (and their ideas) to shine. 

Outcomes and reflections

Feedback from our employees was overwhelmingly positive. People loved the mix of energy, in office connection, and external voices who shared their own AI journeys. Most importantly, they walked away with practical ways to apply AI in their daily work.

The impact was measurable too. In the two weeks following Educate Day, Gemini usage rose by 38%, speaking directly to how these sessions can inspire action and confidence. It was great to cement ELMO’s strategy and direction around AI and there’s little doubt it also helped allay some fears around roles being taken.

Of course, there were lessons. If we were to do it again, we would allocate more time. It was a bit too packed. The appetite to attend every session was clear, whereas we opted for a level of choice in which sessions people could attend, which is a good problem to have.

Seven tips to create your own Educate Day

With the breadth and depth of AIs impact across a plethora of industries, we highly recommend holding your own Educate Day. So, if you’re thinking about running something similar, here are a few lessons  from our own journey that may be of assistance:

1. Be clear in your strategy: ensure you have a strong idea of where and how you want to incorporate AI.
2. Keep it simple: start with one or two themes
3. Involve employees: profile internal expertise and invite participation in design
4. Blend inspiration with action: keynotes are powerful, but practical workshops cement learning
5. Mix it up: use different delivery methods such as panels, fireside chats, and hands on tool sessions
6. Make it inclusive: ensure relevance for every employee, regardless of role
7. Listen and adapt: gather feedback to refine future learning days

Start planning your own day

Educate Day was a significant milestone for us in our mission of continual evolution and adaptation, but it’s just the beginning. At ELMO, we’re committed to equipping our people, and yours, for the AI powered future while keeping humans at the heart. The question for you is: how could an Educate Day look in your organisation? With the right vision and approach, you can spark the same curiosity, confidence, and adoption that we have seen across our own teams.