Main Street Event AI Summit
Media contact: Quinn Karley, Founder, Main Street Event, [email protected]

AI Comes to Main Street: Rochester Working Conference Helps Local Businesses Decide When, and How to Use AI With Agency, Confidence and Community

This three part series moves attendees through an on-ramp to AI webinar, to the summit at the University of Rochester and continues with a 90 day follow up event and monthly meetups and programs. The goal is to send small and mid-sized organizations home with a written 90-day AI plan, a draft AI use guidelines and increased confidence and AI Discernment.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Main Street Event will host the Main Street Event AI Summit on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Richard Feldman Ballroom on the University of Rochester’s River Campus, in partnership with the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence with a virtual option for remote attendees. The one-day working conference helps owners, leaders, operators and nonprofit leaders move from AI curiosity to practical action. Attendees leave with a written 90-day AI plan, draft AI use guidelines and a clearer sense of when AI does and does not make sense for their organization.

The Summit is built for organizations of roughly 1 to 500 employees that may not have a large technology team but still need to make informed decisions about AI. No AI experience or technical background is required.

Throughout the day, attendees will explore practical uses of AI in communication, productivity, decision support, workflow improvement and operations. They will also build skills in prompting and in using AI as a thinking partner to generate ideas, challenge assumptions and work more effectively.

Rather than leaving with only notes and inspiration, participants will work through facilitated sessions to start their own AI adoption plan, in their virtual playbook including:
– An operational inventory to identify potential AI opportunities
– A realistic first use case to explore
– Practical guardrails for responsible use
– A comparison of AI tools based on business fit, cost, learning curve and data handling

The event is framed as an investment in Rochester’s small-business and nonprofit community. Speakers from local businesses, academia and the community will share real-world experience.

“We wanted to build a community where business owners could ask questions and figure out if, how and where AI makes sense for them,” said Quinn Karley, co-founder of Main Street Event. “Then they can walk out at 4 p.m. with something they could actually use the next day.”

The Summit is presented by Main Street Event with support from the New York State Center of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Rochester.

Confirmed speakers
– Josh Reynolds, Global Director, Software Development Companies, Microsoft
– Brian Piper, Founder, AIreFlow Solutions
– Quinn Karley, EdM, Founder, Mountain Rise Partners
– Megan Crawford, MBA, Marketing Technology Manager, ESL Federal Credit Union
– Demika Jackson, Founder and CEO, ReInVentU, LLC
– Deb Ross, CEO, Kids Out and About
– Tal Aizen, Consultant, Strategic Interests, LLC
– Donald LaFlam, Vice President of Operations, Palmer Food
– Tondreka Robles, Founder, Pathway Illumination, LLC
– William Hart, Platform Engineer, Rochester Institute of Technology
– Dave Ghidiu, AI ThinkTank Leader, Finger Lakes Community College

Event details
When: Friday, November 13, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Richard Feldman Ballroom, Frederick Douglass Building, University of Rochester River Campus, Rochester, NY – or virtual
Who: Owners, operators, leaders and decision-makers from organizations of about 1-500 employees; nonprofit leaders, economic development partners and students also welcome
Cost: $300 in person, $200 virtual; includes breakfast, lunch, all-day coffee and the AI Starter Playbook
Capacity: 200 in-person seats, 1,000 virtual seats
Registration: Mainstreetevent.com
About Main Street Event
Main Street Event is a veteran (Brian Piper) and woman (Quinn Karley) founded business that creates practical, community-centered programs to help Rochester-area small businesses and nonprofits put new technology to work. They host monthly AI Meetups, and events throughout the year.

Media resources
Available on request: high-resolution event logo and brand assets, speaker headshots and bios, the agenda PDF, and interviews with organizers or speakers.

Media contact
Quinn Karley, Founder, Main Street Event, [email protected]