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2026 - Chicagoland Technology Event - AI Inside the Agency & Bowling - Oak Brook - July 22

Pinstripes, Oak Brook, IL

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 1:00 PM - 6:30 PM iCalendar Central Standard Time

AI Inside the Agency

3 IL CE hours - Approved

About the Session

AI Inside the Agency is a working session, not a tour and not a pep talk. Instead of walking the room through a catalog of AI tools, it puts the agencies in the room to work on their own real problems, then asks where a tool actually fits. Problem first, tool second. That order is where most AI adoption either succeeds or quietly dies.

The session opens by setting a shared floor in plain language: what AI actually is, the line between a chatbot you talk to and an agentic system that works in the background, a clear privacy boundary for client and policy information, and the documentation principle that every practical use depends on. From there, the bulk of the time is live work. Owners surface the daily bottlenecks that make them want to pull their hair out, map a real workflow end to end, and find the specific points where a tool relieves the pain. The throughline is simple: AI handles the predictable, people hold the relationship, and the relationship is what an independent agency actually sells.

What you will take away

Every attendee leaves with working material, not notes on a vendor pitch:

• A shared, honest read on where AI is today and what it is not.

• A clear privacy floor for handling agency and client information before any tool touches it.

• The documentation principle made concrete, with examples to copy.

• At least one of their own workflows mapped end to end, with the tool fit identified.

• A repeatable method, the Good Day walk-back, that works on any workflow after they leave.

Stick around after the CE session for bowling, food, drinks and good times. We will bowl until 6:30, and then encourage groups to go out to dinner and take in the local area.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, be a part of this unique session and find out more here.

Pinstripes

7 Oakbrook Center Mall
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Map & Directions

	Price Level	Price
	Registration: Attendee Registration
	Member	$75.00
	Non-Member	$100.00

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Henry, Matthew

Speaker Profile

Matthew Henry is Co-Founder and CEO of EffiWise Solutions, the company behind EffiZoom, a digital workforce platform built for independent insurance agencies running AgencyZoom. Based in Belmont, Mississippi, Matthew spent nearly 15 years in sales leadership in the utility and construction equipment space before making the jump into technology and insurance. That jump started in the early days of AI. While most of the tools at the time were simple chat interfaces, Matthew saw where it was heading and knew the real value was in building tools around how the work actually gets done, not in the chat window itself. He learned by doing, building internal tools that amplified his own sales team while he was still in his corporate role. The EffiZoom story started when his lifelong friend from Belmont, Tamara Pharr, asked for help inside her agency, McWright Insurance Group. What began as solving one operational problem for one agency turned into something the wider independent channel needed. Today EffiZoom gives agencies a team of AI-powered digital workers that handle real agency workflows like pipeline management, client communication, and task execution, freeing producers and staff to spend more time with the people they actually serve. So far in 2026, Matthew has hosted a session at IndieTech, sat on the AI panel at Vertafore's Accelerate conference, and delivered the AI keynote at the Mississippi Insurance Alliance's annual meeting. At the heart of everything he builds is one belief: trust is the currency of the insurance industry, and the job of AI is to amplify the people who earn it, not replace them.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we strive to host inclusive and accessible events that enable all individuals, including those with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact us at by email or call (217) 793-6660. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.