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6 monthly sessions at Epicenter Memphis

Fully sponsored, hands-on AI Action Labs.

For working professionals, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and the unemployed. Six monthly sessions, one Wednesday a month, June through December 2026. Two and a half hours each of real hands-on work with a different AI tool every month. No coding background required.

See the six sessions →
Jun 24NotebookLM
Jul 29AI Search
Aug 26Gemini Canvas
Sep 30claude.ai
Oct 28Claude Cowork
Dec 2Claude for Excel

Who this is for

  • Working professionals in any role.
  • Entrepreneurs and founders.
  • Small business owners.
  • Unemployed and exploring what's next.

What you walk out with

  • A real piece of work you built in the room.
  • A Vista Data coach at your shoulder while you build it.
  • A take-home runbook for every tool we cover.
  • The confidence that you can do this on your own.
The six sessions

Each session is independent. Come to one, or come to all six.

Wednesday
24
June 2026
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT
NotebookLM by Google Free tool

Fundamentals with NotebookLM

NotebookLM is Google's AI research assistant. You upload sources (PDFs, links, notes, videos), the notebook reads them carefully, and you ask it questions, build a study guide, or have it turn everything into a ten-minute audio overview that sounds like two podcast hosts discussing your material. In this session you will build your own notebook, on your own topic, from your own sources.

You will leave with:a personal NotebookLM notebook plus a 10-minute audio overview of your topic.
Bring:a laptop, a Google account, and 3 to 5 source documents on a topic.
RSVP for June 24 →
25 sponsored seats. AddEvent closes RSVPs when full.
Wednesday
29
July 2026
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT
Google Search + Gemini Free tool

AI Mode and Deep Research: a new way to search

The way we search the web is changing. Google now has an AI Mode that answers your question conversationally instead of giving you ten blue links. Gemini has a Deep Research feature that goes off, reads dozens of sources for you, and writes you a full research report. You will run your real questions through both and learn the habits that keep AI-assisted search honest.

You will leave with:a full Deep Research report on a real question of yours, and a checklist for verifying AI-generated answers.
Bring:a laptop, a Google account, and two or three questions you have been wanting a real answer to.
RSVP for July 29 →
25 sponsored seats. AddEvent closes RSVPs when full.
Wednesday
26
August 2026
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT
Gemini Canvas by Google Free tool

Creating with Gemini Canvas

Canvas is a side-by-side creating surface inside the Gemini app. Instead of chatting with the AI, you work on one panel and Gemini works alongside you in the other. Bring a project you want to build (a one-pager, a landing page, a draft, a short interactive prototype) and create it together. You will learn what Canvas is good at, where it gets in the way, and when to reach for it in real work.

You will leave with:a polished version of one piece of your own writing.
Bring:a laptop, a Google account, and a draft of something you would like to make better.
RSVP for August 26 →
25 sponsored seats. AddEvent closes RSVPs when full.
Wednesday
30
September 2026
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT
claude.ai by Anthropic Free account works

Getting Started with claude.ai

Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant. It is known for careful writing, long-context reading (it can hold a 200-page document in mind), and a feature called Projects that lets you set up a custom Claude tuned to one of your jobs. You will set up a claude.ai account, learn what Claude is best at compared to Gemini and ChatGPT, and build your first Claude Project.

You will leave with:a working Claude Project configured with your own files and instructions.
Bring:a laptop and 3 to 5 reference files about one job you do regularly.
RSVP for September 30 →
25 sponsored seats. AddEvent closes RSVPs when full.
Wednesday
28
October 2026
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT
Claude Cowork by Anthropic Free account works for basics

Working with Claude Cowork

Claude Cowork is Anthropic's collaborative workspace. It is the layer that turns Claude from a chat window into a shared place to do work: connectors that plug Claude into your existing tools, skills that teach Claude how your team works, and shared context that means you don't have to re-explain yourself every time you open a new conversation.

You will leave with:a working Cowork setup connected to at least one of your tools.
Bring:a laptop, a Claude account, and a list of the tools you spend the most time in.
RSVP for October 28 →
25 sponsored seats. AddEvent closes RSVPs when full.
Wednesday
2
December 2026
11:00 AM – 1:30 PM CT
Claude for Excel by Anthropic Paid Claude plan required

Spreadsheets with Claude for Excel

Claude for Excel is the version of Claude that lives inside your spreadsheet. You can ask it to clean a messy dataset, build a model, summarize what is going on, write the formulas for you, or check your work. It reads the sheet directly. You will bring a real spreadsheet and work through five common spreadsheet jobs with Claude.

You will leave with:a finished spreadsheet built or cleaned by Claude, plus the five most useful prompts for spreadsheet work.
Bring:a laptop, a paid Claude account (Pro or higher), and one spreadsheet you have been meaning to fix.
RSVP for December 2 →
25 sponsored seats. AddEvent closes RSVPs when full.
How a session runs

A predictable shape, every time.

1

Context and walkthrough

What the tool is. Why it matters. A live walkthrough so you see what you're about to do before you have to do it.

2

You work inside the tool

Hands-on. On your own laptop. On your own material when possible. With Vista Data coaches in the room moving from table to table.

3

A portfolio piece in your own context

Every session ends with something real you built in your own context: a research notebook for your topic, a draft of your document, a spreadsheet you actually use, a project on your laptop. Not a throwaway demo. Something you keep and build on.

Questions

Frequently asked.

No. Each session is independent. Come to the ones that matter to you. If you come to all six, you will have used a different AI tool every month and built six real things, but that is up to you.
The seats are fully sponsored. There is no cost to attend. You do need to RSVP because seats are limited to 25 per session.
Yes. The sessions are built for mixed skill levels, with a baseline of "new to AI." Vista Data coaches are in the room moving between tables so you never get stuck for long. The format is designed so the person at the next table being more experienced doesn't slow you down.
One of the six. December 2 (Claude for Excel) requires a paid Claude plan, because Claude for Excel is a paid feature. The other five sessions work with free accounts. After you RSVP for the paid-account session, you will get a confirmation email with a link to set up an account if you need one.
Epicenter Memphis, 150 Peabody Place, Lower Level, Memphis, TN 38103. Room: the Innovation Center. Parking is at McCall Garage and Blues Garage at 149 Peabody Place, just steps away. 250 Peabody Place Garage is the backup if the primary garage is full.
Use the cancel link in your confirmation email so we can open your seat to someone on the waitlist. Sessions are not recorded, so you cannot catch up later. The next session is one month away.
No. The room is the room. We do this so people feel comfortable bringing real work and asking real questions without worrying about a video showing up later.
Twenty-five. Hard cap. Once a session is full, we open a waitlist for that date.
Email labs@vistadata.io. The same email goes out as the day-of contact in your two-hour reminder.
The partnership

Two organizations. One community series.

About Vista Data

Vista Data teaches generative AI to non-technical working professionals. The programs are hands-on, cohort-based, and built around the tools and workflows students will use the Monday after the session. Public workshops, private team labs, and longer-form academies for organizations across the Mid-South.

vistadata.io →

About Epicenter Memphis

Epicenter Memphis is the innovation hub of the Delta. It exists to ensure that founders of innovative businesses have what they need to develop, launch, and grow their ventures in the Greater Memphis region. From start-up to scale-up, Memphis makes it happen.

epicentermemphis.org →