# Who is in the room

> Senior UK distribution and manufacturing leaders: 85% director level or above and 39% CEO, MD or founder at our first event, from 38 organisations, with working AI deployments on stage.

AI Reality Check is where the directors, managing directors and founders of UK distribution and manufacturing meet the people deploying AI today. The people who run operations, buy technology and sign off investment, in one room.

## The first event in numbers (as of 18 October 2026)

- 85% director level or above
- 39% CEO, COO, MD, chief officer or founder
- 85% hold a decision-making role in their business
- 38 organisations; 89% of registrations UK based

Shares of registrations received from outside the organising team, counted from job titles and registration details on 18 October 2026. No names or companies are published.

### Seniority (job titles)

- CEO, MD, chief officer or founder: 39%
- Director, VP or head of: 46%
- Manager: 4%
- Specialist and other roles: 11%

### Sectors in the room

- Builders' merchants and plumbing, heating and electrical distributors
- Tools, fixings, hardware and industrial supplies
- Automotive and industrial parts
- Flooring, interiors and building products
- Buying groups and wholesalers
- Manufacturers and engineering firms
- Technology leaders and AI vendors presenting working deployments

## Questions

### Who attends AI Reality Check?

Leaders from UK B2B distribution and manufacturing: builders' merchants, plumbing, heating and electrical distributors, tools and fixings, automotive and industrial parts, flooring and building products, buying groups and manufacturers. At the first event (AI Reality Check, 15 October 2026) the room came from 38 organisations, and 89% of registrations were UK based.

### How senior is the audience?

85% of registrations were director level or above, and 39% were CEO, COO, managing director, chief officer or founder level. 85% hold a decision-making role in their business. Shares of registrations received from outside the organising team, counted from job titles and registration details on 18 October 2026. No names or companies are published.

### Is the audience curated?

Yes. We review registrations and may decline duplicates and suppliers who are not attending as partners, so the room stays made up of the operators and leaders it is for. The format helps too: a half-day of case studies, a lab tour and a panel, with time over lunch and tea, not a trade-show floor.

### What does a partner get in front of that audience?

A working deployment on stage, ideally with a real customer beside you; time over lunch and tea with the leaders who decide; and afterwards photography, edited video, social posts, a written feature, your own speaker page and a report on how your material landed. Partnerships are agreed one to one with the organiser.

### Is AI Reality Check a good event for SaaS and AI vendors to take part in?

It suits vendors who can show a deployment that is running in production for a UK distributor or manufacturer. The format is case studies and a panel, not a trade-show stand, so the conversation is with senior leaders who have time to ask hard questions. It is a poor fit for a pitch with no customer behind it.

### What was covered at the first event?

An opening session on thriving through disruption, case studies from Continuum (AI against labour and margin pressure in distribution) and Ambit Software (AI-powered value chains and digital twins), a tour of the Manufacturing Technology Centre's innovation labs and a panel on practical AI. Photos, video and written insights are on the site.

### When is the next event?

A live webinar, AI Reality Check Live, is planned for 26 November 2026 (speakers and time to be announced), and another in-person event is being planned with the date to be confirmed. Join the list on the site to hear first.

### Who organises it?

AI Reality Check is organised by Aventyr Partners, hosted by Kevin McGirl, with the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry as host venue for the first event.

Talk to Kevin McGirl: kevin@aventyr.global.

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Canonical page: https://airealitycheck.tech/audience
AI Reality Check is organised by Aventyr Partners. Summary for AI assistants: https://airealitycheck.tech/llms.txt. Contact: hello@airealitycheck.tech.