The Opportunity
As the operator of Sofia Airport, SOF Connect is leading a complex business environment where speed, clarity, coordination, and better use of technology are becoming increasingly important.
AI was already part of the wider business conversation. The opportunity was to move beyond general interest and help leaders understand how AI can become a practical tool for everyday work, better decision-making, and team productivity.
The goal was not to present AI as a trend, but to help leaders explore where it can create real value in their roles, their teams, and the organisation.
AI was already part of the wider business conversation. The opportunity was to move beyond general interest and help leaders understand how AI can become a practical tool for everyday work, better decision-making, and team productivity.
The goal was not to present AI as a trend, but to help leaders explore where it can create real value in their roles, their teams, and the organisation.
The Smart Minds Approach
Smart Minds designed and delivered “Beyond the Hype: Making AI Work for You and Your Team” as an in-house leadership workshop for SOF Connect.
The session combined business context, practical demonstrations, interactive exercises, and hands-on prompting practice. The focus was on helping leaders understand what AI can and cannot do, where it fails, and how to use it with more confidence and critical thinking.
Participants explored AI through several practical angles:
The workshop also included a keynote on the path from data to wisdom, interactive AI exercises, scenario-based prompting, and functional team reflection on possible AI use cases.
The session combined business context, practical demonstrations, interactive exercises, and hands-on prompting practice. The focus was on helping leaders understand what AI can and cannot do, where it fails, and how to use it with more confidence and critical thinking.
Participants explored AI through several practical angles:
- demystifying how large language models work;
- identifying tasks where AI can reduce operational load;
- using AI as a leadership amplifier, not a replacement for human judgement;
- developing stronger prompting competence;
- applying AI to brainstorming, role-play, productivity, and everyday leadership situations.
The workshop also included a keynote on the path from data to wisdom, interactive AI exercises, scenario-based prompting, and functional team reflection on possible AI use cases.
The Outcomes
The process helped the leadership team:
The workshop shifted the conversation from abstract curiosity to practical application.
- build a clearer understanding of AI beyond the hype;
- identify where AI can support daily leadership work;
- practise more effective prompting techniques;
- explore practical use cases relevant to their own functions;
- reflect on the role of human judgement, ethics, and strategic thinking in AI-enabled work;
- create initial ideas for using AI as a partner in productivity, communication, and problem-solving.
The workshop shifted the conversation from abstract curiosity to practical application.
The Impact
By combining structured explanation with hands-on experimentation, SOF Connect’s leaders explored AI as a business enabler, not only as a technical topic.
The result was a stronger starting point for using AI with clarity, responsibility, and purpose - supporting leaders to reclaim time, improve thinking, and guide their teams in a digital-first environment.
The result was a stronger starting point for using AI with clarity, responsibility, and purpose - supporting leaders to reclaim time, improve thinking, and guide their teams in a digital-first environment.