Executive Dinner
From Experimentation to Execution: Turning AI Into Measurable, Trusted Value
October 7, 2026 at 5:30 pm | Al Biernat's North | Dallas
The AI race is no longer about adoption. It's about proving and scaling value.
According to IDC research, enterprises have crossed the AI adoption tipping point, but value is still concentrated among a mature minority. Just 15% of organizations get measurable results from more than three-quarters of their AI projects, and 42% say measuring the ROI of their AI and digital investments is difficult or even impossible. The organizations pulling ahead are not the ones with the most models; they are the ones with the execution discipline, AI-ready data, and governance to turn pilots into production, from the enterprise core to the factory floor.
IDC and Fujitsu will convene a curated group of senior technology and business leaders for an evening of candid discussion, sharing intelligence, challenging assumptions, and leaving with a clearer path from AI experimentation to enterprise value.
For senior technology and business leaders,
the operative question has shifted from “Where do we start with AI?” to “How do we scale what works, prove its value, and do it responsibly?”
Worldwide AI IT spending is on track to nearly triple from roughly $430B in 2025 to about $1.3 trillion by2029, a 31.9% compound annual growth rate that far outpaces overall IT spending. The scale of investment confirms AI is now a board-level priority, not a line-of-business experiment.
The signal for senior leaders is clear: capital is flowing into AI faster than most organizations can absorb it. The advantage will go to those who convert that spend into production systems, measurable outcomes, and trusted, governed operations, across both the enterprise core and industrial operations.
Source: IDC Worldwide Artificial Intelligence IT Spending Forecast, 2025-2029
Discussion Themes
Four Conversations Every Senior Leader Should Be Having About AI Right Now
From experimentation to value realization
Why most AI value is still concentrated in a mature minority, and how leaders move pilots into production. What separates the organizations getting measurable outcomes from those still stuck in proof-of-concept.
Scaling AI across the enterprise
How leading organizations invest in agentic AI and AI-ready data foundations to scale beyond isolated wins. The organizational, data, and architecture decisions that make enterprise-wide AI possible.
Operational and industrial innovation
How AI is reshaping the factory floor and asset-intensive operations: predictive maintenance, quality, supply chain, and decision intelligence. Augmenting the workforce rather than replacing it and driving productivity and decision velocity.
Trust, governance, and measurable ROI
Why security, compliance, and reliability concerns gate AI at scale, and how leaders build responsible AI as a value-unlocking capability. Plus the hardest question of all: proving ROI when 42% of organizations say it is difficult or impossible.
What To Expect
An executive dinner led by a skilled moderator
An intimate gathering of senior IT leaders from diverse industries, grappling with similar issues
A secure, private conversation open only to a carefully vetted group
Your hosts
Kevin Prouty
Group Vice President & General Manager, Tech Buyer Business
IDC
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Kevin Prouty
Kevin Prouty is Group Vice President and General Manager for IDC’s Tech Buyer business unit. He is responsible for managing a global group of analysts and consultants that provide research-based advisory, benchmarking, consulting, and career development services for technology executives. Kevin also specializes in industrial and operational research.
BACKGROUND
Prior to his current role, Kevin led the worldwide manufacturing and energy research groups in IDC’s Industry Insights business. Before joining IDC he was SVP of Research at Aberdeen Group. He also spent over five years as Sr. Director of Manufacturing and Energy Solutions at Motorola and was the resident expert on technology’s role in continuous improvement. Prior to Motorola, he was Research Director for Manufacturing and Automotive at AMR Research and Gartner, where he spent a cumulative six years. Leading up to his research role, Kevin spent over 15 years as both a user and system integrator of operations software. Twelve of those years was as a plant manager and project manager at a global manufacturer, managing a large workforce and business that produced tooling for automotive and industrial companies. He was responsible for all automation of the facility and energy plant, including integration of automated process and information systems into all aspects of the business. In addition, Kevin helped lead the re -engineering team that implemented ERP and shop floor systems throughout the company. Kevin also managed the building, start up, and initial operation of a plant in China from 1992 to 1993.
Nicholas Lee
CEO
Fujitsu
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Nicholas Lee
Mark Smith
Principal, Business Innovation Group and Chief Technology Architect
Fujitsu
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Mark Smith
Johan Carstens
Head of Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing
Fujitsu
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Johan Carstens
Agenda
IDC Dinner in partnership with Fujitsu, Dallas
One Day Event
Networking Reception
A private reception bringing together senior executives and industry analysts to connect, exchange perspectives, and set context for the evening’s discussion.
Dinner & Discussion
A moderated, off‑the‑record discussion over dinner focused on real‑world execution challenges, emerging industry priorities, and their implications for enterprise leaders.
Event Concludes
The evening concludes with brief closing remarks and informal follow‑up conversations, reinforcing key takeaways and ongoing peer engagement.
Partner
Sponsored By
Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a world leader in technology and the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, with 124,000 employees working to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: AI, Quantum Inspired Computing, Converging Technologies such as Digital Twin, Data and security, and Networks, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation.
