THIS month’s Hour of Power on Wednesday, April 9 will be a presentation on lessons of compassion and how to boost business and personal brands through social media and AI.

The key speakers will be Pham Group operations and marketing manager Matthew Huy Pham, who owns the Midland SUPA IGA, and Midland Meals founder Loren Pratt.

Mr Pham said his presentation will be about the use of social media and artificial intelligence to assist in business operation.

“Social media and AI aren’t just buzzwords – they’re essential tools for growth, visibility, and efficiency,” he said.

“We live in a digital world, and the businesses that embrace these tools will have a clear advantage.

“I’ve built this approach myself, as a business owner and entrepreneur.

“I’ll be sharing the basics, the lessons I’ve learnt, and practical tips for anyone – even if they’re starting from scratch.”

Mr Pratt said he’ll be talking about his life story and the ups and downs of his journey that has led him to running Midland Meals and feeding the homeless.

“When I had a marriage break-up, I didn’t want to see anyone for three weeks, but somebody said to me, ‘I’ll knock your door down if you don’t answer’,” he said.

“So I let him in, and he sat there for four hours and just listened to me.

“Then he took me out to his farm, put me on his tractor and I went round the paddock with him, and I was alright because I had people at the right moments when I was having pivotal change points in my life.

“Now I want to be that person in others’ lives.”

Mr Pratt said he’d been in Midland for six years now and he’s seen stories of influence return to him in that time which he’d like to share.

“What I realised is that you never touch a person so lightly that you don’t leave a trace,” he said.

“In other words, if you reach out and touch people in love or with goodwill, they always respond, whether now or in six years’ time, it never ever goes nowhere.”

The event will be held at the Crooked Spire in Midland at 10.30am.