The first day opened with a keynote that quite honestly took a while to find its feet. That said, there was one moment that made the whole room sit up — Mark Zuckerberg himself appeared on the video wall. Whatever your views on Meta as a business, there is something undeniably surreal about seeing the founder of one of the world's most influential companies address the room on screen. It set the tone for just how seriously Meta is investing in business messaging and AI right now. Day two kicked off with a keynote from Alex Schultz, Meta's Head of Analytics, and this is where things really started to move. Schultz painted a clear picture of where AI for business actually stands today. This is no longer a conversation about AI as a future concept. AI agents are autonomous systems that can take actions, make decisions and transact on behalf of a business. These are already live and operating right now. The example Robson-Scarborough found most striking: there are already daily occurrences where a team of AI agents working on behalf of a consumer, is transacting sales with other AI agents from a business. AI to AI. No human in the loop. It sounds like science fiction. But it isn't. The message from Schultz was not one of alarm — it was the opposite. Businesses are still at the very beginning of the AI agent revolution. The opportunity is not gone; it is right in front of them. The businesses that start building their AI infrastructure today are the ones that will lead tomorrow. For the remainder of day two, Robson-Scarborough attended seminars and workshops on business messaging through Meta and WhatsApp Business tools. One session run by Apurva Mudgal and Trapti Mulchandani from Meta's product teams covered the new WhatsApp Business features coming online and how they will support businesses of every size. It was also notable to see two women leading the conversation in a tech space — a welcome sign of the direction the industry is moving. The stats shared on consumer messaging behaviour were staggering. 83% of online adults message with a business at least once a week. 73% say that messaging a business online is their preferred method of contact. And 72% are more likely to purchase from a business that offers online messaging. Nearly three quarters of consumers prefer to message a business rather than call. Nearly three quarters are more likely to buy from a business that makes that easy. For franchise owners and small businesses not yet set up for WhatsApp Business or online messaging, the message is clear: revenue is already being left on the table. Robson-Scarborough left the conference with three clear actions for business owners to prioritise. First, take AI agents seriously. The shift is already happening. Consumers are increasingly being served by AI-powered messaging agents and the businesses deploying them are pulling ahead. This is not a trend to watch — it is one to join. Second, look at Meta's Business AI Agent. This is not a future product — it has launched and it is already making waves. The businesses experimenting with it now are building a competitive advantage that will be very hard to close later. Third, be prepared for significant Whatsapp Business updates coming to the platform, in particular on the web app desktop version. One of the most common objections Robson-Scarborough hears from other business owners is that AI feels cold and impersonal — not right for a business built on relationships and trust. Her response is straightforward. An AI agent built from a business's own tone of voice, values, FAQs and customer knowledge is not impersonal. It is an extension of the brand, available 24 hours a day, never tired, never off message. Used well, it does not replace the human touch — it protects the time of the people behind the business so they can use it where it matters most. The question is not whether AI business messaging fits a franchise or small business. It is whether owners are willing to build it properly. Robson-Scarborough's closing thought from two days at Meta Conversations 2026 is one franchise owners would do well to sit with: if you're building for now, you're already behind. Build for the future. The future is arriving faster than most businesses are ready for. But that, as she puts it, is exactly why now is the moment to start. Your Man With A Van is a UK-wide removals and logistics franchise network operating across 66 branches. Cat Robson-Scarborough is Co-Founder and Director of Your Man With a Van. For more information visit yourmanwithavan.com