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Strategic IT outlook: Tech conferences and events calendar
Tech conferences are a vital way for CIOs and IT leaders to keep abreast of trends and make real-life connections in a fast-changing business climate.
In today's climate of uncertainty and rapidly evolving technologies, the cost for CIOs of falling behind is higher than ever.
Technology industry conferences and events offer the best opportunities for CIOs to stay ahead of the curve and gain a deeper understanding of how to align emerging innovations with business value.
While there's a wealth of technical information you can gather at a quality technology conference, there are other good reasons to attend. Conferences provide opportunities to engage directly with peers, industry experts, potential vendors and other technology and business leaders to discuss similar challenges, build best practices and compare strategies.
Here are some conferences and events that CIOs will want to put on their calendars.
If you have a tech conference or event that you would like to appear in this calendar, email [email protected]. Check in frequently for conference calendar updates.
CIO Summit 2026 New York
When: May 14, 2026
Where: New York City
Cost: Free.
Topics covered include CIO strategy; CIO risk; CIO growth; technical debt strategy; and building digital-ready teams.
Conference speakers include Meredith Whalen -- chief research and data officer, IDC.; Alessandro Perilli -- vice president, enterprise AI strategies, IDC; Rafail Portnoy -- chief technology officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority; and Tony Olvet -- group vice president, worldwide C-suite and digital business research, IDC.
Extras: networking breakfast, networking lunch, and interactive roundtables.
Register for CIO Summit 2026 New York here.
AI and Big Data Expo North America
When: May 18-19, 2026
Where: San Jose, Calif.
Cost: Free to attend free sessions; $699 to attend free and paid sessions.
Topics include AI strategy; enterprise transformation; autonomous intelligence; enterprise AI ROI; the future of AI; AI and developers.
Speakers include Franziska Bell -- chief AI, data and analytics officer, Ford Motor Co.; Lutz Beck -- CIO, Daimler Truck North America; Rahul Priyadarshi -- chief architect, VISA; Nitin Kumar -- director of data science and GenAI, Marriott International; Saima Shafiq -- senior vice president, head of AI enablement, US Bank; Ed Clark -- CIO, California State University.
Extras: learning hubs, startup zone, networking drinks.
Register for AI and Big Data Expo North America here.
MIT Sloan CIO Symposium
When: May 19, 2026
Where: Cambridge, Mass.
Cost: TBA.
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Find out more about MIT Sloan CIO Symposium here.
FinOps X 2026
When: June 8-11, 2026
Where: San Diego, Calif.
Cost: From $499 to $1,999.
Topics include FinOps for SaaS; FinOps adoption; AI for FinOps; FinOps for data centers; running FinOps at scale.
Speakers include Pooja Jumar -- vice president and chief technology officer, Prudential; Andrew Feig -- managing director and chief operating officer, FinOps strategy and practice lead for global technology, JPMorganChase; Anuthama Chandrasekaran -- senior director and head of DevOps and site reliability engineering, S&P Global; Ron Tatro -- director of technology, Target; Courtney Totten -- chief technology officer, Shutterstock; and Dann Berg -- cloud FinOps lead, Squarespace.
Extras: welcome reception, networking sessions, closing party.
Register for FinOps Ex 2026 here.
American CIO and Cybersecurity Summit
When: June 9-10, 2026
Where: San Francisco
Topics covered include cybersecurity, AI; digital transformation; and data management.
Conference speakers include AJ Debole -- field CISO, Oracle; Lee Parrish -- CISO, Newell Brands; Roy Luongo -- CISO, U.S. Secret Service; and Jennifer Zmuda -- CIO, UnitedHealth Group.
Register for American CIO and Cybersecurity Summit here.
Info-Tech Live 2026
When: June 9-11, 2026
Where: Las Vegas
Cost: $4,675.
Topics covered include AI; agentic AI; workflows; HR technologies; marketing technologies.
Speakers include Antonia Donaldson -- director analyst, Gartner; Brian Andersen -- senior director, Gartner; Viktoria Boyle -- vice president, Gartner; Elliott Long -- director, Gartner.
Extras: workshops, analyst one-on-ones, industry roundtables, peer networking sessions.
Register for Info-Tech Live here.
Gartner Enterprise Risk, Audit and Compliance Conference 2026
When: Sept. 15-16, 2026
Where: Grapevine, Texas.
Cost: $4,350.
Topics include third-party risk management; business risk ownership; emerging risk landscape; employee engagement and compliance.
Speakers include Antonia Donaldson -- director analyst, Gartner; Brian Andersen -- senior director, Gartner; Viktoria Boyle -- vice president, Gartner; Elliott Long -- director, Gartner.
Extras: Gartner expert one-on-one briefings, ask the expert sessions, workshops, and social events.
Register for Gartner Enterprise Risk, Audit and Compliance Conference 2026 here.
Forrester Technology & Innovation Forum Central
When: Sept. 14-15, 2026
Where: Austin, Texas
Cost: TBA
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Get more information about this event here.
Dreamforce
When: Sept. 15-17, 2026
Where: San Francisco
Cost: TBA
Topics covered include agentic AI development with Agentforce; AI development for the contact center, customer experience and field service management; Data Cloud; and Tableau analytics and insights.
Conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Save the date for Dreamforce here.
InfoSec World
When: Oct. 12-14, 2026
Where: Kissimmee, Fla.
Cost: $3,395, early bird; $4,195, standard.
Topics covered include AI regulation, bad actors, AI and the c-suite, AI security threats, and AI privacy and security.
Conference speakers include Mark Clancy -- chief security officer, T-Mobile; Akhila Nama --director and global head of enterprise security, Box; Candice Biamby -- vice president and project manager, cyber threat intelligence, JP Morgan Chase & Co.; and Jason Mortenson - director, strategic information security, Lenovo.
Register for InfoSec World here.
Gartner IT Symposium/Expo
When: Oct. 19-22, 2026
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Cost: $8,200, standard; $5,925, public sector.
Topics covered include top technology trends for 2026; agentic AI; overcoming resistance and building enthusiasm for AI adoption; and leading CIOs through uncertainty.
Conference speakers include Gartner staff, such as Kristin Moyer -- distinguished vice president analyst; Daryl Plummer -- distinguished vice president analyst; Tori Paulman -- vice president analyst; and Gabriela Vogel -- vice president analyst.
Register for Gartner IT Symposium/Expo here.
Securing New Ground
When: Oct. 20-21, 2026
Where: New York City
Cost: TBA
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Extras: networking breaks and receptions.
Find out more about Securing New Ground here.
Gartner HR Symposium/Expo
When: Oct. 26-28, 2026
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Cost: $4,875, early bird; $5,475, standard; $4,440, public sector.
Topics covered include HR's new domain in the AI era; navigating the multi-generational workplace; and building a growth-ready workforce in the AI era.
Conference speakers include Gartner staff, such as Jana Alancheril -- senior director, advisory; Brent Cassell -- vice president, advisory; Ingrid Laman -- vice president, advisory; and Gaston Gomez Armesto -- senior director, advisory.
Extras: networking receptions.
Register for Gartner HR Symposium/Expo here.
Oracle AI World
When: Oct. 26-29, 2026
Where: Las Vegas
Cost: TBA
Topics covered at this event include Oracle vision and strategy, AI development in Oracle applications, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure development.
Conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Extras: networking breaks and receptions.
Find out more about Oracle AI World here.
The Studio
When: Oct. 26-28, 2026
Where: TBA
Cost: free, but via approved application only.
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Apply to attend The Studio here.
ICMI Contact Center Expo
When: Oct. 26-29, 2026
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Cost: TBA
This is a contact center-focused event, with practitioner-led case studies and tours of contact centers. Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Find out more about ICMI Contact Center Expo here.
GitHub Universe
When: Oct. 28-29, 2026
Where: San Francisco
Cost: TBA
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Sign up to find out when registration opens for GitHub Universe here.
Forrester Technology & Innovation Forum East
When: Nov. 4-5, 2026
Where: New York City
Cost: TBA
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Find out more about this event here.
Microsoft Ignite
When: Nov. 17-20, 2026
Where: San Francisco
Cost: TBA
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Find out more about Microsoft Ignite here.
Forbes CIO Summit 2026
When: Nov. 11, 2026
Where: New York City and virtual
Cost: TBA
Topics covered include agentic AI, mitigating AI and the future of IT.
Agenda and conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Extras: networking sessions.
Find out more about the Forbes CIO Summit here.
AWS Re:Invent
When: Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2026
Where: Las Vegas
Cost: TBA
Topics covered include AWS cloud innovation strategy and roadmap; AWS cloud architecture; and AWS AI tools and agents.
Conference speakers have not yet been announced.
Subscribe to updates for AWS Re:Invent here.
