2026 is just around the corner . . .

It’s hard to believe that we are already almost half-way through the year – which means that 2026 is indeed, just around the corner. This time of the year, we begin getting deep into planning for the next U.S. conference. A new theme is in place. Graphics are in the works. And it is time for prospective speakers to begin thinking about topics that will resonate with the entire audience next year.

The conference theme has not been announced yet, but I’ll give you a hint – it has to do with the convergence of retail and financial institution ATMs. The continuing decline in the number of bank branches is putting pressure on IADs to fill the financial transaction gap with retail ATMs, capable of recycling and other advanced functionality. Consumer and small business expectations even include the availability of cash deposits.

How will all of this impact your clients and consumers? How will it impact the industry? What does the path forward look like?

These are all potentially great topics for the 2026 educational program. That program offers three distinct formats to inform and educate conference participants – workshops, breakout tracks, and plenary sessions. ATMIA offers up to four pre-conference workshops that are 3-hour deep-dives on a particular topic. Breakout tracks for IADs and ISOs, financial institutions, and the general ATM industry. Then wrapping up the final day with plenary sessions of general interest.

The Call for Speakers will go out in the next couple of weeks. So it’s not too early to start thinking about a topic or two for one of those sessions. We select speakers for only 24 sessions, plus the workshops – which means that opportunities are limited. An early submission improves your chances of being selected.

More information will be provided shortly. If you have an idea for a workshop, feel free to reach out at any time.

Best regards to all.

David