Registration 

Welcome & Introductions: The Landscape Ahead

Amanda Darman-Allen, Senior Vice President Future B2B, presents a first look at the 2026 Tech & Learning/Smartbrief Buyer's Survey. Findings reveal who leads the purchasing decisions, where they learn about products, how the screen time debate and AI explosion have impacted edtech purchasing, and more.

Group Activity: Market Intelligence Lab: The Modern Buyer Persona

An interactive, hands-on mapping session. We aren't just asking "who do we serve?"—we are getting to better understand the Buying Committee. Executives will collaborate with school district administrators to map the disconnect between what we sell and what districts are actually asking for right now.

CEO Keynote Panel: Strategies for Leading Through Market Uncertainty

Seasoned executives discuss leading through uncertainty—managing burn rates, the pressure to integrate AI features without breaking the budget, political polarization, and more.

Moderator - Jim McVety

The EdExec Exchange: Critical Issue Roundtable Discussions

Facilitated roundtable rotations on crucial topics affecting the education market. Topics will include:  

• AI Policy: Navigating the new wave of district bans and approvals
• GTM Strategy: Moving upmarket from pilot to district-wide license
• Economic Defense: Pricing strategies for shrinking budgets
• Designing for Accessibility: Preparing for the Title II Mandate
• Navigating Funding Changes & Challenges
• Finding & Keeping Talent: Retaining & Cultivating top sales and product professionals
• Tips for Developing Strategic Partnerships
• Negotiating State & Federal Policy Changes
• Creating Outcomes-Based Contracts
• Overcoming the "Techlash" Movement against EdTech

The Educator Litmus Test: "Did We Get It Right?"

Educators in the room take the mic to react to the afternoon's discussions—providing an instant reality check on executive assumptions.

Moderator- Christine Weiser

Opening Reception & Dinner 

Breakfast On Your Own

Panel: State of the Education Market: What to Expect in 2026 and Beyond

This panel of experts dissects the 2026 education market landscape. We'll explore the transition to a skills-based economy, the rise of career-connected learning, the impact of AI, funding, and policy changes, and how companies can successfully navigate the $800B+ education market.

Table Discussions: Cracking the Code: The Complex District Sales Cycle

As the education market faces a shift toward "evidence-based" procurement and tighter budgets, each role in an EdTech company needs to look at the sales cycle through a different lens.

• LEADERSHIP: The Post-ESSER Funding Cliff: Strategic survival and long-term revenue modeling after the expiration of federal stimulus.
• SALES: The "Multi-Stakeholder" Map: identifying and influencing the "Shadow Recommenders" (IT, Curriculum, and Finance) before the RFP hits.
• MARKETING: Evidence as Lead Gen: Moving from "awareness" to "efficacy"—using research and case studies to bypass traditional gatekeepers.
• PARTNERSHIPS: The Ecosystem Play: How to leverage "Piggyback Contracts" and existing channel partners to shorten a 12-month cycle.
• PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Interoperability & Implementation: Solving the "Technical Vetting" hurdle: How SSO and LMS integrations can make or break a sale at the 11th hour.

Table Discussions: The Compliance Moat: Privacy, Cybersecurity & AI Governance

Privacy laws are the new barrier to entry. This session covers AI governance, algorithm transparency, and becoming a trusted district partner. For companies selling to schools, data privacy is no longer a checkbox—it is a requirement to stay competitive -- and all company functional leaders play a role.

• LEADERSHIP: The Trust Factor: Balancing rapid innovation with the legal risks of data breaches and student privacy.
• SALES: The Security Vetting Hurdle: How to proactively pass district safety requirements to prevent stalled deals.
• MARKETING: Trust as a Brand Anchor: Moving beyond "FERPA Compliant" to "Ethical AI/EdTech" storytelling.
• PARTNERSHIPS: The Third-Party Data Leak: Ensuring your API partners don't compromise your district customer's data.
• PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Privacy by Design: Engineering "human-in-the-loop" systems and localized data storage to meet new safety laws.

Networking Lunch & Panel Discussion: The AI Paradigm Shift: Hype vs. Market Reality

A candid debate on the tangible impact of AI on the education market. Are districts actually shifting budgets toward Generative AI tools, or are they blocking them? We separate the VC buzz from the classroom reality to understand where the revenue opportunities truly lie.

Moderator- Matt Winters

Table Discussions: Product Market Fit: The "Evidence" Imperative

With the ESSER fiscal cliff in the rearview mirror, districts are auditing every line item. If you cannot provide a direct line between your product and improved student outcomes, you don't have long-term district customer.

• LEADERSHIP: The Efficacy ROI Thesis: How to fund and prioritize independent research as a core business expense.
• SALES: Selling to the Skeptical Buyer: Moving from "Feature-Benefit" selling to "Outcome-Based" closing.
• MARKETING: The Evidence Storytelling Gap: Translating complex academic research and data dashboards into high-impact, digestible narratives for district prospects.
• PARTNERSHIPS: Co-Branded Research & Validations: Using third-party validation to gain "Preferred Provider" status in large-scale state procurements.
• PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Building "Proof Points" into the UI: How to design automated reporting that shows administrators the exact correlation between product usage and student growth.

Table Discussions: Marketing Trends: Breaking Through the Noise

This session explores current marketing trends—community building, influencer marketing, and content strategies—that build trust without adding to the noise.

• LEADERSHIP: Growth through Trust: How a brand’s reputation for efficacy and customer service is now a core financial asset.
• SALES: Transitioning to "Warm-Inbound" Ecosystems: How to align sales teams with community-led content that pre-educates buyers before the first call.
• MARKETING: GEO & AI-First Discovery - Beyond Traditional SEO: Optimizing your brand for AI search assistants (Generative Engine Optimization) and "zero-click" search visibility.
• PARTNERSHIPS: The Micro-Influencer & Educator Network: Moving from celebrity "shout-outs" to long-term "Ambassador" models to build authentic, peer-to-peer evidence.
• PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Product-Led Growth 2.0: Designing "viral loops" and data dashboards that make it easy for teachers to share success stories directly with their admins.

Table Discussions: From Pilot to Enterprise: Usage, Retention, & Expansion

Selling is only half the battle. Districts are no longer running pilots to "see what's out there". They are running them as high-stakes audits.

• LEADERSHIP: Net Revenue Retention: How to survive the "consolidation wave" where districts are cutting 30% of their tech stack.
• SALES: The Implementation Payback Period: How to shorten the gap between purchase and system-wide activation to avoid churn in Year 2.
• MARKETING: Customer Evidence as Sales Enablement: Turning usage metrics into board-ready reports that justify enterprise-level line items.
• PARTNERSHIPS: Expansion through Ecosystem Integration: How deep integrations with LMS/SIS create opportunities that make your tool un-swappable during budget cuts.
• PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Low-Friction Scalability & Feature Discovery: Designing User Experience (UX) that drives natural expansion from a single classroom to a full department without requiring extensive PD.

Final Reflections: The District Leader’s View

District leaders share their final reflections of the EdExec Summit's conversations and share what they most want from their vendor partners.