2026 Conference Agenda

Arrive and network with hundreds of public service leaders involved in innovation and transformation in the US and all around the world.

A welcome introduction from Global Government Forum's moderator and government expert.

A visionary address on what it means – and what it takes – to build a state government that is genuinely ready for the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. Drawing on lessons from California and beyond, this keynote will set out the ambition for digital transformation in US state governments and the practical steps needed to make it a reality. 

A keynote from a government or industry leader on state digital transformation. 

Across the United States, state governments are working to modernize legacy platforms, redesign services around residents' needs, and build the governance frameworks that allow digital transformation to happen at scale and speed. Speakers will discuss how we build and sustain a transformation mandate to design services that work for every resident.

This session will showcase how states are embedding AI in their operations – not as a technology experiment, but as a core tool for improving outcomes for residents. Speakers will share case studies of AI deployment that has moved from pilot to practice, discuss the governance frameworks that make responsible AI possible, and examine how states can use AI to do more with constrained resources.

This session will bring together procurement leaders, technology officers and legal experts to discuss how states can become more agile buyers of technology. Speakers will examine what works in practice, where states are still struggling, and what lessons the US can draw from international best practice in government technology procurement. 

Attendees will leave with practical tools and models they can apply to their own procurement processes

This session will examine how states are tackling the skills challenge head-on. Speakers will share approaches to digital recruitment and retention, new demands in public sector learning and development, and the strategies that are proving most effective at building digitally confident leadership teams. Attendees will also hear from international peers about how governments elsewhere are approaching the same challenge. 

A short keynote from a data and analytics leader on how making better use of public sector data is essential to unlocking the potential of AI and wider digital transformation in government services and operations. 

This session will bring together chief data officers and analytics leaders from across US states to discuss what it takes to build a data-ready government. Speakers will share how they are tackling the practical challenges of data integration and quality, how they are ensuring that data use is ethical and transparent, and what the next frontier of data-driven public service looks like. 

Attendees will leave with a roadmap for building the data foundations that state modernization depends on. 

A brief summary of the day's key themes and takeaways from Global Government Forum's moderator, and a look ahead to what comes next in the journey to build more innovative, digitally focused state governments.