2026 NAGARA Annual Conference

Conference Schedule

Review the conference schedule and use the mobile app for the latest onsite updates.
Use the Mobile App for the Most Current Schedule

The conference schedule below is a helpful planning tool, but the 2026 NAGARA Annual Conference mobile app should be treated as the most current source for session details, speaker information, room assignments, sponsor details, attendee networking, and onsite updates.

Please download and log into the app before arriving in Philadelphia so you can build your personal agenda and receive the latest information during conference week.

Open App Guide

The 2026 NAGARA Annual Conference includes Pre-Conference Workshops, four General Sessions, 30+ breakout sessions, exhibit hall time, evening receptions, networking opportunities, and optional post-conference tours.

Use this page to orient yourself to the week, then use the mobile app to review full session descriptions, speaker profiles, room details, sponsor information, and your personal schedule.

Printed / PDF Schedule Note

A printed or PDF schedule can be useful for general planning, but several refinements may occur before and during conference week. The PDF schedule will not necessarily be updated with every onsite adjustment. For the latest information, use the mobile app.

Download Last Updated PDF Schedule (April)

Conference Week at a Glance

Tuesday, July 21
Pre-Conference Workshops & Welcome Reception
Optional workshops take place during the day, followed by the Opening Welcome Reception at the Museum of the American Revolution.
Wednesday, July 22
Opening Day
Opening General Session, breakout sessions, Annual Awards Luncheon, exhibit hall time, and evening happy hour.
Thursday, July 23
Full Conference Day
General Session Breakfast, breakout sessions, final scheduled Exhibit Hall time, networking lunch, and closing-night masquerade.
Friday, July 24
Closing Day
Closing Day General Session and breakfast, followed by optional post-conference tours for registered participants.

Plan Your Agenda in the App

Personal Schedule Session Details Latest Updates

The mobile app is the best place to build your agenda, browse sessions by time, review session descriptions, find speakers, and see room assignments.

Please log in with your existing NAGARA website credentials, which are the same user name and password you used when registering for the conference.

Open App Guide

Session Audio Recordings

Post-Conference Resource MP3 Recordings

NAGARA plans to make session audio recordings available after the conference. Recordings are expected to be provided as MP3 files.

Availability will depend on final recording quality, speaker permissions, and post-conference processing.

Continuing Education

Credits Pre-Approved ACA AIIM ARMA GARA

Continuing education credits have been pre-approved for the 2026 NAGARA Annual Conference and Pre-Conference Workshops.

2026 Annual Conference
  • ACA: 8 CEU
  • AIIM: 12 CIP CEU
  • ARMA: 7 CEU
  • GARA: 7 GARA study hours for in-person conference participation
Pre-Conference Workshops (Full Day)
  • ACA: 4 CEU
  • AIIM: 8 CIP CEU
  • ARMA: 8 CEU
  • GARA: 8 GARA study hours
Pre-Conference Workshops (Half Day)
  • ACA: 2 CEU
  • AIIM: 4 CIP CEU
  • ARMA: 8 CEU
  • GARA: 4 GARA study hours

Attendees are responsible for confirming how credits apply to their own certification, credential, or continuing education requirements.

Need Help Onsite?

Registration / Information Desk Regency Foyer (M2)

Visit the NAGARA Registration/Information Desk in the Regency Foyer (M2) for help with schedule questions, app support, WiFi information, or general onsite guidance.

NAGARA staff and volunteers will be available throughout the conference to help attendees navigate the week.

Schedule Appears Below

The full conference schedule is organized below into expandable sections. Wednesday is open by default. For the best experience, especially onsite, use the mobile app to view the most current version and build your personal agenda.

Schedule Section
Pre-Conference
Monday Board meeting, Tuesday workshops, exhibitor setup, and Opening Welcome Reception.
Monday, July 20
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
NAGARA Board of Directors Meeting
Tuesday, July 21 (Pre-Conference Day)
7:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Pre-Conference Workshop Registration Open
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshops (additional registration required)
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Half-Day AM Pre-Conference Workshop (additional registration required)
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Half-Day PM Pre-Conference Workshop (additional registration required)
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Exhibitor Move-in / Setup
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Opening Welcome Reception at the Museum of the American Revolution (shuttle bus transportation provided), Sponsored by Strategic Partner Iron Mountain Government Solutions
Schedule Section
Wednesday, July 22
Opening General Session, networking groups, first three concurrent session blocks, exhibit hall, and happy hour.
7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Conference Registration Open
7:45 AM – 8:45 AM
Exhibit Hall Opens (Coffee with Exhibitors)
8:45 AM – 10:15 AM
Opening General Session & Breakfast (Sponsored by Strategic Partner Preservica)
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Session Transition Time
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Government Networking Groups
11:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Session Transition Time
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Concurrent Session Block 1
  • SESSION 01: Clutter to Clarity: Building a Paperless Future through Governance, Strategy, and Compliance
  • SESSION 02: Building a Comprehensive Digital Repository: Strategies for Collaborative Collection Development
  • SESSION 03: Training the Trainer: Creating Records Management All Stars
  • SESSION 04: From Chaos to Clarity: How the City of Seattle Transformed File Shares into an AI-Ready Data Governance Powerhouse
  • SESSION 05: Preserved and Found: Ending the Compliance vs. Accessibility Trade-Off in the Era of Digital Government
12:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Annual Awards Luncheon (Sponsored by Thought Leader CivicPlus)
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Session Transition Time
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Concurrent Session Block 2
  • SESSION 06: AI Didn't Break Your Content Strategy (It Exposed It)
  • SESSION 07: Commemorating Katrina in the New Orleans City Archives & Special Collections
  • SESSION 08: A Deep Dive Into ICRM Certification
  • SESSION 09: Failing Forward: How a Federal Audit Sparked the Framework of a Strong RIM Program
  • SESSION 10: Unlocking Intelligent Records: How AI-Driven Document Scanning Transforms Government Workflows
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Beverage Break in Exhibit Hall
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Concurrent Session Block 3
  • SESSION 11: Managing Electronic Messaging at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
  • SESSION 12: Starting from Scratch: Lessons Learned from a New Program in a Historic State Agency
  • SESSION 13: You Belong Here: Building a Culture of Belonging and Resilience for First Generation Information Management Professionals
  • SESSION 14: Shorter, Faster, Longer? How Chunking Training Increases Retention of Information at University of Illinois
  • SESSION 15: Beyond the Gold Rush: A Records Manager's Field Guide for AI Governance
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Evening Networking Happy Hour
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Open Evening (Dinner and activities on your own)
Schedule Section
Thursday, July 23
Second Day General Session, session blocks 4–7, final exhibit hall time, networking lunch, and closing masquerade.
7:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Conference Registration Open
7:45 AM – 8:45 AM
Coffee with Exhibitors
8:45 AM – 10:15 AM
Second Day General Session & Breakfast (Sponsored by Thought Leader Ricoh Document Scanners)
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Session Transition Time
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Concurrent Session Block 4
  • SESSION 16: Bridging Influence Gaps by Creating an Information Governance Program
  • SESSION 17: Work With What You've Got
  • SESSION 18: Streamlining Government Event Planning: A Case Study in Planning Milestone Celebrations
  • SESSION 19: The Cauliflower Strategy: Sneaking RIM Into Organizational Priorities and Success
  • SESSION 20: From Paper Custodian to AI Architect: How Records Professionals are Reshaping Government's Digital Future
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Coffee Boost/Break with Exhibitors
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Concurrent Session Block 5
  • SESSION 21: No Drama, No Trauma: Ensuring that Record Disposition is Defensible
  • SESSION 22: CPR: Reviving the City of Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development Archives
  • SESSION 23: Addressing Invisible Decisions: Bridging the Gaps between Governance Silos in the Vermont Criminal Justice System
  • SESSION 24: Thinking Inside the Box: Enhancing Training and Outreach Within Your Organization
  • SESSION 25: The Digital First Impression Revisited: New Research on Trust, AI, and Accessibility in Local Government
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Lunch (Networking Lunch / Final Time with Exhibitors)
2:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Closes
2:30 PM – 4:45 PM
Exhibitor Breakdown/Move Out
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Concurrent Session Block 6
  • SESSION 26: 4 Pillars to Compliance: Building Beyond the Policy Foundation
  • SESSION 27: Project Development for Managing Congressional Record: Process the Richard C Shelby Collection
  • SESSION 28: Mixing Your IG Mission and Message for the Crowd, OR How To Get Your Vocals Heard Across the Roar!
  • SESSION 29: Benchmarking AI Readiness in RIM
  • SESSION 30: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Archives and Records Programs
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM
Session Transition Time
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
Concurrent Session Block 7
  • SESSION 31: The Value of a Records Management Program Health Check
  • SESSION 32: Using Bitmoji to Create Engaging Trainings
  • SESSION 33: Practice Makes Prepared
  • SESSION 34: Transforming Complexity into Clarity
  • SESSION 35: AI Readiness and Cyber Resilience
4:45 PM – 7:30 PM
Dinner on your own
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Closing Networking Reception (Millennium Hall Ballroom) | Theme: “Rebels, Reformers, and Record Keepers: A Masquerade 250 Years in the Making”
Schedule Section
Friday, July 24
Closing Day General Session, breakfast, and optional post-conference activities.
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Closing Day General Session & Breakfast (Sponsored by Thought Leader KnowledgeLake) | “Honoring the Past, Embracing the Present, Engineering the Future”
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Optional Post-Conference Activities & Tours
  • Tour A: “Standing Inches from History: A Private Vault Experience” ($50 per attendee) (Sold Out)
  • Tour B: “National Constitution Center Experience” ($20 per attendee) (Limited to the first 100 paying registrants)
See you in Denver, Colorado in July 2027!
Schedule Section
Exhibitor Times
Exhibit Hall move-in, open hours, dedicated exhibitor breaks, final exhibit time, and breakdown.
Tuesday, July 21
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Exhibitor Move-in / Setup
Wednesday, July 22
7:45 AM
Exhibit Hall Opens
7:45 AM – 8:45 AM
Coffee with Exhibitors (in Exhibit Hall)
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Beverage Break in Exhibit Hall
5:00 PM
Exhibit Hall Closes for the Day
Thursday, July 23
7:45 AM
Exhibit Hall Opens
7:45 AM – 8:45 AM
Coffee with Exhibitors (in Exhibit Hall)
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Coffee Boost/Break with Exhibitors
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Networking Lunch / Final Time with Exhibitors
2:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Closes
2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Exhibitor Breakdown / Move Out

Related Conference Resources

Conference Mobile App General Sessions Conference Menus Evening Receptions