Director’s Download

Director‘s Download

Inside Agenda Changes for Mid-Year Meeting

By Jeremy Wilson, EVP/COO and North American Director

It's hard to believe we're already at the point of finalizing plans for the 2026 North America Mid-Year Meeting, but that's where we're at today.

Much like the Annual Conference last year, we're taking a new approach and really going back to the basics, as my colleague Paul Schrimpf likes to say. I want to encourage you to take a look at the agenda – the nearly final version is on the conference website and linked here.

As you look at it you will likely notice a few things off the bat that are different, but here are the key things in a nutshell:

(Mostly) No Sunday Travel:  Many attendees have requested that they not be required to hit the road on Sunday, and we have managed to accommodate this request for all but first-time attendees. We're going to officially kick things off for the main meeting beginning after 1:00 pm.

Monday Afternoon is Mandatory:  The inter-member discussions on key interoperability topics was widely popular at the Annual Conference last year, so we are carrying that forward to a large degree in Altoona. We will start off with some open discussion in a group on a topic of high general interest, then break into roundtables to continue the discourse. We need everyone to be there to ensure we get as many perspectives on the discussion as possible, and to ensure you get the most value from your participation in the meeting.

Night at the Races Returns:  Monday night will again be spent track side as we enjoy horse racing, camaraderie, and great networking with your fellow AgGateway members.

Fully Loaded Tuesday and Lunch on Us:  You’ll want to plan to stay all day on Tuesday, as we have a full slate of working groups, learning opportunities, and a keynote address, and another reception on tap. Along with numerous morning meetings, we will host a continuation of the End User ID discussion featuring some important information and discussion that will result in a clear direction for moving forward. After you enjoy lunch at Prairie Meadows, we'll come together again as a group in the afternoon for our general session and a keynote presentation centered around data harmonization versus standardization. We’ll follow that up with another set of roundtable discussions, where we'll break out into groups and talk about different topics that are on our minds. Finally, we’ll head back to the Prairie Meadows infield for our second networking reception.

Work on Wednesday:  We will wrap up the conference with some key working group activities, so please plan to stay and participate!

As you review the agenda, think about people within your organization that you think would benefit from and/or contribute to discussions, and consider bringing them along. Participation in AgGateway events should be translating to value to your organization.

We’ve really excited about this year’s Mid-Year Meeting Agenda, and we are looking forward to making it a great experience for you and your team.