All 2026 Conference Sessions

Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™ 2026 dives deep into key topics for CIOs and senior IT executives around AI, executive leadership, cybersecurity, operating models and more to help you address your organization's mission-critical challenges.

2026 Conference Theme

Ignite Intelligence

AI is no longer a differentiator — it’s now part of the foundation. The opportunity for CIOs is to take the artificial out of intelligence, harnessing both human ingenuity with AI to unlock real value, drive agility and survive continuous disruption. As your organization moves from experimentation to agentic AI and the intelligent enterprise, a human-centered approach will allow you to drive the next era of success in your enterprise.

Explore our conference sessions below, all developed with this theme in mind.

Find conference sessions

There are hundreds of sessions happening each day. Filter to see sessions that align with your role and interests. After registering for the conference, craft your agenda and book priority sessions — all through Conference Navigator.

Show Filters

Filter Sessions Cancel
Showing 10 Sessions
Clear All
Wednesday, November 04, 2026

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM JST

Gartner Opening Keynote: Reaching Escape Velocity - Shaping an Effective Enterprise AI Economy

Neha Kumar, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
Brandon Germer, VP Analyst, Gartner
Yoshi Matsumoto, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Hear Gartner’s unique "big picture" insights that will shape your perspective on your most critical priorities. Spark strategic discussions with your peers during the conference as well as with your colleagues throughout the year. ... Show More Show Less

04:15 PM - 04:45 PM JST

5 Practices for Building a High Performing IT Strategic Planning Capability

Mandi Bishop, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Developing and executing an IT strategy that delivers measurable business value is a core responsibility for CIOs. This session highlights five key practices leading CIOs use to modernize their strategic planning processes and leverage technology to strengthen strategic planning capability. Discover how to refine your approach and use digital tools to maximize the business impact of your IT strategy. ... Show More Show Less

04:15 PM - 06:15 PM JST

CIO Circle Research Discussion: Reinvent the Technology Operating Model for a World Beyond IT

Rihua Lin, Director Analyst, Gartner
AI and democratized tech are breaking traditional IT operating models. Tech creation now extends beyond IT, but CIOs retain accountability, creating a leadership paradox as responsibility grows while control shrinks. Learn how CIOs can close this gap by redesigning operating models: shift from project- to product-centric delivery, focus on orchestrating enterprise capabilities via platforms, embedded governance, and clear human-AI decision models for safe, effective tech environments. ... Show More Show Less
Thursday, November 05, 2026

01:15 PM - 01:45 PM JST

Ten Surprise Facts About AI Adoption and What to Do About Them

Rihua Lin, Director Analyst, Gartner
High maturity organizations spend how much on AI? Governance and security consume what portion of the AI budget? The chance of failure with AI is what now? Find out the truths no one else will tell you about AI adoption in enterprises and what you can do to make AI work for you. ... Show More Show Less

03:15 PM - 03:45 PM JST

The Technology of Strategy: How CIOs Use AI to Rewrite Strategic Planning

Yoshi Matsumoto, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Strategic planning is being fundamentally rewritten by technology. AI, agentic systems, deep‑research tools, scenario engines, and digital‑twin platforms are shifting strategy from an episodic, human‑only process to a continuously computed, technology‑enabled discipline.

In this session, we present a bold framework showing how CIOs can transform the strategy cycle by building three core capabilities:
1. An AI‑powered Strategic Intelligence Layer that continuously scans external signals and internal assumptions
2. Next-generation future - casting driven by simulation, agentic forecasting, digitally enabled scenario planning
3. And a Strategy Co‑Pilot that automates the creation of strategic artifacts, portfolio decisions, and personalized strategy communication

Backed by Gartner research across emerging AI use cases and the reference architecture for strategic planning, this session gives CIOs specific actions to take in the next 12 to 24 months to modernize how their enterprises sense, decide, and adapt. Attendees will leave with a clear playbook to operationalize the “technology of strategy."
... Show More Show Less

04:45 PM - 05:15 PM JST

AI-Led Innovation: Disruptive Trends & Techniques Used by High-Performing Innovators to Create Value & Drive Growth

Tsuneo Fujiwara, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
Innovation has now become AI-led, providing more value and growth to create transformative outcomes for high-performing CIOs and innovation leaders. AI-enabled innovation management platforms and techniques help generate, evaluate and implement more and better ideas, faster, supporting the execution and scaling of AI-led innovations to generate higher financial impacts. This session discusses recent cases, techniques and insights from mature innovators on how to achieve the desired business outcomes from innovation. ... Show More Show Less
Friday, November 06, 2026

10:15 AM - 10:45 AM JST

A CIO-Led Turnaround Strategy After Data-Driven Defeat

Tatsuya Ichishi, VP, Team Manager, Gartner
Despite investments in data by many Japanese firms, few have successfully scaled the impact. Simply shifting the banner from D&A to AI will not resolve the foundational challenges. This session will provide CIOs with guidance on how to reassess data platforms, establish governance for unstructured data, and turn citizen analytics into repeatable business outcomes. ... Show More Show Less

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM JST

CIO Circle Workshop: Navigating "Shadows & Light" of Workplace AI: Identifying Behavioral By-Products to Mitigate Risks & Maximize Value

Masayuki Toriumi, Executive Partner, Gartner
Naoki Nakada, Sr Executive Partner, Gartner
As AI adoption expands, it creates unintended "behavioral by-products" in employee skills and actions. These shifts can threaten productivity, morale and the achievement of business goals. This workshop explores 3 key categories of these by-products: skill decay, experience compression and emotional impact. Through identifying specific desirable and undesirable by-products within your own AI use cases and formulating initial mitigation strategies, we will define a pathway to maximize the value of AI. ... Show More Show Less

01:45 PM - 02:15 PM JST

How CIOs Can Defend Enterprise Competitive Moats as AI Accelerates Business Model Erosion

Yoshi Matsumoto, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
AI is dismantling the moats that once protected business models, like helping competitors become good enough in your strong areas, which can erode share, or making it easier and cheaper to replicate data volume, process complexity and digital experience. This session shows CIOs how defenses are being disrupted, where competitive risks are emerging and what practical actions they can take to rebuild advantage and protect enterprise relevance, with examples from several industries. ... Show More Show Less

... Show More Show Less
Items per page: 19 of 10 Items
1 of 1 Pages

Sorry, no sessions match your criteria. Please refine your filters to display sessions.

“As always, the event was full of useful information. Since we are actively promoting AI initiatives, it was especially helpful to learn about market trends and customer needs.”

Manager, Technology and Telecom

Discover what it’s like to experience Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo.

Learn more about Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™ 2026

Get our latest conference schedules, updates and insights sent straight to your inbox.

By clicking the "Continue" button, you are agreeing to the Gartner Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Contact Information

All fields are required.