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View the key topics for CIOs and dive into last year’s sessions while we work on the full 2027 agenda.

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      2027 Conference Topics at a Glance

      The 2027 agenda delivers the latest technology, strategy and leadership insights across key topic areas, covering the challenges most critical to CIOs.

      AI Cost and ROI

      CIOs must link AI investments to outcome-driven metrics, embedding financial discipline, and ensuring cost transparency with FinOps. CIOs must partner with leadership, prioritize production deployments, strengthen data foundations, and govern inference costs for scalable, sustainable ROI.

      Cybersecurity and Enterprise Resilience

      Reframe cybersecurity as a business imperative. Elevate resistance to anticipate, withstand, and recover from disruption created by rapid changes in the digital world and a volatile geopolitical landscape. CIOs must align security to outcomes, embed adaptive controls and governance and build lasting trust.

      IT Strategic Planning

      Strategic planning and execution means more than setting direction. CIOs must unite IT and business, integrate AI for measurable outcomes, address change fatigue with structured management, and orchestrate agile plans, governance and talent to deliver sustained business value.
      Look back at 2026 conference sessions

      Many conference sessions were presented each day at Gartner CIO Leadership Forum 2026. While we work to develop next year’s agenda, filter to see sessions that align with your role and interests.

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      Sunday, February 22, 2026

      06:00 PM - 07:30 PM MST

      Welcome Reception
      We invite you to join us at our Welcome Reception for a vibrant desert evening of networking, food, drinks, and entertainment! This outdoor reception will take place at Sunset Lawn from 6:00pm - 7:30pm. Please note, you must pick up your conference badge from registration by 7:00pm to attend. ... Show More Show Less

      07:30 PM - 09:30 PM MST

      Palo Alto Networks Hosted Dinner
      The next wave of AI is all about autonomous systems acting on behalf of your business—and that raises some big questions for CIOs. Over dinner, join Rich and Ian from Palo Alto Networks for a candid, peer-to-peer conversation about how leaders are approaching agentic AI, balancing innovation with security, and making sense of the evolving AI threat landscape. This is an informal gathering for executives who want to share perspectives, compare notes, and leave feeling more confident about what’s coming next. ... Show More Show Less
      Monday, February 23, 2026

      06:30 AM - 07:15 AM MST

      Sunrise Yoga
      Start your day with sunrise yoga! This class is designed to renew your mind and body before the conference begins. Make sure to register in advance as space is limited. Show Less

      09:30 AM - 10:15 AM MST

      Gartner Opening Keynote: AI After the Hype: Scaling Human + Machine Value
      Tori Paulman, VP Analyst, Gartner
      CIOs are in the hot seat: AI hype hasn’t hit the P&L, but executives have seen enough real wins to know value is there. What they want now is simple: a technology leader who can cut through the noise and tell them what works most of the time, and what doesn’t. This keynote gives CIOs license to stop naming specific initiatives that almost never pay off – and where to double-down. You’ll walk away with a tool to score your own portfolio, decide where to pivot, persist or pull the plug, instead of betting on hype. ... Show More Show Less

      10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MST

      Get Started on Your Autonomous Business Journey
      Don Scheibenreif, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
      Autonomous business is the next business era, driven by AI and building on the foundations of digital business. But where do you start and how autonomous do you want your organization to be? In this session, we will share new research on autonomous business and discuss what organizations are doing to meet this challenge head-on. ... Show More Show Less

      10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MST

      Increase Executive Influence Using Business and Human Value Stories
      Christie Struckman, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
      CIOs continue to struggle to influence business executives, delaying budgets and derailing progress on business outcomes. Greater success comes from mastering two types of value stories: business value stories and human value stories. Both should be used to focus on each key stakeholder. This session will provide structures and best practices for creating these stories, including GenAI prompts for inspiration. ... Show More Show Less

      10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MST

      Master 6 Cybersecurity Board Conversations to Survive and Thrive
      Paul Proctor, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
      There are times when the CIO has to have a cybersecurity conversation with the board that are critical, decisive and transformative. Six of them are “we just got hacked,” “a budget cut,” “ransomware readiness,” “AI is risky,” “technology debt,” and “cyber risk in M&A.” These are times when your influence can rise to the occasion with lasting effect or an opportunity to brush up your resume. Learn to master these conversations. ... Show More Show Less

      10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MST

      Measuring What Matters in AI Learning Programs
      Madelin Santana, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
      How do you know if your AI learning programs are paying off? AI training is only as valuable as the business outcomes it delivers. Discover strategies to align AI upskilling initiatives with your organizational goals, using data-driven insights to measure effectiveness at every stage, from learner engagement to business transformation. Moving beyond learner completion rates is the only way to capture the true ROI of learning programs to effectively build a workforce equipped for the AI era. ... Show More Show Less

      10:45 AM - 11:30 AM MST

      Roundtable: Fostering Enthusiastic AI Adoption (Multi-Group)
      Charlan Poirson, Executive Partner, Gartner
      Mike Ortwein, Executive Partner, Gartner
      Celestine Pressley, Executive Partner, Gartner
      Gerardo Leiva, Sr Executive Partner, Gartner
      Fabrizio Zanardo, Executive Partner, Gartner
      Organizations often assume that enthusiasm for AI solutions will be automatic and universal. Conversely, they are often met with apathy or skepticism, particularly for roles that don't understand the use case or feel threatened or disrupted. How have you overcome passive or active resistance to AI adoption? Come prepared to contribute your experiences in a group discussion. Please note this same session will be offered on both days of the forum. ... Show More Show Less

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      “Great sessions on effective CIO storytelling to influence the C-suite.”

      Anne Milkovich
      CIO, NSHE

      Discover what it’s like to experience Gartner CIO Leadership Forum.