WHAT to EXPECT

Action Starts Here

Insight That Moves You Forward
Step inside sessions led by the thinkers and doers building the agentic campus. From recruitment breakthroughs to student-success innovations, every conversation delivers fresh ideas you can bring home and act on immediately. You’ll leave with strategies, stories, and proof that AI is already shaping higher ed’s most effective institutions.

Connections That Last
Engage is a community of change-minded leaders and practitioners moving higher ed forward together. Meet peers facing the same challenges, swap ideas that work, and build relationships that continue long after Charlotte. If you want to be part of the movement defining what’s next, this is where it happens.

Where Higher Ed Minds Meet Momentum

Featured Speakers

Where Higher Ed Meets What’s Next

Why Attend

You’ll explore what’s possible when AI acts with purpose — from new ways to recruit and engage to smarter, more human-centered student experiences.

What You'll Experience

Whether you’re discovering agentic AI for the first time or deepening what you already know, you’ll leave energized, equipped, and ready to take action.

Your Takeaways

Practical ideas, peer insights, and proof that the future of higher ed is already here — and it’s more personal, connected, and achievable than ever.

800
Higher Ed Leaders
50
+
AI Sessions
12
Schools Recognized for AI Innovation

Day 1

Choose a Workshop Experience

Kick off Engage with an optional hands-on workshop day designed to build real capability.

Current Element451 customers can dive deep into platform strategy — advancing AI adoption, refining engagement tactics, and getting insider access to what’s next.

Or join the AI Professional Development Workshop, an immersive, applied track focused on building practical AI skills. Explore today’s AI landscape, design and deploy agents, and learn how to connect AI to your institution’s data to drive meaningful impact.
Whichever path you choose, you’ll leave with new skills, sharper strategy, and momentum heading into the main event.

Day 2

See What’s Possible with Agentic AI in Higher Ed

Day 2 opens the main event with stories, demos, and discussions that show how agentic AI is reshaping the student journey. From enrollment to student success, you’ll see real examples of institutions using AI to create more personal, connected experiences—and the people making it happen.
Expect inspiring keynotes, peer panels, and thought-provoking sessions that reveal what innovation looks like when action meets intention.

Day 3

Turn Vision into Action

Day 3 looks ahead—bringing together leaders, technologists, and innovators to map what’s next for the agentic campus. Learn how institutions are scaling AI responsibly, aligning teams for adoption, and leading with human-centered strategy.
You’ll leave with a clearer picture of where higher ed is heading, and a network of peers ready to build it alongside you.
shape higher ed’s future

Who Should Attend?

If you’re driving change across the student journey — from first touch to lifelong learning — Engage 2026 is for you. Join higher ed professionals reimagining access, engagement, and success through the power of agentic AI.

You’ll be right at home if you’re a:
  • President, VP, or Director of Enrollment, Marketing, or Student Experience
  • CIO, CTO, or IT Leader guiding digital strategy
  • Student Success or Retention Professional
  • Admissions or Financial Aid Leader
  • Continuing Ed or Workforce Development Leader
  • Communications or Engagement Strategist
Engage equips you with ideas, tools, and partnerships to lead confidently into higher ed’s AI-powered future.
REGISTER

Why Attend

Higher ed is at a turning point. This is where momentum builds.
Students today demand speed, personalization, and support that feels seamless. Yet many institutions are stretched thin—facing staffing limits, siloed data, and rising expectations.
At Engage 2026, you’ll discover how AI-powered innovation is helping institutions deliver smarter, more connected experiences. You’ll gain new ideas, practical inspiration, and a clear view of how to move your institution forward.
Get ready to:
Learn from bold industry leaders
Build and scale your AI strategy
Explore what's next in automation
Connect with a national network of innovators
"What an intellectually stimulating conference! The Element451 team is on the razor’s edge of AI technology and fully experimenting with its application to the field of higher education."
Luis Caloca
Dean, Student Access at College of Western Idaho

Register for the 2026 Engage Summit

Summit Registration — $750

Your two-day conference pass to Engage 2026. Get full access to all keynote and breakout sessions, breakfast and lunch each day, and evening networking events. Open to all higher ed professionals ready to explore how AI is shaping the future of student engagement and success.

Bring Your Team — $650 per person

Save when you register two or more colleagues from your institution. Includes everything in the standard Summit Registration — all sessions, breakfast and lunch, plus hosted evening events. (Limit 10 registrations per institution.)

All-Access Pass — $1,100 (Element451 Clients)

The full-experience ticket. Immerse yourself in three days of exclusive, hands-on learning designed for current Element451 clients. Includes priority access to workshops and lab sessions, 1-on-1 training, all conference programming, breakfast and lunch, and evening events.

Monday Workshop Add-Ons — $350 per person

Extend your experience with an extra day (Monday, June 15) of hands-on workshops.

Choose from the Customer Workshop for current clients to advance your AI strategies inside the Element451 platform.

Or select the AI Professional Development Workshop, an immersive track focused on practical, applied AI. You'll learn how to create agent skills, connect AI to institutional data, and build agents that can take on real responsibilities.