The 2026 Speaker Trend Map: Topic Inspiration for Event Planners
Planning an event for 2026 comes with a familiar challenge. You know your audience wants content that feels current, relevant, and genuinely useful, but the list of possible topics keeps growing. Keynote speaker trends move fast. Attention spans feel shorter. And no one wants to build an agenda that already feels dated by the time the doors open.
That’s where data helps.
Talent Bureau’s recent survey of event attendees revealed four topics audiences want to see more of in 2026. But knowing what people want is only the first step. The real work for planners is turning those topics into sessions that land and choosing speakers who can deliver them with credibility and clarity.
This guide is built to help event planners choose keynote speakers for 2026 with confidence. Below, you’ll find four high-demand topics, each paired with three speaker-led session themes grounded in real keynote expertise. Use this as inspiration for building agendas, shaping session tracks, and narrowing down speaker shortlists with confidence.
TL;DR
Event planners building 2026 agendas are focusing on four audience-driven topics: AI & Productivity, Mental Health & Burnout, Leadership & Culture, and the Future of Work. Based on Talent Bureau’s attendee survey, this 2026 Speaker Trends Map breaks each topic into practical session themes and pairs them with speaker recommendations that help planners move from idea to booking.
If you’re shaping a 2026 conference, this guide is designed to help you choose topics that resonate, sessions that deliver real value, and speakers who can bring clarity, credibility, and momentum to the room.
Explore more tips, expert guidance, speaker insights, and event-planning resources at www.talentbureau.com
2026 Conference Themes and Topic Ideas
AI & Productivity
AI continues to dominate agenda conversations, with nearly half of attendees saying they want more content on how AI can actually help them work better. What audiences are really asking for isn’t more tools, it’s relief. Less friction. More focus. Better ways to get meaningful work done without burning out.
The strongest AI & productivity sessions in 2026 focus on practical application, human judgment, and clarity.
Session Theme: Turning AI Into a Productivity Ally
AI has the potential to simplify work—but only if teams know how to use it with intention. This session focuses on turning AI into a true productivity partner, helping audiences understand where automation saves time and where human insight still matters most.
Instead of adding more noise, this theme helps teams reduce busywork, streamline workflows, and make better decisions faster.
Why this matters to planners: This theme works across industries and seniority levels. It delivers clear takeaways without overwhelming audiences with technical detail, making it a reliable agenda choice for mixed rooms. It’s especially effective when planners want AI content that feels practical, not experimental.
Who to Hire: Ross Simmonds
Best suited for audiences focused on marketing, business growth, and modern productivity. Ross connects AI to execution, creativity, and real-world workflows teams can apply immediately.
Session Theme: Purpose-Driven Productivity in the Age of AI
As organizations race to adopt AI, productivity conversations can lose sight of purpose, equity, and impact. This session reframes productivity as more than efficiency, exploring how intention, values, and leadership shape how AI is used—and who it benefits.
Audiences are challenged to think critically about not just what AI can do, but what it should do inside their organizations.
Why this matters to planners: This theme adds depth to AI programming and resonates with organizations that want to explore AI through a leadership, values, or social-impact lens.
Who to Hire: Justice Faith Betty
A strong fit for audiences interested in leadership, equity, and responsible innovation. Justice brings a values-driven perspective to productivity and change.
Session Theme: Cutting Through Digital Noise to Do Work That Matters
Constant notifications, platforms, and content streams are fragmenting attention. This session focuses on helping teams cut through digital noise, regain focus, and communicate with clarity in an always-on environment.
Rather than pushing faster output, this theme emphasizes intentional work and sharper priorities.
Why this matters to planners: This session delivers immediate relevance without relying on technical jargon, making it ideal for broad audiences navigating digital overload.
Who to Hire: Darian Kovacs
Darian helps teams simplify, refocus, and communicate with intention in a crowded digital world.
Find more speakers and their themes about this topic on our AI & Productivity page.
Mental Health & Burnout
More than a third of attendees say they want to see more content on mental health and burnout and it’s no surprise. People are tired. Expectations are high. And surface-level self-care talks no longer cut it. In 2026, the most effective sessions focus on systems, leadership responsibility, and sustainable performance.
Session Theme: Burnout Is a System Issue, Not a Personal Failure
This session reframes burnout as something shaped by expectations, culture, and leadership—not individual weakness. It moves the conversation from blame to responsibility and from awareness to action.
Why this matters to planners: This theme creates trust in the room and opens space for honest, meaningful discussion. It’s especially effective for leadership-heavy audiences.
Who to Hire: Dr. Jody Carrington
Jody brings warmth, credibility, and clarity to conversations about burnout, culture, and care—particularly in education, healthcare, and people-first organizations.
Session Theme: Mental Health in the Real World
Mental health conversations often stay abstract. This session grounds the discussion in real-world context, examining what’s happening now, what’s at risk, and what organizations need to understand moving forward.
Why this matters to planners: This theme adds authority and relevance, especially for audiences dealing with public health, policy, or systemic pressure.
Who to Hire: Andre Picard
Andre offers insight-driven content rooted in research, public health, and societal impact.
Session Theme: Resilience Without Hustle Culture
Audiences are done with resilience messaging that glorifies exhaustion. This session reframes resilience as adaptability, recovery, and long-term strength.
Why this matters to planners:
It resonates across sectors facing sustained pressure and offers a realistic, compassionate approach that feels current.
Who to Hire: Laura Lawrence
Laura helps audiences navigate stress and change with honesty and practical insight.
Find more speakers and their themes about this topic on our Mental Health & Burnout page.
Leadership & Culture
Leadership and culture remain foundational topics, with many attendees asking for more guidance on how to lead through uncertainty, change, and complexity. The strongest leadership sessions in 2026 focus on values, trust, and collective responsibility.
Session Theme: Values-Based Leadership in a Noisy World
When pressure is high and certainty is low, values become the anchor. This session explores how leaders use values to guide decisions, communicate clearly, and maintain trust during change.
Why this matters to planners: It helps unify diverse audiences around shared principles and works well for executive and leadership tracks.
Who to Hire: David Allison
David brings a data-driven approach to values, culture, and human motivation.
Session Theme: Leadership That Builds Culture, Not Just Strategy
Culture isn’t created through mission statements—it’s shaped through everyday leadership choices. This session connects leadership behavior directly to performance, retention, and trust.
Why this matters to planners: It balances inspiration with substance and works well for mixed leadership audiences.
Who to Hire: Julie Angus
Julie brings a thoughtful, purpose-driven perspective to leadership and culture, grounded in real-world experience.
Session Theme: Community-Driven Leadership
Leadership today extends beyond internal teams and into broader communities. This session explores influence, trust, and responsibility in a connected world.
Why this matters to planners: It resonates with associations, nonprofits, and public-facing organizations.
Who to Hire: Tod Maffin
Tod offers a modern perspective on leadership, media, and community influence.
Find more speakers and their themes about this topic on our Leadership & Culture page.
Future of Work
A significant portion of attendees want more insight into the future of work—not predictions for their own sake, but guidance on how to prepare. The strongest sessions balance optimism, realism, and human impact.
Session Theme: Skills That Matter as Work Evolves
As roles change and technology advances, human skills become more valuable—not less. This session focuses on adaptability, connection, and leadership.
Why this matters to planners: It reassures audiences and reframes uncertainty as opportunity.
Who to Hire: Eric Termuende
Eric speaks to culture, connection, and the human side of work in a changing world.
Session Theme: Designing Work for Humans, Not Just Efficiency
This session challenges productivity-at-all-costs thinking and explores how work can be designed around trust, flexibility, and sustainability.
Why this matters to planners: It aligns well with HR, leadership, and organizational development tracks.
Who to Hire: Kevan Gilbert
Kevan brings insight into leadership presence, workplace design, and human performance.
Session Theme: Preparing Teams for What Comes Next
Rather than predicting specific jobs, this session helps teams build mindsets and skills that stay relevant no matter what changes.
Why this matters to planners: It works well as an opening or closing keynote and leaves audiences feeling equipped, not anxious.
Who to Hire: Kofi Hope
Kofi brings a human-centered lens to conversations about systems change and the future of work.
Find more speakers and their themes about this topic on our Future of Work page.
How Event Planners Can Use This Trend Map to Build Stronger 2026 Agendas
You don’t need to include every theme in one event. Use this map to:
- Spark agenda ideas
- Shape session tracks
- Guide speaker shortlists
- Align content with real audience demand
You can also explore:
- Search by topic to dive deeper into each theme
- Search by speaker type to find keynotes, hosts, or panelists
- Search by location to simplify logistics
The right speaker doesn’t just fill a slot, they give your audience clarity, shared language, and momentum that lasts well beyond the event. If you’re ready to start shaping a 2026 agenda that delivers, connect with our team and we’ll help you find the right speaker for your goals.
FAQs – 2026 Speaker Trends Map | Top Event Topics & Keynote Speaker Ideas
Based on Talent Bureau’s attendee survey, the most in-demand topics for 2026 events are AI & Productivity, Mental Health & Burnout, Leadership & Culture, and the Future of Work. These topics reflect what audiences want help navigating right now: working smarter, avoiding burnout, leading through change, and preparing for what’s next.
A speaker trend map helps planners move from broad topics to specific, bookable session ideas. Instead of starting with speaker names alone, planners can use themes to shape session tracks, align content with audience demand, and then select speakers whose keynotes naturally fit those themes.
When session themes are built around what a speaker already delivers on stage, the content feels more authentic and impactful. This approach helps planners avoid forced topic alignment, ensures credibility with audiences, and leads to stronger engagement during the event.
Most events benefit from two to three speakers per major topic, depending on agenda length and format. This allows planners to explore a topic from multiple perspectives—such as practical, leadership, and future-focused—without overwhelming attendees.
Start by clarifying your audience, desired outcomes, and session format. From there, look for speakers with proven experience delivering that theme to similar audiences. If you need help narrowing options, Talent Bureau can guide you through speaker selection, availability, and fit to ensure your agenda delivers real value.