Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026

12:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Attendee check-in/Badge pick-up — Registration Desk, Grand Ballroom Foyer

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Conference Welcome Reception  — Grand Ballroom Foyer, Salon J and Skybridge Terrace — Sponsored by TTI

7:00 p.m. – Midnight

ERA Members-Only Networking Lounge & Bar Open  — The Reverbery, 1st Floor of Hilton Austin

Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

7:00 – 7:50 a.m.

Breakfast

7:00 – 7:50 a.m.

First-Time Attendee Orientation — Salon J

7:00 – 7:50 a.m.

Breakfast Workshops
— Budde Marketing 101: What We Do — And How A.I. Gets Better with Budde, presented by Mike Budde Jr. and Jeff Bade — Room 616
— Understanding the Path to CMMC Compliance, presented by Fred Tschrigi — Room 602 
— Unlocking the ERA Toolbox, presented by Ama Derringer, Ellen Coan and Heather Heath — Room 615

8:00 – 8:10 a.m.

Conference Opening – Welcoming Remarks from Conference Chair Perry Thornton — Austin Grand Ballroom

8:10 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

Keynote Session – “When Innovation Speaks: The Power of Human Connection in a Digital World,” presented by Annelise McCarthy  — Sponsored by Avnet — 6th floor, Austin Grand Ballroom

9:10 – 9:30 a.m.

Break

9:30 – 10:45 a.m.

Breakout Sessions
— 2026 Outlook: Trends, Data and Opportunities from the Semiconductor and IP&E Markets — Salon J
— An AI Masterclass: SearchLink.ai 3.0 and Beyond — Salon K
— From Risk to Reward: 10 Legal Mistakes that Cost Reps Money and How to Fix Them — Room 602
— How Buyers Find You in 2026: Strategies to Drive Organic Revenue — Room 616
— Passing the Baton: ERA Leadership in Transition — Room 615

10:45 – 11:00 a.m.

Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

General Session — “Geopolitics, Supply Chains and the New Electronics Landscape,” presented by Jacob Shapiro — Sponsored by Brainard-Nielsen Marketing — Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch — Grand Ballroom Foyer, Sponsored by Logix Sales & Marketing

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.

ERA Update, presented by Ed Smith, ERA CEO — Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor

1:45 – 2:00 p.m.

Break

2:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Breakout Sessions
— AI Swap Shop: Real-World AI Use Cases that are Transforming the ERA Community — Salon K
— Connection Starts with Better Questions — Salon J
— Turning Strategic Relationships into Innovation Engines — Room 615
— Winning, Growing and Keeping the Best Talent in Electronics — Room 616

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Break

3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Breakout Sessions
— CMMC Made Clear: A Practical Guide to Cybersecurity — Room 602
— From Components to Solutions: Capturing Value in the Fastest Growing Electronics Ecosystems — Salon K
— Relational Leadership: Connecting with the People Who Power Your Business — Room 615
— The Power of Optimizing the Regional Manager-Rep Relationship — Salon J

4:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Break

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

General Session — “Everything Revolves Around Electronics,” presented by Eddie Smith — Sponsored by Arrow — Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Conference Networking Party— Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor
Sponsored by Budde Marketing Systems and Omron

7:00 p.m. – Midnight

ERA Members-Only Networking Lounge & Bar Open  — The Reverbery, 1st Floor of Hilton Austin

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

7:00 – 7:50 a.m.

Breakfast — Grand Ballroom Foyer

7:00 – 7:50 a.m.

Breakfast Workshops
— ERA’s NEXGEN Kickoff: Recap, Connect and Chart the Year Ahead, presented by Emily Bannister, Hunter Starr, Rob Brunson — Room 602
— The Future is Now: See How Repfabric + Empowering Systems Puts Cutting Edge Technology At Your Fingertips, presented by John Mitchell and Scott Mayo — Salon K

7:00 – 7:50 a.m.

Chapter Leadership Council (CLC) Meeting — Salon J

8:00 a.m. – 8:10 a.m.

Opening Remarks, by Conference Chair Perry Thornton — Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor

8:10 – 9:10 a.m. 

General Session — “Supercollaboration: Cyborgs, Centaurs and The Rise of Human-AI Collaboration,” presented by James Taylor — Sponsored by Macinnis Group — Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor

9:10 – 9:30 a.m. 

Break

9:30 – 10:45 a.m. 

Breakout Sessions
— AI Swap Shop: Real-World AI Use Cases that are Transforming the ERA Community — Salon J
— From Risk to Reward: 10 Legal Mistakes that Cost Reps Money and How to Fix Them — Room 602
— Relational Leadership: Connecting with the People Who Power Your Business — Salon K
— Winning, Growing and Keeping the Best Talent in Electronics — Room 616

10:45 – 11:00 a.m. 

Break

11:00 – 11:45 a.m.

ERA Awards Announcements, presented by ERA Board President Tom Griffin, CPMR and ERA Board Chairman John O’Brien, CPMR— Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor

11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch — Grand Ballroom Foyer, Sponsored by Zephyr Technologies

1:00 – 2:15 p.m.

Breakout Sessions
— 2026 Outlook: Trends, Data and Opportunities from the Semiconductor and IP&E Markets — Salon J
— CMMC Made Clear: A Practical Guide to Cybersecurity — Room 602
— From Components to Solutions: Capturing Value in the Fastest Growing Electronics Ecosystems — Salon K
— Supercollaboration — Austin Grand Ballroom

2:15 – 2:30 p.m.

Break

2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Breakout Sessions
— How Buyers Find You in 2026: Strategies to Drive Organic Revenue — Salon K
— Passing the Baton: ERA Leadership in Transition — Room 602
— The Art of Meaningful Conversation — Salon J
— The Power of Optimizing the Regional Manager-Rep Relationship — Room 616
— Turning Strategic Relationships into Innovation Engines — Room 615

3:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Break

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

General Session — “Great Disruption is the Mother of Great Opportunity,” presented by Michael Knight — Sponsored by Westmark Electronics — Austin Grand Ballroom, 6th floor

5:00 p.m.

Conference adjourns