What Attendees Can Expect at Specification Management Summit 2026

Spec Summit 2026 is shaping up to be another invaluable event for leaders across packaging, product development, manufacturing, supply chain, and more. From February 11–13, the Specright ecosystem will come together in New Orleans at the JW Marriott for three days of learning, collaboration, and celebration, all centered around using the power of specification data to transform how we create, innovate, and manage products.

This year’s Spec Summit builds on a growing industry-wide shift: organizations are no longer asking whether they need strong digital foundations, but how quickly they can build and leverage them. With the intersection of industry leaders from CPG, retail, food and beverage, academia, technology, and more, this event has been intentionally designed to help teams move from strategy to action.

A Summit Framed by Innovation

Every year, Spec Summit is rooted in the idea that a spec-first approach can unlock breakthroughs in sustainability, quality, speed-to-market, and product performance. Spec Summit 2026 continues that mission with a strong emphasis on AI-driven innovation, smarter supply chain operations, EPR and PPWR readiness, the future of packaging, and the practical path companies can take to digitize their product and packaging data.

Announcing Spec Summit’s 2026 Customer Chair: Kitty Dowgert of Taylor Farms

One of the defining voices of this year’s event will be Kitty Dowgert, Senior Manager of Specifications at Taylor Farms, the 2026 Spec Summit Chair. Kitty’s presence is especially meaningful, as she leads Specification Management at Taylor Farms. As Taylor Farms continues to lead in operational excellence and data-driven decision-making, her perspective brings a grounded, customer-centric view of what digital transformation looks like inside a modern, high-performance organization.

Three Days in New Orleans: A Deep Dive Into the Spec Summit Experience

Spec Summit 2026 unfolds over three immersive days designed to blend strategic insight, hands-on learning, and authentic community building. It begins on Wednesday with programming tailored for deeper engagement. With workshops, strategic meetings, and advisory board sessions, customers, partners, and collaborators will gain valuable insights right off the bat. 

Thursday serves as the centerpiece of the Summit. Attendees will hear from Specright CEO Mike Boese and our product team on the company’s latest perspective on AI-driven product innovation. Attendees will also hear from current customers like Amazon, OFI, Colgate-Palmolive and others on the value of a spec-first approach. Specright Founder and Executive Chairman Matthew Wright will lead a dynamic panel with packaging leaders from Bloomberg, Gartner, and the broader packaging community on future trends to consider. The morning concludes with a panel on AI-driven supply chain operations and a live product showcase highlighting the newest innovations across the Specright platform.

The momentum continues throughout the afternoon with a deep dive into Taylor Farms’ ROI from specification management, followed by the annual Spec Awards, celebrating Specright customers who are truly transforming their businesses with a spec-first approach. Breakout sessions then take over the agenda, offering attendees the chance to tailor their experience—whether they want to understand the latest on EPR reporting, dive into product roadmap details, explore labeling and formulation trends, or learn how to model ROI across their organization. 

For our closing keynote, we will hear from Patrick Van Hull, widely recognized as the Supply Chain Storyteller, who will talk about what the future holds for AI Innovation. Drawing on research from MIT, Gartner, and real-world applications across packaging, product development, and supply chain management, this keynote reframes AI not as a tool to manage, but as a capability to develop through partnership and trust. The day concludes with a signature New Orleans evening at Generations Hall, complete with local food, music, and an atmosphere that captures the city’s unmistakable character.

Friday shifts into a more hands-on mode, giving teams the practical tools and frameworks they need to take action back home. After an optional sunrise yoga session, attendees will hear from more customers in fireside chat-style Q&A sessions, and then more breakout sessions with the Specright product team and ecosystem partners.

See You in New Orleans

Whether you’re attending to advance your understanding of the Specright SDM or PLM solutions, strengthen your sustainability efforts, explore the future of AI when it comes to specification data and product innovation, or simply meet others facing the same challenges, Spec Summit 2026 promises a valuable and energizing experience. 

Together, we’ll explore how supply chains are evolving and how partnering with the right software solutions can transform your business from reactive to proactive. If you haven’t grabbed your spot, space is limited, but you can still register here. See you in New Orleans!