SITE announces keynote James Taylor amongst speakers for SITE Global Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi

The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) today announced the keynote and education sessions for SITE Global Conference 2026, taking place February 12 to 15, 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal.

Each year, SITE Global Conference convenes incentive travel leaders from across the supply and demand sides of the industry to connect, learn, and celebrate the business impact of exceptional reward experiences.

Framed by the destination’s heritage and bold modern innovation, SITE Global Conference 2026 will embrace the theme “Wonder, Awe & Curiosity,” bringing incentive travel professionals together to connect, learn, discover, and shape the future of the industry.

SITE has confirmed James Taylor, an award-winning keynote speaker, author, and advisor on creativity, innovation, and artificial intelligence, as keynote speaker for SITE Global Conference 2026. Taylor is known for helping leaders and teams unlock creative potential and accelerate innovation, including through his work on how people and intelligent machines can collaborate creatively.

“SITE Global Conference is where our worldwide community comes together to look ahead, challenge assumptions, and leave with the ideas and relationships that move our industry forward. In Abu Dhabi in 2026, we will explore how wonder, awe and curiosity can translate into smarter strategies, stronger partnerships, and more meaningful experiences for participants. Our programme is designed to be practical and future-focused, with sessions that reflect the realities incentive travel leaders are navigating right now, from the evolving expectations of clients and qualifiers to the responsible use of technology, the importance of wellbeing, and the need to deliver measurable impact. We are delighted to welcome James Taylor as our keynote, and we look forward to sharing a powerful line up of speakers and learning formats that will equip attendees to create incentive programmes that inspire and perform,” said Annette Gregg, CEO of SITE.

Across the keynote, deep-dive workshops, and sprint sessions, delegates will explore the forces reshaping incentive travel, including evolving business models, risk and security, talent and culture, responsible technology adoption, sustainability, and wellness. Content is designed to be highly practical, giving attendees ideas and tools that can be applied immediately to deliver measurable impact through incentive travel.  Sessions include:

AI

• AI in Action: Shaping the Future of Incentives. Tiffany Cohen, SVP Incentives & Sourcing, Opus Agency

• The Time Advantage: How AI Can Give You 30 Extra Hours Every Week. Nitin Sachdeva, CEO, Venture Marketing

 Business Strategy

• From Chaos to Clarity: How Effective Leadership Transforms Supplier Partnerships. Huw Tuckett, CITP, euromic

• Cracking the Code: Planner Insights, Budgets and Bold Moves. Amanda Armstrong, SVP, Industry Relations, Encore

• New Product Development for DMCs: Why Standing Still is Not an Option. Rajeev Kohli, CIS, CITP, DMCP, Creative Travel

• Beyond Order-Taking: Becoming a Strategic Partner in Incentive Travel Design. Ashley Dukat, Founder | Lead Strategist, AMD Event

• A Whirlwind Journey from Incentive to Impact. Virginie De Visscher, Destination Canada; Bradley Sutherland, Air Canada; Jenn Glynn, Meeting Encore; Michael Drake, Destination Vancouver

 Sustainability and Wellness 

• From Desert to Table: Designing Sustainable, Immersive Incentive Experiences in Abu Dhabi. Candy Campbell, CMP, Campbell Scott

• Beyond the Spa: Designing Incentive Experiences That Truly Restore. Deanna Griffith-House, Vice President, EventMasters

• Take Back Your Brain. Dami Kim, Executive Director, Body & Brain Wellness

• Wellness isn’t a perk - it’s a performance strategy. David T Stevens, Wellness Architect, Olympian Meeting

DEIB

• Inclusive Destination Selection: Embedding DEIB into Incentive Travel Programs. Shane Carroll, President, Precise Events International; Jennifer Attersall, VP Client Engagement & Strategy, Wynford

• More Than Moments: Designing Events That Cultivate Belonging. Heather Odendaal, Founder & CEO, WNORTH

 Community and impact

• Travel as Transformation: Stories of Impact and Inspiration from Global Conference Scholarship Recipients. Featuring scholarship recipients and SITE community voices

• Premier Partner Spotlight: Excellence in Incentive Travel. Partner speakers and case studies to be announced

Gregg concludes: “Incentive travel is fundamentally about people, what motivates them, what makes them feel valued, and what inspires them to go further. SITE Global Conference 2026 will celebrate that human dimension while also giving our community the tools to innovate with confidence, design with intention, and demonstrate ROI in a changing business environment. Abu Dhabi is an ideal host city for this conversation, pairing rich culture with bold ambition, and we cannot wait to welcome our members and partners from around the world to learn, connect, and return home energised with fresh thinking and actionable takeaways.”

Beyond the education programme, attendees will experience destination discovery programming designed to showcase Abu Dhabi as an incentive-ready city, with cultural encounters and local experiences that celebrate the power of people, culture, and place.

SITE Global Conference 2026 is hosted with the support of Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau and The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal.

Registration for SITE Global Conference 2026 is open now. For more information and to register, visit the event page at SITEGlobal.com.