MISAC 2026: What We Heard, What We Learned and What We Brought Home
Another MISAC Annual Conference is in the books. As a Platinum Partner, CPS headed to Monterey for a few days of conversations with customers, prospects, and other municipal IT professionals, along with the usual conference mix of sessions, exhibit-hall time, and after-hours events.
We came home with some useful observations. We also came home with a few things that require considerably less analysis.
AI Has Entered a Different Conversation
A couple of years ago, mentioning AI at a conference was a pretty reliable way to watch people lose interest. Everyone had heard enough about AI, and very few people wanted another pitch.
This year was different.
People came to the CPS booth asking about AI. A few even looked at our booth banner and asked why AI wasn't on it. The answer was simple: the banner is two years old. When we designed it, AI wasn't something municipal customers particularly wanted to discuss.
What changed isn't simply interest in AI. People now see practical AI capabilities they can use. The conversation is shifting from AI as a technology to what it can actually do.
That is a much more interesting conversation.
Accessibility Isn't Going Away
WCAG and digital accessibility were also among the most frequent topics at the booth.
Timelines may change, but the operational questions remain. Agencies still have documents, forms, and public-facing information that need to be accessible, and they're still trying to understand what that means for the systems and processes they already have.
Based on conversations at MISAC, accessibility remains firmly on municipal IT's radar.
Integrations came up as well, which didn't surprise us. As information environments become more connected, the interesting question is increasingly not whether systems can exchange information, but how to make those connections useful and sustainable.
We Conducted Important Giveaway Research
We brought wine, cookies, and drones to Monterey.
Wine won.
We don't want to overstate the scientific rigor of this finding, but the results were fairly conclusive.
There was also a practical advantage to giving away something people could enjoy in their hotel rooms rather than trying to get onto an airplane. One conference giveaway reportedly included a seatbelt-cutting tool. It did not survive airport security.
Sometimes marketing really is about knowing your audience.
And Then There Was the Party
CPS also co-hosted the Savant party, which gave everyone a chance to continue conversations outside the exhibit hall.
And because apparently putting your logo on a sign wasn't enough, we put ours in ice.
The party went late. In fact, it went late enough that the buses had stopped running by the time some of the group headed back to the hotel.
Which brings us to one final lesson from MISAC 2026.
Sometimes, what happens at MISAC requires no explanation at all.
Thanks to MISAC, our customers, our fellow sponsors, and everyone who stopped by the CPS booth.
We'll see you next year.
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