The Platform Wars Get Real
The Diamond sponsor lineup tells the story: Amazon Web Services, Dialpad, RingCentral, and Zoom are betting big on Vegas. But the real intrigue is in the shifts — Cisco moved from Platinum to Gold, while Salesforce joined as a new Platinum sponsor, signaling the blurring lines between UC and CX.
Zoom is bringing new Deloitte research on meeting friction costing enterprises billions. If you’ve ever thought “we have too many meetings,” their Wednesday keynote validates your pain and offers solutions.
RingCentral is showcasing agentic AI — autonomous systems taking actions without human intervention. Expect real customer deployments, not just concept demos.
Your Ultimate Guide to Enterprise Connect 2026: Navigate Vegas Like a Pro →
The Hybrid Work Reality Check
Organizations are done experimenting with hybrid work. Now it’s about optimization, and the exhibitor floor reflects this maturity:
- Meeting room technology — Shure, Biamp, AudioCodes, and Sennheiser bring the AV expertise for spaces
- Platform interoperability — How do you build rooms that support Teams, Zoom, and Webex without overwhelming users?
- Meeting equity — No more “second-class” remote participants
- Standardization frameworks — Intuit’s Peter Kolak presents Wednesday on why conference room standardization is critical
The Sight, Sound, Success: AV/Collaboration Summit on Tuesday morning offers three hours of concentrated expertise on these exact challenges.
The Microsoft Question Everyone’s Asking
There’s an uncomfortable question floating through every UC discussion: “Is Teams good enough?” Thursday’s session on “The Potential of Teams & Copilot: What You’re Missing Out On” addresses this directly.
With Microsoft not exhibiting but their platform dominating enterprise deployments, the conversation about best-of-breed vs. platform consolidation has never been more relevant. Expect Cisco, Zoom, and RingCentral to have strong opinions.
AI: From Pilot to Production
The AI Acceleration Summit on Tuesday tackles what UC leaders are struggling with: moving AI from proof-of-concept to enterprise-wide deployment. You’ll find:
- AI copilots and assistants — Embedded in every workflow
- Meeting summarization — Who’s actually using it effectively?
- Real-time translation — Breaking down language barriers
- Trust and observability — AWS’s keynote focus
But here’s the reality check: There’s a keynote panel called “What If AI Never Pays Off?” Top AI vendors will be held accountable for their ROI claims. It’s the honest conversation the industry needs.
Security in the Deepfake Era
With AI creating threats as fast as opportunities, security takes center stage. SecureLogix, Caller ID Reputation, and sessions on deepfake detection address the question: How do you secure collaboration when you can’t trust what you see or hear?
Wednesday’s session “Can You Hear Me Now? Deepfakes, Trust, and the Future of Enterprise Communications” tackles this head-on.
The Carrier and Connectivity Layer
Don’t overlook the infrastructure players: Verizon Business, Spectrum Business, Lumen, and Bandwidth represent the “plumbing” that makes everything work. As one session title puts it: “Network ‘Plumbing’ in the AI Age: More Essential Than Ever.”
Why This Year Matters
UC leaders are building 3-5 year roadmaps in an environment of unprecedented change. The Thursday session “Your 3-5 Year Communications Roadmap: Getting It Right in a Time of Transition” addresses this directly — how do you plan when the landscape shifts monthly?
The Strategic IT Leadership Roundtables (vendor-free, off-the-record) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday offer something rare: honest peer conversations about what’s actually working and what’s burning budget.
The Growing Momentum
The exhibitor list has grown 24% in the past month, with vendors still joining. The Tuesday-Thursday format eliminates weekend travel while delivering concentrated value. And the Vegas location? Enterprise Connect negotiated city-wide discounts for restaurants, shows, and attractions.
But make no mistake — this is work, not vacation. The conversations happening March 10-12 will shape unified communications strategy through the end of the decade.
Futurist Heather McGowan’s Wednesday keynote will challenge assumptions about how AI transforms not just tools, but how humans work. With Thomas Friedman calling her insights an “oasis,” expect frameworks you can actually use.
The bottom line: Enterprise Connect 2026 is where the UC industry confronts reality after years of hype. Platform wars, AI ROI, hybrid work infrastructure, and security threats all converge in Vegas. Miss it at your own risk.
