TL;DR
Momentum 2026 keeps the rhythm you know, with a few new additions.
- There are five session rooms, with seven sessions in each room
- Most sessions are 45 minutes. The 1:30 slot is a shorter 30-minute session
- Breaks between sessions are 15 minutes
- Lunch is offered for nearly 2 hours (11:25-1:15) and there is no "lunch break"
- New for 2026: An opening keynote and an afterparty sponsored by DocuSOR!
Conference Schedule
- 7:30-8:30 Registration + Breakfast
- 8:30-8:40 Opening Remarks
- 8:40-9:05 Keynote
- 9:20-4:00 Sessions
- 4:10-5:10 Lightning Talks
- 5:10-5:25 Closing Remarks and Giveaways
- 5:30-7:30 Afterparty sponsored by DocuSOR
Opening Remarks
The best way to kick off Momentum 2026 is gathered with hundreds of other attendees in the Main Ballroom. We promise that we'll keep the energy high to start your day right.
Keynote
New this year! Stick around after opening remarks for our keynote from Mike Walker: "The AI Reckoning: Five Survival Imperatives Every Technologist Must Master Before It's Too Late." It's a great way to set the tone for the day.
Sessions
Momentum 2026 has 35 sessions, scheduled in 7 time slots with 5 simultaneous sessions each. Most sessions are 45 minutes, but the 1:30 slot is 30 minutes, so plan accordingly. There is no lunch break. I will explain more about this in the next section.
| Time Slot | Length |
|---|---|
| 9:20 AM | 45 min |
| 10:20 AM | 45 min |
| 11:25 AM | 45 min |
| 12:30 PM | 45 min |
| 1:30 PM | 30 min |
| 2:15 PM | 45 min |
| 3:15 PM | 45 min |
Review schedule on the Whova app before you arrive, so that you can plan for the talks you most want to attend. Accept that your plan will probably change. 🤷♂️ Some popular sessions may reach capacity. If a session is particularly important to you, arrive early to claim a good seat.
Lightning Talks
Starting at 4:10 in the Main Ballroom, get a quick burst of inspiration and insight from fellow Cincinnati techies. Six speakers, five minutes each:
- Chris Perrin - Developers Don't Need Fear an Agentic Future
- John Konecny - The Life Behind The Data: BCR-ABL1 Fusion
- Brian Cerchio - Don't Build Alone: Why Great Engineers Show Up
- Sophia Solomon - The DevOps Metabolism: How CI/CD is Like the Krebs Cycle
- Sean C Davis - The over-engineered platform: software and workflows just for you
- Chad Green - Other Duties as Assigned
Closing Remarks
Win free stuff! Reflect on what you learned! Celebrate a successful Momentum!
Lightning talks flow right into Closing Remarks at 5:10 in the Main Ballroom.
Afterparty
New for 2026! The conversations don't have to end when the sessions do. Join us from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Hard Rock Casino for the afterparty, hosted by DocuSOR.
Food Schedule
I love good food. I hope you love good food too. Here's the times when you can get it.
| Meal | Start Time | End Time |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 7:30 AM | 8:30 AM |
| Lunch | 11:25 AM | 1:15 PM |
Lunch
This is important and different from many other events
Momentum 2026 does not have a dedicated lunch break. Lunch will be available from 11:25 to 1:15 in the Main Ballroom. Grab lunch at any time within this block, whenever you like. Choose your own adventure! The session rhythm will continue unbroken and unmarred.
Options include:
- Eat lunch during the 11:25 session
- Eat lunch during the 12:30 session
- Eat lunch quickly between sessions
I don't recommend skipping lunch entirely but I'm not your mom, so that's between you and your stomach. Tip: In past years, the bulk of attendees went to lunch as soon as it started. You will probably have a somewhat shorter line if you eat during the 12:30 session instead.
You can view the full menu for the day, including lunch, on our Food page.
Once you've finished lunch, you may want to join a session that's already in progress. That's great! Just remember to be polite and avoid creating any unnecessary disturbance to those already in the session.
Sponsors
There are over a dozen sponsor booths, staffed by friendly people, lining the main hallway. Many of them will be giving away free stuff! Our sponsors help keep Momentum affordable and fun, and I am very thankful for that. Grab some swag then take a moment to say "Hi!" and thank them for their support.
Sponsor Spotlight
We'll be giving away several items that you can only win by completing a "Sponsor Spotlight" sheet. As you visit each sponsor, they will stamp your sheet in the appropriate square. Once your sheet is full, bring it to the main desk to enter in the drawing of your choice. The drawing will occur during the closing remarks. You must be present to win!