Partner Programming

Monday, March 1, 2027 | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM 
$75 Early Bird / $120 Standard 

The IAES Summit will bring together utility professionals, engineers, regulators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to explore the future of energy access, affordability, and availability. Through a combination of technical sessions and innovation pitches from Global Energy Hackathon participants, the summit will highlight practical solutions, emerging technologies, and strategies to address today’s most pressing energy challenges.

Focused on collaboration between utilities and customers, the program will examine grid investment, reliability, distributed energy resources, and equitable access to affordable energy. Attendees will gain perspectives on how innovation, policy, and customer-focused approaches can support a more resilient and inclusive energy future.

Participants will:

• Explore strategies for improving energy access, affordability, and reliability through technology, policy, and market solutions.
• Examine how distributed energy resources, including solar, storage, and microgrids, can support customer affordability and grid resilience.
• Understand the role of equitable incentive programs in expanding access to clean energy solutions.
• Gain insights from innovators and industry leaders developing solutions for the evolving energy landscape.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration between utilities, customers, communities, and policymakers.
• Discover how to leverage modern hackathons and MVP pitching to screen, attract, and retain top-tier, innovative talent for energy organizations and roles. 

The IAES Summit provides a unique opportunity to connect innovation with action, bringing together the leaders, technologies, and ideas shaping the future of a more accessible, affordable, and resilient energy system.

Important Note:

• Includes light snacks and lunch.

Monday, March 1, 2027 | 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM
$299

As electricity demand rises rapidly (driven by factors including AI, data centers, and widespread electrification) grid flexibility has shifted from a "nice to have" to an absolute necessity for modern utilities.

Join PLMA, the leading community for flexible load management professionals, and the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), the nonprofit authority on energy consumers and their relationships with electricity providers, for this Flexible Energy Forum. Together, we'll explore the insights, strategies, and perspectives utility professionals need to navigate today's rapidly evolving energy landscape.

Participants will: 

• Grid Resilience & Reliability: Discover practical approaches leveraging customer-sited DERs to strengthen the grid and help manage rising electricity demand. 

• Affordability: Understand how leveraging existing, customer-sited resources can apply downward pressure on increasing electric rates. 

• Customer Engagement: Learn how to better communicate the value of smart energy and build deeper, fruitful relationships with customers. 

• Optimize Outcomes: Explore how flexibility can lead to "speed-to-power" outcomes, allowing projects to connect significantly faster to meet growing loads. 

• Dispatchable vs. Structural Flexibility: How to coordinate residential DERs and demand response to mitigate grid stress. 

Join us as we explore the nexus of grid operations and customer engagement and chart a path to a more flexible and affordable energy future. 

Important Note:

• Includes lunch and cocktail reception.

Monday, March 1, 2027 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Free

This half-day interactive workshop brings together utility, technology, and solution provider leaders to explore practical strategies for advancing grid flexibility, resilience, and operational intelligence.

Through real-world case studies and facilitated discussions, participants will examine how leading organizations are addressing rapid load growth, evolving customer expectations, increasingly severe weather and climate risks, and the operational challenges of a modern electric grid.

Participants will:

• Explore successful utility partnerships and lessons learned from integrating emerging technologies into utility operations.
• Learn from real-world deployments that are improving grid reliability, resilience, affordability, and operational performance.
• Discuss practical approaches for integrating distributed energy resources and advanced technologies into existing utility infrastructure, planning, and business models.
• Identify common implementation challenges and strategies for scaling innovation across utility organizations.
• Collaborate with industry peers to develop actionable solutions for today's most pressing grid modernization challenges.

Participants will leave with practical insights, new industry connections, and proven strategies to accelerate innovation, strengthen grid resilience, and translate emerging technologies into measurable value for utilities, customers, and communities.

Important Note:

• This workshop is open exclusively to electric utility employees, technology companies, solution providers, and vendors.

Monday, March 1, 2027 | 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM 
$99 

This immersive, interactive, hands-on workshop combines Plugfest-style demonstrations, real-world utility case studies, and peer collaboration to showcase how private broadband networks support critical utility operations.  

Join this workshop to gain insights on practical applications—including next-generation AMI, Distribution Automation (DA), grid-edge intelligence, and low-latency communications—while engaging in discussions focused on today's operational challenges. 

Participants will: 

• Experience a live Mini-Plugfest demo, where key use cases like mutual aid communications, DA connectivity, and next-gen AMI are brought to life in a dynamic utility showcase environment. 
• Explain how private broadband networks support critical utility operations and grid modernization.  
• Identify key lessons learned from real-world Private LTE deployments and utility use cases. 
• Evaluate communications technologies that enable next-generation AMI, Distribution Automation, and other mission-critical applications.  
• Collaborate with utility peers to share best practices and address common operational challenges.  
• Apply practical insights to support broadband planning, deployment, and modernization initiatives within their organizations. 

You’ll leave with more than ideas. You'll gain a practical framework and actionable takeaways to help accelerate communications modernization and deployment within your organization.  If you’re responsible for utility reliability, resilience, or modernizing grid operations, this is a workshop you won’t want to miss.  

Seats are limited, so reserve your spot. 

Important Notes:  

• This is open exclusively to electric utility employees. 
• Lunch will be provided

Monday, March 1, 2027 | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Free

Join UIGA for its 4th Annual Spring Forum, where utility professionals will explore emerging strategies, technologies, and best practices in imagery, geospatial, remote sensing, and asset inspection to support grid resilience and the future of utility operations. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and exchange insights with peers from across the utility industry.

Participants will:

• Examine emerging trends and technologies in imagery, geospatial data, remote sensing, and utility asset inspection.
• Explore best practices for improving asset inspection, storm response, vegetation management, and wildfire mitigation.
• Learn how utilities are using imagery, geospatial intelligence and inspection data to enhance grid resilience and operational decision-making.
• Exchange practical insights and lessons learned with utility peers to support more effective planning and field operations.

 

Whether you're advancing your utility's imagery and geospatial capabilities, enhancing inspection programs, or strengthening resilience initiatives, this forum offers valuable perspectives and peer connections to help inform your organization's next steps.

Important Notes:

• This forum is open exclusively to electric utility employees.
• Includes continental breakfast, lunch and light snacks.

 

Monday, March 1, 2027 | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Non-Members: $299
Utility 2030 Members: 50% Off using promo code provided by Utility 2030

Join Utility 2030 (U2030) for The Human Grid Kitchen, an immersive, culinary-themed leadership simulation designed to help utility and technology leaders practice transformational leadership in a safe, high-stakes—and fun—environment.

Through a multi-stage “cooking competition,” cross-functional teams navigate real-world utility disruptions—including budget cuts, executive changes, and communication crises—while balancing grid reliability with customer trust. Along the way, teams practice making strategic decisions under pressure, adapting to changing circumstances, and aligning diverse perspectives around a shared vision.

During the networking lunch, participants will also contribute to a local community impact initiative, reinforcing U2030's belief that meaningful leadership begins with service.

Participants will:

• Translate complex grid modernization strategy into a clear, inspiring narrative for all stakeholders.
• Make tough financial trade-offs between back-end infrastructure and front-end customer experience.
• Lead through sudden disruption, change management, and executive reassignments without losing momentum.
• Coordinate cross-functional crisis response under real-time pressure.
• Lead post-mortem reviews that balance operational metrics with customer trust.

Click here to view the detailed agenda and learn more about The Human Grid Kitchen.

Through dynamic culinary challenges, participants practice leading through uncertainty while building practical skills in vision-setting, adaptive leadership, and cross-functional alignment.

Important Notes:

• Includes snacks and lunch.
• Simulation materials will be provided