2026 Avetta Summit Series to Unite Ready-to-Work Community — Chicago Kicks Off Global Series in May
Talent Management / Workplace Collaboration | 4 min read
Avetta®, the leader in intelligent work readiness across global supply chains, has announced new details for its 2026 Summit Series, opening in Chicago from 19–21 May 2026 at the Marriott Marquis Chicago in the city's South Loop. The event is the first in a global series that will continue in Sydney and London later in the year — bringing together Avetta's community of hiring clients, suppliers, and partners to strengthen supply chain performance and advance the company's "Ready to Work" standard for supply chain safety, security, and sustainability. The 2026 format breaks from traditional conference structure entirely, replacing passive content consumption with curated, outcomes-oriented experiences designed to get work done — not just discussed.
"Readiness isn't achieved alone — it's built together. The 2026 Summit Series will bring that spirit to life, starting in Chicago. There, our North American community members will come together to strengthen their networks, learn from one another and solve challenges so they can better lead with confidence, operate with integrity and protect the people that keep business moving forward."
— Abid Yousuf, Chief Customer Officer, Avetta
"The Avetta Summit Series provides a valuable forum to engage with industry leaders and gain practical insights into how different organisations are implementing and evolving their HSE initiatives and strategies. It also allows us to have discussions with our contractors, reinforcing the critical role of strong, collaborative working relationships in driving safety performance."
— Daragh O'Malley, Director of Health, Safety and Environmental, IKO North America
New for 2026: Four Formats Designed for Real-World Impact
The 2026 Chicago event introduces four new experience formats that move beyond keynote-and-panel conference structure. The Connection Center will serve as the event's central hub — a dedicated space for high-value, in-person collaboration where clients and suppliers can meet, align, and advance work together in real time. Client-hosted Supplier Townhalls give attending hiring clients the opportunity to host dedicated 45-minute sessions with their supplier communities, aligning on safety expectations, programme updates, and priorities for the year ahead. Industry-specific User Group Roundtables mark the launch of Avetta's Industry User Groups — peer communities from the construction, facilities management, and industrial and process manufacturing sectors, each gathering for a facilitated 90-minute kickoff in Chicago followed by quarterly virtual sessions throughout 2026. Safety Spotlights are peer-led, high-impact interactive sessions showcasing proven strategies, measurable results, and forward-looking insights from across the Avetta community.
Keynote Speakers and the Ready-to-Work Standard
Select keynote speakers have been announced, including Jim Wetherbee — a record-holding former NASA astronaut and US naval aviator with more than three decades of leadership in high-hazard operational environments — who will speak on navigating risk and operational excellence in high-stakes environments. The keynote line-up reflects the Summit's thematic focus on intelligent work readiness — the strategic alignment of people, processes, and technology to move organisations beyond simple compliance and toward genuine operational excellence. The Chicago event will also feature the presentation of Avetta's North America customer awards. The "Ready to Work" positioning, which underpins the Summit Series, represents Avetta's recent brand evolution — reframing supply chain safety, security, and sustainability as an active, ongoing readiness standard rather than a periodic compliance checkpoint.
Key Takeaways
- • Avetta's 2026 Summit Series opens in Chicago (19–21 May, Marriott Marquis Chicago, South Loop) for North American hiring clients, suppliers, and partners — the first event in a global series continuing in Sydney and London later in 2026, centred on Avetta's "Ready to Work" standard for supply chain safety, security, and sustainability.
- • The 2026 format replaces traditional conference structure with four outcomes-oriented formats: the Connection Center (central collaboration hub for clients and suppliers); Client-hosted Supplier Townhalls (45-minute alignment sessions on safety expectations and programme priorities); Industry User Group Roundtables (construction, facilities management, industrial and process manufacturing — 90-minute Chicago kickoff + quarterly virtual sessions); and Safety Spotlights (peer-led interactive sessions on proven HSE strategies and results).
- • Keynote speakers include Jim Wetherbee — record-holding former NASA astronaut and US naval aviator with 30+ years of leadership in high-hazard operational environments — reflecting the Summit's thematic focus on readiness, risk leadership, and operational excellence in complex, high-stakes environments.
- • The Chicago event also features Avetta's North America customer awards and the launch of Avetta's Industry User Groups — ongoing peer communities that will continue as quarterly virtual sessions throughout 2026, providing direct input into Avetta's product roadmap across construction, facilities management, and industrial/process manufacturing.
- • The "Ready to Work" positioning — Avetta's recent brand evolution — reframes supply chain safety, security, and sustainability as an active, continuous readiness standard aligned to people, processes, and technology, moving organisations beyond compliance checkpoints toward operational excellence and reduced supply chain friction.