The Essential 2026 Conference Guide for FP&A and Finance Leaders

Stay Ahead with These Top Events for FP&A, Strategy, AI, Networking, and CPE Credits

In the world of finance, standing still is falling behind. For FP&A professionals, staying ahead of market trends, navigating regulatory changes, and mastering emerging technologies like AI isn't just important—it's essential for strategic growth.

Annual conferences are one of the most effective ways to sharpen your skills, understand the changing landscape, and connect with peers and thought leaders. Beyond the invaluable insights, they are also a fantastic opportunity to earn your necessary CPE and CPD credits.

With limited time and budgets, you have to choose wisely. To help you plan your year, we've curated a comprehensive list of the 8 best conferences for FP&A and finance leaders to attend in 2026, complete with pricing and credit information.

For CFOs & Senior Executives: Data-Driven Strategy

This group of conferences is designed for high-level strategic insight, focusing on AI, leadership, and enterprise-wide value.

EPM Summit

• When: February 17–20, 2026
• Where: Las Vegas, Nevada (Bellagio Resort)
• Best for: This is a one-of-a-kind multi-vendor event focused exclusively on Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), CPM, AI, and Analytics. As legacy systems like SAP BPC approach their end-of-life, this summit serves as a critical scouting ground for the next generation of AI-driven planning tools.
• Why You Should Attend: With over 120 sessions, including hands-on product demos and "best practice" roundtables, this is the premier event for teams evaluating new planning and consolidation software. You’ll hear directly from leading vendors, analysts (like BPM Partners), and peers who have recently completed modernizations.
• Price: All-access Pass is USD 3,000.
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, attendees can earn a significant number of CPE credits through technical and hands-on sessions.
• Website: https://epmsummit.com/

Finance Alliance CFO World Summit Series

• When: February 25 (San Jose) & June 24 (Austin), 2026
• Where: San Jose, CA & Austin, TX
• Best for: Concentrated, high-impact insights from top-tier tech and CPG leaders.
• This event's value is defined by its speakers. The 2026 lineup includes senior finance leaders from Google, AWS, Microsoft, Adobe, and Mars, ensuring the content is relevant, modern, and shared by people who are actively in the trenches of high-growth tech and CPG.
• Why You Should Attend: This traveling event series is a great option for finance leaders who can't commit to a multi-day conference. The summits explore high-impact topics like agile FP&A, building a high-impact finance function, and the role of AI for CFOs. It's a concentrated day of roundtables, panels, and networking with speakers from companies like Adobe, Amazon, and HP.
• Price: $299 to $1,999 (depending on in-person, on-demand, or membership bundles).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, you can earn up to eight CPD or CPE credits.
• Website: Learn more at cfoevents.financealliance.io

FEI Canada Annual Conference

• When: May 25–28, 2026
• Where: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Best for: Canadian senior financial executives focused on the national economic landscape.
• This is the preeminent national event for Canada's senior financial executives. Hosted in the nation's capital, it features high-level discussions on economic strategy, leadership, and national trends with speakers from government and top Canadian corporations.
• Why You Should Attend: This is the key conference for CFOs, VPs of Finance, and Treasurers operating in Canada. It's the best place to network with Canadian peers and gain insights specific to the Canadian economic landscape.
• Price: $1,595 (Early Bird Member) to $1,995 (Non-Member).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, attendees can earn up to 14 CPD credits.
• Website: Learn more at feicanadaconference.ca

Gartner CFO & Finance Symposium/Xpo

• When: May 27–29, 2026
• Where: National Harbor, Maryland
• Best for: High-level, data-driven strategy and the definitive playbook on "Autonomous Finance."
• The entire 2026 conference is built around the theme of "Autonomous Finance." This is where you'll get the definitive playbook on building a resilient, AI-driven, and value-centric finance enterprise, moving past theory and into practical application.
• Why You Should Attend: This is a high-level strategic conference. If you're a CFO or a senior finance executive, this is where you'll get data-driven insights from world-renowned Gartner experts. The agenda focuses on the biggest challenges, from managing risk and improving efficiency to driving growth in uncertain times.
• Price: $4,375 (Early Bird), $4,975 (Standard), or $4,125 (Public-Sector).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, attendees of certain sessions may be eligible for CPE credits.
• Website: Learn more at gartner.com

CFO Leadership Conference

• When: June 3–5, 2026
• Where: Boston, Massachusetts
• Best for: C-Suite leadership development, team building, and strategic influence.
• With a 2026 theme of "Ignite Your Leadership," this conference is unabashedly focused on the "C-Suite" part of the CFO title. It skips the technical weeds and instead provides real-world tactics for leadership, team building, and strategic influence.
• Why You Should Attend: Put on by the CFO Leadership Council, this event is all about leadership. The sessions are designed to provide real-world insights and tactics to help you excel as a leader, not just a finance expert. It's a powerful event for networking with other senior finance executives and sharing best practices.
• Price: Prices range from $745 (Members) to $1,145 (Non-Members, includes membership).
• CPE/CPD Credits: The source material did not specify.
• Website: Learn more at cfoleadership.com

CFO.com CFO.Live Summit

• When: September 22–23, 2026 (Projected date)
• Where: New York, NY
• Best for: A practical, all-around conference balancing strategy with actionable advice.
• From the team at CFO.com, a leading industry publication, this event is built to address the immediate challenges and opportunities on the CFO's desk. The agenda is practical, covering topics like talent retention in the finance department, tech stack optimization, and navigating new regulations.
• Why You Should Attend: This is an excellent all-around CFO conference that balances high-level strategy with practical, "what-to-do-on-Monday" advice. It's a great opportunity to network with peers and get a pulse on the entire breadth of the CFO role.
• Price: 2026 pricing is not yet available (2025 passes were ~$1,495).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, CPE credits are available.
• Website: Learn more at cfo.com/live

MIT Sloan CFO Summit

• When: November 19, 2026 (Projected date)
• Where: Boston, Massachusetts
• Best for: A forward-looking, academic-level vision of the future of finance.
• This is arguably the most prestigious one-day CFO event in North America. Produced by the MIT Sloan School of Management, it brings together academic rigor and real-world C-suite experience. The 2025 theme was "The CFO of the Future: AI and the Next-Gen Financial Toolkit."
• Why You Should Attend: This is where you go to get a true, forward-looking-vision of the finance function. You'll hear from world-renowned academics and innovative CFOs on topics like AI, sustainability (ESG), and advanced analytics, all in a high-octane, single-day format.
• Price: 2026 pricing is not yet available (2025 passes were ~$1,150).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, CPE credits are available.
• Website: Learn more at mitsloancfosummit.com

For the Modern FP&A Function

These events are laser-focused on the tools, techniques, and strategies specific to financial planning and analysis.

FP&A Summit (from Finance Alliance)

• When: February 25 (San Jose) & June 24 (Austin), 2026
• Where: San Jose, CA & Austin, TX
• Best for: Practical, single-day, intensive FP&A training from tech and CPG leaders.
• These are single-day, intensive events 100% dedicated to FP&A. Their strength is the speaker list, which is packed with senior finance leaders from major tech and CPG companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Mars.
• Why You Should Attend: It's the perfect option for focused, practical learning and networking without a long time out of the office. The agenda is all FP&A, all day, covering agile planning, AI-driven forecasting, and effective business partnering.
• Price: Prices range from $299 to $1,999 (depending on in-person, on-demand, or team bundles).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, attendees can earn CPE/CPD credits (typically up to 8 for a single-day event).
• Website: Learn more at events.financealliance.io

AFP FP&A Forum

• When: March 23–25, 2026
• Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
• Best for: FP&A professionals seeking to master both technical skills and leadership resilience.
• The 2026 theme is "Elevate Your Financial IQ," but its unique value is clear from its keynotes: a workplace strategist (Erica Keswin) and an ultra-marathon runner (Ray Zahab). This highlights the forum's dual focus on mastering technical finance skills and building the personal resilience and leadership needed to succeed.
• Why You Should Attend: Hosted by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), this event is laser-focused on the FP&A function. The 2026 theme, "Elevate Your Financial IQ," promises new strategies, tools, and trends. It’s an ideal setting for hands-on workshops, roundtables, and educational sessions dedicated entirely to the practice of financial planning and analysis.
• Price: Pricing ranges from $995 to $1,785 (depending on membership and registration date).
• CPE/CPD Credits: The source material did not specify, but AFP events are a primary source for CPE credits.
• Website: Learn more at financialprofessionals.org

FP&A Trends Summit

• When: September 15–16, 2026 (Projected date)
• Where: North America (TBD, 2025 was San Diego, CA)
• Best for: FP&A Directors and Managers focused on implementation and case studies.
• This event is run by the FP&A Trends group, which is dedicated to moving the profession forward. The summit is practitioner-focused, centered on case studies and workshops about modern FP&A, xP&A (Extended Planning & Analysis), and AI-driven forecasting.
• Why You Should Attend: This is a perfect conference for FP&A Directors and Managers. It’s less about high-level theory and more about how to implement modern FP&A in your organization, with real-world case studies from finance leaders who are actively doing it.
• Price: 2026 pricing is not yet available (2025 passes were ~$1,500).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, CPE/CPD credits are available.
• Website: Learn more at fpa-trends.com/fpa-summit

AFP Annual Conference

• When: November 8–11, 2026
• Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
• Best for: The ultimate "super bowl" for all finance functions and demoing new tech.
• This is the flagship event from the Association for Financial Professionals, and it's the larger, all-encompassing "super bowl" of finance events (while the AFP FP&A Forum is a smaller, focused spin-off). It covers every-sized company and all finance functions.
• Why You Should Attend: With over 6,000 attendees, this is the ultimate event for breadth and scale. It features dedicated tracks for FP&A, Treasury, and career development, and the massive expo hall is the single best place to demo virtually every finance technology on the market.
• Price: 2026 pricing is not yet available (2025 passes were ~$1,999 - $2,599).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, attendees can earn a significant number of CPE, CTP, and FP&A credits.
• Website: Learn more at afpconference.org

For the Accounting & Finance Generalist

These events provide a broad "big tent" experience, ideal for professionals who wear multiple hats across accounting and finance.

AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE

• When: June 8–11, 2026
• Where: Las Vegas, Nevada (and live online)
• Best for: A one-stop shop for accounting and finance professionals to build a custom agenda.
• Celebrating its 10th anniversary, ENGAGE is not a single conference but a "big tent" event. It combines multiple, specialized conferences (like Not-for-Profit, Corporate Finance, and Technology) into one massive gathering, allowing you to build a totally custom agenda.
• Why You Should Attend: This is one of the largest and most comprehensive events for the accounting and finance profession. "Engage" brings together multiple different tracks—including corporate finance, technology, and tax—into one massive event. This allows you to build a customized agenda that spans different specialties, making it a one-stop-shop for learning and networking.
• Price: $895 to $2,695 (depending on member status, early bird, and all-access passes).
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, it offers a significant number of credits, with up to 42 CPE credits available for all-access attendees.
• Website: Learn more at aicpa-cimaengage.com

Finance & Accounting Technology Expo (FATE)

• When: November 18–19, 2026
• Where: New York, NY (Javits Convention Center)
• Best for: Produced by the CFO Leadership Council, FATE is designed to be the "hands-on" experiential event for the office of the CFO. It skips the abstract theory to focus specifically on the technology stack—how to select it, implement it, and future-proof it using AI and automation.
• Why You Should Attend: The event is famous for its "Stack Hacks" and rapid-fire demo theaters, allowing you to evaluate dozens of vendors in a single afternoon. It is the largest dedicated finance-tech expo in the country, attracting over 1,700 finance leaders looking to streamline their operations.
• Price: Registration typically starts at $295 for early-bird attendees.
• CPE/CPD Credits: Yes, the CFO Leadership Council typically offers CPE credits for theater and keynote sessions.
• Website: Learn more at cfoleadership.com/fate

Make 2026 Your Most Strategic Year Yet

The demands on modern FP&A are evolving faster than ever. Conferences are a direct investment in your ability to meet those demands, providing you with practical advice, new strategies, and a powerful professional network.

Get your calendar ready and start scheduling your development for 2026.