October 30, 2026
If you could fast-forward seven years, what would the industry look like? What would people be talking about? How much would the technology change? I had a unique opportunity to find out at Inspire 2026.
The last time I attended Inspire was 2019. It was a different world. AI agents werenât yet part of everyday conversations. Channel discussions focused on things like digital transformation and moving workloads to the cloud. And much of what we talk about today still sounded like the future. But after some time away, I was back at TD SYNNEX, just in time to attend Inspire again.
I expected things to be different. What I didnât expect was just how much of âthe futureâ had become reality.
The future has arrived
Seven years later, both the industry and the organization look very different. TD SYNNEX recently celebrated five years as one company, and AI has taken center stage in conversations once dominated by cloud and digital transformation. There were also robots. Lots of robots.
A walking, talking robot fist-bumped Reyna Thompson, our President of North America, on the main stage. A robot dressed in overalls greeted guests at registration. BrewBot Social served iced coffee in the Inspire Pavilion.
AI was also everywhere (itâs practically a mandate these days), from the main stage to the Pavilion to breakout sessions. But this year, the conversation was largely about what AI can do right now instead of what it might do one day. Sessions explored everything from AI-powered security and servers to agents, while physical AI and robotics brought the conversation into the real world.
âLast year, I said people must remain at the center of technology. I believe that even more strongly today⊠AI can’t build trust. It canât develop and invest in relationships. It isnât curious. And it isnât creative⊠Automate the mechanics and keep people responsible for the outcome.â
– Reyna Thompson, President, North America, TD SYNNEX
And if robots and AI werenât futuristic enough, the channel is now looking to outer space. TD SYNNEXâs newly announced Space Tech connects customers with a growing market built on familiar technologies like cybersecurity, networking and infrastructure. Those technologies all existed in 2019. Reseller customers now have a new way to launch those capabilities into an entirely new market.
Standing in the Pavilion watching a robot whip up drinks while attendees discussed AI agents and space technology, I found myself thinking back to Inspire 2019. Seven years didn’t seem like enough time for the future to arrive. Yet there it was, serving iced lattes near a cart serving Dippinâ Dots, âThe Ice Cream of the Futureâ since the 1980s.
From taking notes to taking it all in
One thing that hasnât changed in seven years: Tech conferences throw a lot of information at you in a short amount of time. In 2019, I tried my best to keep up, typing furiously as presenters shared insights and taking blurry photos of presentation slides partially blocked by the people sitting in front of me.
This year, keeping up was much easier. In the event app, live transcriptions captured what speakers were discussing onstage, while session snapshots saved presentation slides for later. Instead of experiencing Inspire through my Word documents and camera lens, I could actually look up, listen and be present in the moment.
And if I missed something, it wasnât necessarily gone for good. AI-generated summaries and personalized recaps helped me catch up on sessions and ideas I missed and pointed me toward relevant content.
Of course, not everything worth taking in happened on a stage. The Pavilion offered short Tech Talks and hands-on technology, but it also gave attendees plenty of opportunities to talk with vendors, TD SYNNEX experts and each other.
The technology made it easier to keep up with Inspire. The people still made it worth being there.
Looking back and ahead
Seven years is a long time in technology. Apparently, itâs long enough for robots to start wearing spiffy scarves and add barista to their resumes.
But looking back at Inspire 2019 and Inspire 2026, the most interesting change was seeing how much technology had moved from possibility to reality.
Technologies that once sounded futuristic are now solving real problems. And technologies that once stood on their own are increasingly working together. But one message throughout the week served as an important reminder that progress isnât only about technology:
âWe have an awesome opportunity right now to redefine how the channel works in this next era. And as we do, we have a responsibility to preserve the humanity of this business â to protect the judgment, trust, creativity and relationships that make the channel work.â
– Reyna Thompson, President, North America, TD SYNNEX
Technology will always change and evolve. But even with robots and AI, it still takes people to shape impact and explore whatâs next.
Want to experience Inspire for yourself? Talk with your TD SYNNEX representative about how you can join us at next yearâs event.
Christy Gordon
Christy Gordon is a Copywriter with the TD SYNNEX Creative Group. Drawing on a decade of experience in technology marketing and communications, she helps bring events, initiatives and industry trends to life through engaging storytelling that puts people at the center of technology.
