Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Influence 2026 lands in my hometown of Austin, TX, this July 25–27 at the Hilton Austin. The theme is about building a better business, and if you’re attending, you should show up ready to learn. The main stage will be strong, the breakouts will be useful, and the hallway conversations will be everywhere. Bring a notebook and steal ideas ethically.
But after more than two decades around this profession, I can tell you the real value of the conference isn’t only on the stage. It’s in the audience.
Around 800 speakers will be in Austin for Influence. Some are brand new, some have been coming for twenty-plus years, and some are quietly building very strong businesses that most people have never heard of. A few of them will become your friends, and if you’re serious about this business over the long run, speaker friends matter more than almost anything else.
There is no shortage of coaches, programs, and masterminds that will happily take big checks from speakers looking for a shortcut. Some are valuable, and some are not. What I have watched over many years is that the people who last in this business build real relationships with other speakers. They have peers they can call. They have people who tell them the truth. They have friends who share leads, warnings, encouragement, referrals, and reality checks. They know people who understand the weirdness of this business because speaking isn’t like a normal job.
NSA isn’t just another tool for your speaking business. It’s a community, and like any community, you only get the full value if you participate.
That doesn’t mean chasing the million-dollar speakers around the lobby hoping one of them will adopt you. Most of them are nice people, but they’re also busy and tired. Instead, look for peers. Who is at a similar stage? Who is building the kind of business you respect? Who is asking the same questions you’re asking? Who is generous without making a show of it? Those are your people.
One of the best things about NSA is the variety in the room. Keynoters, trainers, consultants, authors, humorists, emcees, facilitators, and everything in between. Don’t assume a first-timer is new to the business, and don’t assume someone with twenty ribbons on their badge is wildly successful. Be present enough to find out who people really are.
Here is how I would maximize Influence this year.
Attend the sessions
Yes, I just told you the value is in the audience. That doesn’t mean you should skip the programming. Go to the sessions, take notes, and think about what applies to your business right now. Not every idea will fit you, and that’s fine. Your job is to collect ideas, test the ones that make sense, and leave Austin with a few things you’ll actually do.
Sit with strangers
This sounds simple, but it matters. Don’t walk into every room looking for the same three people you already know. Sit at a table full of strangers, introduce yourself, and ask people where they’re from and what kind of speaking they do. Relationships don’t begin with a pitch. They begin with curiosity.
Hang out in the bar, even if you don’t drink
Some of the best conversations at any conference happen after the official agenda ends. The hotel bar is where people decompress, laugh, tell stories, and connect. You don’t need alcohol to be there. Order a Diet Coke or a sparkling water. The point isn’t the beverage. The point is proximity. If you disappear to your room every night, you’ll get more sleep, but you may miss the conversations that turn into friendships.
Use breaks well
When you have a good conversation with someone, suggest coffee. There is a large Starbucks in the lobby of the Hilton. Grab twenty minutes between sessions. You don’t need to meet all 800 people, and trying to do so will exhaust you. You need to find a handful of people worth knowing and have a few real conversations.
Don’t lead with your book
Please don’t hand someone a copy of your book in the first five minutes of meeting them. I know you’re proud of it, and you should be. Writing a book is hard. But when your opening move is your book, it feels less like a relationship and more like a transaction. Let people get to know you first. If the connection is real, they’ll find their way to your work.
Ask better questions
Most speakers are used to talking. At Influence, try listening more. Ask people how they got into the business, what has changed for them in the last few years, and what they wish they had known earlier. If you’re newer, ask the veterans what they would do if they were starting today, but remember the business has changed a lot. What worked ten or twenty years ago may not work the same way now. Listen for principles, not just tactics.
Talk up other people
Too many speakers only promote themselves. Be different. When you meet someone interesting, talk about them. Post about a smart idea you heard from them. Mention someone who made you think. This isn’t flattery; it’s community building, and when you become known as someone who shines a light on others, people notice.
Don’t exaggerate your truth
This is a big one. Speakers are storytellers, and we know how to frame things to sound compelling. Don’t inflate your fees, your client list, your calendar, or your success. The speaking world is smaller than it looks, and people can smell exaggeration. Be confident and be clear about where you’re going, but tell the truth.
Have fun
This business can be lonely. The travel is tiring, the sales cycle is frustrating, and the phone doesn’t always ring when we want it to. So, when you’re at Influence, enjoy being around people who get it. Laugh. Go to dinner. Stay up a little too late. Be a real human.
If you’re a longtime attendee, widen the circle
If you’ve been coming to NSA for years, this part is for you. See your old friends, hug them, have dinner with them. NSA friendships are one of the best parts of this organization. But invite a newcomer or two into the circle. Ask someone to join your group for lunch. Introduce a first-timer to a person they should know. Don’t let your history with NSA turn into a clique. The best communities stay open.
Plan the follow-up before you leave
Meeting someone isn’t the same as building a relationship. Before you leave Austin, make a list of the people you want to stay in touch with. Send a note, schedule a call, share a resource, or make an introduction. The magic is rarely in the first conversation. The magic is in what happens next.
Influence will have great speakers on stage, and you should learn from them. But the person sitting next to you may be the one who changes your business. They may become a referral partner, a sounding board, or a friend. Five years from now, when you look back at what mattered most from this conference, it probably won’t be a bullet point from a breakout session.
It will be the people. That’s the real value of NSA, and it’s waiting in the audience.