Orlando, FL, United States — June 24, 2026 — The upcoming ISTELive 2026 conference, co-located with the ASCD Annual Conference, is set to attract approximately 17,000 educators, signaling significant capital movement within the global education technology sector. This event, officially known as ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education - NECC, will open on June 28, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.
Strategic Co-location and Market Scale
The 2026 edition of ISTELive marks a strategic co-location with the ASCD Annual Conference, a partnership initiated in 2025. This collaboration aims to unify instructional expertise with digital innovation, thereby maximizing reach and impact for exhibitors and attendees. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a non-profit organization, serves as the primary organizer, dedicated to advancing education through technology. The event's lineage traces back to the first National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in 1979, with ISTE forming in 1989 through a merger.
Past attendance figures underscore the conference's substantial scale. In 2019, the event in Philadelphia drew over 20,000 attendees from 81 countries. While the 2020 and 2021 editions transitioned to virtual formats due to global circumstances, ISTELive 21 still engaged 12,516 participants. The 2024 ISTELive conference in Denver, Colorado, attracted more than 16,500 attendees, comprising over 15,300 in-person and 1,200 online participants. Major B2B global brands, including Microsoft and Google, have consistently demonstrated their commitment as year-round mission sponsors, indicating the event's significance in the edtech market.
Core Exhibit Sectors and Technological Trajectories
The conference will feature distinct Core Exhibit Sectors that reflect current and future investment priorities in education technology. The Educational Technology Integration & Innovation sector will showcase solutions in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), cloud computing platforms, and various e-learning tools. This segment highlights the ongoing capital allocation towards instructional technologies and digital learning infrastructure. The Innovation Arcade, a past feature, provides immersive learning experiences through AI, AR, and VR, alongside model classrooms integrating emerging edtech.
The School & District Management Solutions sector addresses operational and administrative efficiencies, covering administrative technologies, data management, enterprise solutions, and mobile device management. This area reflects the regulatory and policy emphasis on robust, scalable educational administration. Concurrently, the Classroom Resources & Infrastructure sector will present developments in computer hardware, wireless and internet infrastructure, assistive technologies, and robotics, demonstrating the foundational investments required for modern learning environments.
Market Influence and Investment Dynamics
ISTELive 2026 targets a diverse and influential audience critical to edtech procurement and policy implementation. This includes K–12 teachers, school and district administrators, instructional coaches, curriculum specialists, education technology leaders, IT professionals, and edtech solution developers. Notably, 91% of attendees influence or directly drive technology purchasing decisions, making this event a crucial nexus for B2B engagement and capital deployment within the education sector. Approximately half of the attendees are administrators, technology coordinators, and library media specialists, who are key influencers in edtech purchasing decisions.
The co-located event effectively doubles the reach for international exhibitors, providing direct access to a highly targeted market actively seeking tools and solutions. This facilitates informed procurement decisions and strategic partnerships among professional buyers, shaping the cross-border dynamics of edtech investment.
For further details and registration, please visit https://conference.iste.org/2026/.