Impact 2026 FAQs…

Q. Who comes to Impact?

A. Impact is designed exclusively for professionals currently working in an innovation, growth, transformation, R&D, strategy, design, new product development, change management, HR, or technlogy role in established enterprises or organizations. These include private and public companies, nonprofits, government agencies, and universities. You can be working at any level of your organization. We will refund ticket purchases that do not fit the criteria listed here. Please direct any questions to [email protected].

Q. When should I arrive?

A. We recommend arriving in Boston by lunchtime on Monday, June 8th so you can participate in your choice of pre-conference workshops. The conference wraps up by 12 PM on Wednesday, June 10th, after a morning of site visits.

Q. Where should I stay? How do I get a discount on my room?

A. Our conference hotel, the Royal Sonesta Boston, is located on the Charles River at 40 Edwin Land Boulevard, Cambridge. You can access our discounted room rates using this reservation link, but please do so as soon as you register, as rooms are limited.

If the room block is full, or you need additional nights not included in our discounted block, consider nearby hotels like Boston Marriott Cambridge, the Liberty Hotel, the Kendall Hotel, the Hotel Marlowe, or the Hyatt Regency Boston / Cambridge. In addition to those, hotels near the Central Square, Harvard Square, Porter Square, or Park Street T stops on the Red Line will enable you to get to the event quickly.

Q. How do I save my spot at one of the tours, site visits, or workshops?

A. To register for a limited capacity event, such as a tour, site visit or pre-conference workshop: Simply star the events you’d like to attend on our online agenda.

Q. Can you help me make the case for participating in Impact with my boss / supervisor?

A. You bet. We created a “Justify Your Attendance” PDF, as well as a letter to request budget to participate that you can adapt (download it in Word form.)

A. What about registering for the breakout sessions and workshops on Monday and Tuesday?

A. Attendees do not need to pre-register for breakout sessions and workshops. However, session rooms do occasionally fill up. We recommend arriving early — or you may want to consider choosing a backup session for each timeslot. You can use the Brella conference app to favorite workshops or mainstage sessions, creating your own customized agenda.

Q. How do I download the conference app?

A. Just go here on your mobile device, or scan the QR code below to get Brella. It’s an app that allows you to see the agenda, get AI-suggested matches to other attendees with similar interests, schedule meetings, accept meeting requests, and learn about our sponsors.

Q. How do I suggest a topic for an unconference lunch session? (And what even is that?)

A. Our “unconference” lunch block gives Impact participants the chance to propose a topic, and convene a discussion with others. Examples of topics proposed in the past: “How did you form your innovation governance committee?” “What metrics do you use?” and “Innovating in a Manufacturing Business.” All you need to do is write your idea down on a Post-it Note at the conference, and put it up on the unconference board. Ideally, all ideas will get posted by the time our Wednesday morning agenda begins. We’ll help make it happen and assign you a table! (No advance prep or slides required — these are simply practice sharing among peers, or brainstorming around new approaches to a specific issue.)