Get ready for the biggest community association event of the year! The CAI Annual Conference & Exposition 2026 returns June 3–5, 2026, bringing together community association managers, HOA board members, attorneys, reserve specialists, insurance professionals, and technology providers from across the country. Basically anyone involved with community associations… This is your event.
Hosted by the Community Associations Institute (CAI), this year’s event takes place at the Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood near Fort Lauderdale.
ManageCasa will attend as a Silver Sponsor alongside many of the industry’s largest companies serving HOA and condominium associations.
For community association managers, the 2026 conference agenda is heavily focused on the operational challenges shaping the industry right now: insurance costs, reserve funding pressure, AI adoption, staffing shortages, homeowner communication, and evolving regulatory requirements.
CAI Annual Conference 2026 Location and Event Details
The conference runs from Wednesday, June 3 through Friday, June 5, 2026.
Key event details include:
- Location: Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort
- City: Hollywood, Florida (Greater Fort Lauderdale area)
- Dress Code: Business casual
- Host Organization: Community Associations Institute (CAI)
CAI specifically recommends attendees dress in layers due to changing conference room temperatures throughout the venue.
For attendees arriving Wednesday, badge pickup opens at 3 PM, followed by the Welcome Reception inside the exhibit hall from 5–7 PM. Thursday and Friday registration opens at 7 AM, with education sessions beginning around 8:30 AM.
Who Should Attend the CAI Annual Conference?
Unlike a lot of community association events, the CAI international is anything but niche or small. The conference is designed for professionals involved in HOA, condominium, and community association operations, including:
- Community association managers
- HOA and condominium board members
- Large-scale portfolio managers
- Insurance and reserve specialists
- HOA attorneys
- Banking and financial partners
- Community association technology providers
CAI places a strong emphasis on networking, continuing education, and operational collaboration between management companies, boards, and service providers.
Keynote Speaker: Laila Ali
One of the headline events this year is Friday’s keynote session featuring Laila Ali.
Ali’s presentation, Reach! Be a Champion in All That You Do, focuses on leadership, resilience, mindset, and performance under pressure. The keynote runs Friday, June 5 from 11:15 AM–12:45 PM.
Beyond boxing, Ali is known for her work as an entrepreneur, wellness advocate, television personality, and former president of the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Best Education Sessions for HOA Managers in 2026
At CAI international, you’ll learn things you just can’t find anywhere else online. One major shift at this year’s conference is how practical the education tracks have become. Many sessions focus directly on the operational issues community association managers are facing every day.
The Ethical Use of AI: What to Automate (and What Not To)
Community association managers using any kind of property management software need to hear this. This session features Jennifer Booth, Ian C. Mullenhour, and Wendy Westrich discussing how AI is being used in community association management.
Topics include:
- AI-generated violation letters
- Automated board communications
- Financial modeling
- Internal AI governance policies
- Ethical risks around automation
As AI adoption accelerates across property management, this is likely to be one of the conference’s most attended sessions.
If you’re curious about how AI is transforming property management, we’d love to show you what other community associations are doing in the industry.
Book a demo here. As a thank you to attendees, we’ll give you a free $50 Gift Card after the demo ends.
Technology that Simplifies Community Living
Presented by David Diestel and Jeff Hahn, this session explores how resident expectations are changing around:
- Online payments
- Self-service portals
- Digital communication
- Transparency
- Convenience
The discussion focuses on how HOA technology platforms can improve both operational efficiency and homeowner experience.
The State of Advocacy: Navigating Today’s Legislative & Regulatory Trends
This panel includes speakers like Wendy Bucknum and Phoebe E. Neseth discussing major legislative and regulatory trends affecting community associations nationwide.
Topics include:
- Reserve funding requirements
- Building safety mandates
- Board transparency
- Maintenance obligations
- Evolving board authority
For California and Florida HOA managers especially, these conversations could have immediate operational implications.
Maintaining Insurability & the Economic Life of Communities
Insurance continues to dominate conversations throughout the HOA industry.
This session brings together experts in maintenance, insurance, and operations to discuss:
- Rising insurance premiums
- Aging infrastructure
- Deferred maintenance risk
- Long-term asset preservation
- Risk mitigation strategies
The session features speakers including Marc Tamres and Wendy Weber.
Networking Events and Social Activities
The CAI Annual Conference is known as much for networking as education.
Notable networking events include:
- Welcome Reception inside the exhibit hall
- First Timers Meet & Greet
- Manager Meet & Greets
- Technology Provider ShopTalks
- PCAM Reception
- Homeowner Leadership exchanges
One of the largest social events is Thursday night’s Southeast Florida Chapter Party at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
The event features:
- Latin-inspired dinner buffet
- Drinks and entertainment
- Dancing
- Shuttle transportation from the conference hotel
- A Havana-inspired 1950s theme
Attendees are encouraged to wear vintage-inspired attire for the event.
Major HOA Industry Vendors Attending
The exhibit hall includes many of the largest companies serving community associations and HOA management companies.
Notable exhibitors include:
- FirstService Residential
- Associa
- BuildingLink
- AvidXchange
- Axos Bank
- Association Reserves
- Smartwebs
- Gordian Staffing
ManageCasa will also attend as a Silver Sponsor!
Why the 2026 CAI Conference Matters
The biggest takeaway from this year’s conference agenda is how operational the HOA industry has become.
The conversations are no longer theoretical. Managers are actively searching for ways to:
- Reduce administrative burden
- Improve financial visibility
- Handle insurance complexity
- Modernize homeowner communication
- Navigate changing regulations
- Scale operations more efficiently
That shift is exactly why the 2026 CAI Annual Conference is shaping up to be one of the most important HOA industry events of the year.
Meet ManageCasa at CAI Annual Conference 2026
ManageCasa will attend the 2026 CAI Annual Conference & Exposition as a Silver Sponsor, meeting with community association managers, HOA board members, and management companies throughout the event.
This year, our team will be showcasing several new AI-powered capabilities designed specifically for community associations and HOA management operations.
The focus is practical automation that helps management teams reduce administrative workload without losing operational visibility or homeowner communication quality.
Attendees visiting ManageCasa will be able to see:
- New AI-enhanced operational workflows
- Faster communication and management tools
- HOA accounting and financial management capabilities
- Centralized homeowner and board communication features
- Portfolio management tools designed for growing associations
As operational pressure continues to rise across the industry, many management companies are actively looking for ways to save time, reduce manual work, and improve efficiency without adding additional staffing overhead. That’s exactly where modern HOA management software and responsible AI implementation are starting to make a meaningful impact.
ManageCasa will also be offering live demos throughout the conference for community association managers and HOA teams interested in seeing the platform in action.
As a thank you for their time, qualified associations who complete a demo will receive a $50 gift card during the event.
If you’re attending the CAI Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale and want to explore new technology solutions for HOA and condominium management, be sure to stop by and meet the ManageCasa team.
Book a demo here, or book time at our booth during the event!