Watermark Engage 2026 is designed differently.
Instead of another webinar focused on product updates, Watermark Engage is a user conference designed primarily for Watermark customers, offering a high-access forum to gain visibility into the platform roadmap and explore strategies for institutional effectiveness. Prospective customers are also welcome to attend and learn alongside the community.
From June 2–4, 2026, the virtual conference will serve as a digital hub for practitioners, executives, and product experts to explore the future of academic improvement.
At Engage 2026, you can expect:
- Insider access to product innovation and roadmap direction.
- Executive visibility into Watermark’s strategic priorities.
- Early insight into upcoming platform enhancements.
- Practical strategies institutions can apply right away.
Product innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. Watermark Engage 2026 reflects a shared commitment to progress, helping institutions stay Built for What’s Next.
Inside access to what’s next
One of the key reasons to attend Watermark Engage is the opportunity to see what is on the horizon. Get an early preview of upcoming product enhancements and hear directly from Watermark leaders about the platform roadmap and how customer needs shape development priorities.
This level of access sets Engage apart. Attendees gain firsthand insight into innovations that impact daily workflows, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness—before they’re broadly released. Customer feedback continues to play a central role in shaping product evolution, ensuring new capabilities reflect the real challenges facing higher education.
Community without leaving your desk
By returning to a virtual format for 2026, Watermark Engage removes the barriers of travel, making it easier for more institutions to participate.
The experience is designed to deliver focused, expert-led sessions that attendees can access from anywhere, with content centered on real-world challenges and practical application. Rather than requiring time away from campus, participants can engage with the material in a way that fits their schedules and priorities.
It’s an opportunity to explore new ideas, gain perspective on institutional effectiveness strategies, and stay informed on platform developments — all without leaving your desk.
From data collection to intelligent action
Supporting the theme Built for What’s Next, Watermark Engage 2026 highlights the shift from simply collecting information to using institutional data more effectively.
For years, institutions have focused on gathering data. Increasingly, the focus is on applying that information to support planning, decision-making, and continuous improvement.
Many institutions have spent years building systems for collecting faculty, assessment, and program data. The next step is using that information more intentionally to guide institutional priorities and day-to-day workflows.
Key sessions will explore:
- AI integration across institutional workflows.
- Transitioning from a transactional data collection tool into a more connected intelligence resource.
- Creating seamless system integration to improve user experience.
- Using institutional data to support informed decision-making.
- Streamlining reporting for faster, more accessible insights.
- Advancing productivity-enhancing features across the platform.
- Improving evaluation tools to better assess candidate qualifications.
These focus areas reflect a broader shift across higher education technology.
Institutions are moving:
- From collecting information to driving institutional improvement.
- From tracking activity to better understanding faculty contributions.
- From managing systems to planning confidently.
This shift aligns with the broader focus of Watermark Engage. Sessions will explore how institutions can use technology to support teaching, assessment, faculty development, and institutional planning, helping teams stay built for what’s next.
What you’ll walk away with
Besides hearing what’s new, attendees will be leaving with ideas that can be applied immediately.
Across three days of programming, attendees will gain practical insights they can bring back to their teams and begin using the very next week.
Participants can expect to walk away with:
- Actionable AI strategies for higher education workflows.
- A clearer roadmap for transforming course evaluations & surveys into a proactive improvement engine.
- Practical approaches to streamlining reporting and unlocking faster insights.
- Smarter evaluation strategies for candidate and program assessment.
- Tools and techniques to increase productivity across teams.
From small workflow improvements to broader institutional strategy, the sessions are designed to translate insight into immediate impact.
Spotlight session: making change stick
Software doesn’t drive success; people do. In this highly anticipated session, David Schenirer and a panel of higher education leaders move past the theory of change management to tackle the real-world friction of institutional transformation. Whether you’re at a small private college or a large public system, you’ll learn how to bridge the gap between going live and achieving lasting impact.
They’ll explore Watermark’s three-part change management framework, providing a blueprint for:
- Align stakeholders early in the implementation process.
- Build buy-in through clear and strategic communication.
- Address resistance through structured feedback loops.
- Sustain momentum after the initial rollout.
Panelists will also share real-world experiences implementing new systems across diverse institutional environments.
Plan confidently, improve continuously, and succeed collectively.
The theme of Watermark Engage 2026 reflects the larger mission behind the platforms themselves: helping institutions move from fragmented processes to confident, data-informed decision-making.
Gain:
- Insider access to product innovation.
- Insight into how AI and integration are shaping the future of higher education technology.
- Practical strategies for putting institutional data to work.
- Proven approaches to managing change and driving adoption.
- Direct visibility into the product roadmap shaped by customer feedback.
Above all, the event reinforces the collaborative relationship between Watermark and the institutions it serves.
That’s what makes Watermark Engage more than just another virtual event. It’s an opportunity to gain clarity on platform direction, explore emerging strategies, and better understand how to support institutional progress.
Register today
Stay informed on the future of higher education and how it’s evolving. Watermark Engage 2026 offers the visibility and insight needed to better understand platform direction and move from reactive reporting toward more informed, proactive planning.
For leaders focused on strengthening processes and improving institutional effectiveness, this virtual event provides a focused forum for strategy, innovation, and platform insight.
Register now to secure your spot.
