Key Takeaway
Supply chain leaders attend the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. for research‑backed guidance on AI, cost optimization, and resilience. But many executives are asking a more practical question: how do we operationalize these strategies into execution across a complex, multi-enterprise supply chain?
That gap between strategy and execution is one of the defining challenges for supply chain leaders today.
Be sure to drop by at Booth 323 at the event to explore how e2open’s connected supply chain applications can help your organization close that gap. We’ll be at speaking sessions, offering demos, and walking the event floor. Come find us!
Why the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo matters now
In an environment defined by persistent volatility, geopolitical risk, and rapid technology advancement, supply chain leaders are under pressure to balance resilience, cost control, and innovation. The Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo U.S. has become a key annual forum where senior executives have a chance to step back from day‑to‑day execution to focus on strategy and future‑ready decision‑making. Leaders are no longer asking whether to adapt, but how quickly they can operationalize change before disruption impacts performance.
The 2026 Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. takes place May 4–6, 2026, in Orlando, Florida at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel & Resort, bringing together the global supply chain community for three days of research‑driven insights, executive dialogue, and peer connection.
Inspired by the 2026 conference theme, Dynamic by Design: Renew, Rethink, and Recode Next‑Gen Supply Chains, the event is designed to help leaders:
- Gain clarity around the current market and key trends
- Reassess priorities and strategies
- Uncover insights to drive future strategic and financial success
What will supply chain leaders learn at Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo?
The Gartner agenda centers on the topics Gartner identifies as most critical for supply chain leaders, such as:
- Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
- Strategic planning execution
- Sourcing and supply management
- Risk and resilience
These themes form the foundation for discussion, and for many, they are a good starting point for deeper conversations with providers like e2open at the event.
Planning to attend Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo US? Before you go, make sure you’re set up to get real value from the event beyond just attending sessions. Read our Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. Survival Checklist.
A connected platform with shared context
One of the most common challenges supply chain leaders are trying to solve is fragmentation. Planning, logistics, trade, and partner collaboration often operate on different systems, with different data, and different assumptions. Without a shared context, even well-informed decisions can conflict, creating delays, inefficiencies, and unnecessary risk across the network.
E2open is built around the concept of a connected supply chain platform, designed to bring these functions together on a single, network‑based foundation. Rather than stitching together point solutions, organizations can operate across planning, execution, logistics, and global trade on one platform with a shared data model and user experience.
This connected foundation is what enables more consistent decision‑making across regions, business units, and partners—an increasingly critical capability as supply chains become more global and more interdependent.
Connected planning for aligned decision-making
Traditional planning tools often struggle to keep pace with frequent disruptions and cross‑functional dependencies. Plans get created, but they are quickly outdated or disconnected from what’s actually happening across suppliers, logistics providers, and downstream partners.
E2open Connected Planning is designed to address this gap by linking planning decisions directly to multi‑enterprise data across the supply chain. Planners can align demand, supply, and inventory decisions while accounting for real‑world constraints upstream and downstream, rather than relying solely on internal assumptions.
This approach supports better coordination across time horizons—strategic, tactical, and operational—while improving visibility into the trade‑offs leaders need to manage, such as service levels, cost, and risk.
Scenario planning tied to execution
Scenario planning has become table stakes, but many organizations still treat it as an analytical exercise rather than an operational one, creating insights that never translate into action. Leaders are increasingly asking for rules‑based, automated scenario analysis that is tightly connected with execution.
With e2open, scenario planning is designed to help organizations evaluate potential disruptions or changes—such as supplier delays, demand shifts, or logistics constraints—and understand the downstream impact across the network. Just as important, these insights remain connected to execution, so decisions can be acted on rather than parked in spreadsheets.
This connection between scenarios and execution is a recurring theme at Gartner events, especially as leaders focus on shortening the distance between analysis and action.
AI that actually works
AI is one of the most discussed topics at Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™, but there is growing skepticism about where it delivers real value. Many leaders are moving past experimentation and asking more direct questions: Does this AI improve decisions and outcomes in the flow of work? Where is it making the biggest impact?
E2open’s approach to AI focuses on intelligence that is embedded directly into planning, execution, logistics, and trade workflows—using supply chain context and network data rather than stand‑alone models. This includes automation and decision support designed to operate at scale across complex, multi‑enterprise environments.
The emphasis is less on novelty and more on practical application: AI that supports planners and operators with decision‑grade data and recommendations they can actually use.
Trade compliance as a resilience capability
Global trade is undergoing meaningful change, driven by regulatory complexity, geopolitical risk, and shifting sourcing strategies. As a result, trade compliance is no longer treated as a purely back‑office function.
More companies are viewing compliance as a strategic resilience capability, closely tied to logistics, sourcing, and cost decisions. E2open supports this shift by connecting global trade compliance directly with broader supply chain execution and partner collaboration—helping organizations manage regulatory risk while improving visibility into landed cost, duty exposure, and trade flows.
This integrated approach aligns closely with Gartner discussions around resilience, risk management, and global operating models.
Closed-loop logistics execution and orchestration
Execution remains a core focus area for supply chain leaders, particularly when disruptions require fast coordination across carriers, suppliers, and internal teams.
E2open offers logistics execution and orchestration capabilities designed to coordinate actions across the extended logistics network. This includes real‑time shipment visibility, exception management, and orchestration across multiple transportation partners and modes—all connected back to upstream orders and downstream priorities.
Taken together, these capabilities form a practical foundation for resilience and automation—two of the most consistent themes supply chain leaders will encounter throughout the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™.
Why supply chain executives rely on Gartner insights
Gartner conferences are grounded in data‑driven research, informed by more than 200,000 annual interactions between Gartner experts and organizations worldwide.
At the Symposium/Xpo™, attendees gain access to:
- On‑site Gartner analysts for direct strategy discussions
- Research‑backed frameworks to support executive decision‑making
- Peer benchmarking informed by cross‑industry insights
This combination of research, analyst access, and peer perspective is a key reason senior leaders rely on Gartner events to validate and refine supply chain strategies.
E2open speaking sessions at Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo
In addition to participating as a premier sponsor, e2open will deliver two speaking sessions on May 4, 2026, focused on how supply chain leaders and planners are adapting to ongoing complexity.
E2open: Building a Supply Chain That Flexes through Complexity and Disruption
In Swan Ballroom 4, Karon Evanoff, Senior VP Global Operations at QSC, will share how her team moved beyond rigid, efficiency‑first models to a more agile supply chain with connected planning.
E2open: From Firefighter to Decision Orchestrator: How AI Elevates the Planner’s Role
Join this session in the XPO hall at Stage 1 with Matt Barry, Senior Director, Solutions at e2open, to explore how connected planning environments and AI‑assisted decisioning are reshaping the role of the supply chain planner.
Who should attend Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™?
Gartner positions the event as “The World’s Most Important Gathering of CSCOs and Supply Chain Executives™” and is designed for senior‑level decision‑makers accountable for supply chain strategy, transformation, and outcomes.
You should consider attending if you are a:
- Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) or senior executive shaping long‑term supply chain strategy
- VP or Head of Supply Chain, Operations, Logistics, or Manufacturing responsible for performance and resilience
- Supply chain, operations, or IT leader focused on applying AI and emerging technologies in practical, value‑driven ways
- Executive practitioner looking to benchmark strategies with peers navigating similar disruption
Beyond formal sessions, the Symposium/Xpo™ emphasizes peer interaction and executive‑level dialogue, giving leaders the opportunity to exchange perspectives with others navigating similar levels of complexity, risk, and disruption.
See us at Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S.
E2open will be attending Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. in Orlando, connecting with supply chain leaders, innovators, and practitioners exploring what’s next for supply chain excellence.
Visit our booth 323, on the premier sponsor row, to explore our four demo kiosks and learn how e2open’s unified, AI‑powered supply chain platform helps organizations:
- Connect every phase of the supply chain, from planning and global trade to logistics, channel, and supply operations
- Orchestrate processes across the world’s largest multi‑enterprise partner network
- Gain real‑time visibility and apply intelligent applications to make faster decisions and improve resilience
Register for the event and plan your visit:
👉 https://www.e2open.com/event/gartner-supply-chain-symposium-xpo-na/
If you’re attending Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. and want to continue the conversation around AI‑enabled execution, resilience, and end‑to‑end orchestration, you can learn more about e2open’s presence at the event and register using the link above.
FAQ: Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. 2026
When is Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. 2026?
May 4–6, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.
Who should attend Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™?
CSCOs and senior leaders in supply chain, operations, logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain technology responsible for strategy and transformation.
What are the key topics at the 2026 event?
AI and emerging technology, cost optimization, and supply chain risk and resilience.
What makes Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ different from other supply chain conferences?
Its research‑backed agenda, access to Gartner analysts, and executive‑level peer benchmarking.
Is there an exhibitor showcase?
Yes. Attendees can meet and evaluate solution providers supporting supply chain execution and transformation.
Is e2open attending Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ U.S. 2026?
Yes. You can visit e2open at the event and register here:
https://www.e2open.com/event/gartner-supply-chain-symposium-xpo-na/
