As we move into the second half of 2026, the energy around our QAD User Group community continues to build. Our spring conference reinforced something I have believed for a long time: the greatest value of this community comes from customers sharing real experiences with other customers — what is working, what has been difficult, what lessons were learned, and what ideas are worth taking back to our own organizations. That same spirit is now carrying us into one of the most exciting fall events we have had the opportunity to be part of.
This September, the QAD Midwest User Group will join QAD, Redzone, and the Americas regional user groups for Champions of Manufacturing Americas in Chicago. This is more than a traditional conference format. For the first time, Champions of Manufacturing will include a dedicated User Group Day that brings together the Midwest, Southeast, and West Coast user group communities into one combined experience focused on practical, customer-led learning.
QAD User Group Day Agenda
Sunday, September 20, and Monday, September 21, will kick off the week with QAD User Group sessions designed around real-world use of QAD | Redzone products in production environments. The newly announced agenda is exactly the kind of content our community has been asking for: customer stories, practical case studies, lessons learned, and examples of how teams are delivering value in their organizations today. The day includes sessions on ERP upgrade lessons powered by the QAD community, planning capabilities in core QAD, scalable ERP support models, shop-floor automation, data analytics, supplier onboarding, finance process improvements, AI-enabled cash application, QAD’s migration to AWS, platform extensions, QAD Adaptive development, IT/OT convergence, ChampionAI, and other practical automation use cases.
What makes this agenda especially meaningful is that it is not centered on theory. It is centered on customers, partners, and QAD experts sharing how these products are being applied to solve real business problems. That focus aligns strongly with the broader Champions of Manufacturing theme: moving beyond hype and into measurable results. QAD describes the 2026 event as a place where manufacturers can see what is actually working, including how AI, Adaptive ERP, and a Connected Workforce are being used to drive performance across real manufacturing environments.
The combination of User Group Day and Champions of Manufacturing creates a unique opportunity. On one hand, we retain the peer-to-peer learning, candid conversations, customer-led sessions, and practical problem-solving that have always defined the User Group experience. On the other hand, we gain the broader visibility, executive engagement, innovation focus, and product strategy conversation that come with QAD’s flagship customer conference. That combination will make Champions of Manufacturing in Chicago the one conference that you don’t want to miss this year.
I also want to encourage our members to think about who from your organization should attend. This event is not just for IT or ERP teams. The agenda touches supply chain, finance, operations, quality, supplier management, data and analytics, plant-floor execution, automation, AI, and leadership. If your company is working to modernize processes, extend the value of QAD, improve operational execution, or better understand where QAD | Redzone is headed, this is an opportunity to bring the right people into the conversation together.
Join Us in Chicago
The QAD User Group community has always been strongest when members show up, participate, ask questions, and share openly. Every company has a story that can help another company move forward. Sometimes that story is a major transformation. Sometimes it is a small process improvement that saved time, reduced errors, or helped a team work more effectively. Both matter. Those are the conversations that make these events valuable, and they are the reason the User Group community plays an important role in the QAD ecosystem.
I look forward to seeing you in Chicago as we bring the Americas QAD User Group communities together for this first-of-its-kind User Group Day within Champions of Manufacturing. It will be a chance to learn, connect, challenge our thinking, and come away with practical ideas we can use to move our organizations forward.
Thank you for continuing to support the Midwest User Group and the broader QAD community. See you in Chicago.
