CANalytics 2026

Tired of being the only “data person” in the room? At CANalytics, we’re building the room for you. And it's highly technical.

CANalytics 2026 is designed for professionals working in data science, engineering, AI, and machine learning. You’ll spend the afternoon and evening learning from real use cases, connecting with peers, and celebrating the people moving data forward in Nebraska.

Here’s what makes CANalytics different:

• Real-World Insights – Hear from speakers who’ve moved their organizations from A to B with data and AI. Plus, see live demos of how they did it.
• Meaningful Connections – No rushing between rooms. You’ll stay put while speakers rotate, giving you more time to engage with your tablemates.
• ODSA Graduation – Help us cheer on 20+ brand-new data scientists from the Omaha Data Science Academy.
• Awards + Cake – Celebrate our community with the Data Scientist of the Year Award Winner Announcement

Whether you're leading data strategy at your company or just getting started in the field, you’ll walk away with fresh ideas, new contacts, and a stronger sense of community.

Info: This is the main event! Join us for 4 data-driven presentations, an award ceremony, and happy hour. First drinks on us!

Info: ​Armen Badeer is the Vice President of Development at Agilx Software. He’s spent over two and a half decades helping people solve problems using software, all while quietly judging drag & drop UI and untested code. Hundreds of projects in insurance, sports, manufacturing, agriculture, commodities, transportation (and a few other industries he can’t remember) have revealed one thing…he loves it when a plan comes together.

And now Armen is bringing his highly technical expertise to the CANalytics 2026 Stage!

Most AI prototypes never ship. This keynote covers the full arc from prototype to production: how to pick the right first project, how to build a roadmap, and how to navigate the hidden pitfalls that will send your prototype straight to the graveyard(like political and cultural dynamics that don't show up in any architecture diagram).

Info: Our most requested topic for CANalytics 2026! Ben and Tyler are sharing the real strategies we are using at Contemporary Analysis to keep costs manageable for our enterprise clients.

Info: Archana Raghu is a Quality Lead at Quantum Workplace, an all-in-one HR software platform serving organizations across the United States.

During her presentation, Archana will share how AI breaks every assumption traditional QA is built on. She is showing the behind-the-scenes, including:

- How they built an AI evaluation pipeline in production, what they measured, what broke, and what they learned about catching hallucinations and grounding failures before they reached users

- How they are approaching disparate impact analysis for workforce AI using counterfactual testing and what that means for how they think about fairness in production

- The new challenges of testing agentic AI and what evaluating a system that takes sequences of actions looks like in practice

Info: Join us in celebrating the winner and nominees for the 2026 Data Scientist of the Year.

Info: First drinks on us!

Info: Doors open at 8:30 am for the AI Builders Workshop. Come early to grab breakfast and mingle. Coffee and a light breakfast (such as bagels) are provided.

Info: Preston Badeer is the Chief AI Engineer at Contemporary Analysis and the founder of Visual Data Products, an AI-enabled data commercialization suite. He has built data products for some of the largest data companies in the world and is recognized as a leading voice on low-cost, high-performance private AI solutions.
Last year at CANalytics, Preston shared his insights in a keynote. This year, you'll gain tangible takeaways on how to build AI in 2026.

AI has changed fast. Even since last CANalytics. This workshop cuts through the noise and gets into what actually matters right now: the newest thinking on model selection, managing inference costs that keep climbing, hosting decisions, enterprise implementation, emerging tools, IP protection, and cybersecurity in the AI age.

This is a working session, not a keynote. Seating is limited to 35. Look for "AI Builders Workshop" add-on at checkout.

Info: A variety of sandwiches and wraps will be provided for lunch!

Info: Delicious buffet dinner catered by Attitude on Food. Look for the "Dinner and Graduation" add-on ticket at checkout!

Info: Ben Cook is a machine learning engineer by training and temperament. In 2014, he became the first data scientist at Hudl where he started and led the Data Engineering, R&D and Applied Machine Learning teams. After seven years at Hudl, Ben started Sparrow Computing, an AI dev shop focused on building end to end machine learning systems for startups.
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Ben’s latest venture is Harbor Works, a new company focused on managing AI agents for small businesses. Entrepreneurs need tools to increase the leverage on their time without becoming experts in skill writing, system prompts, authentication and optimizing token spend. Ben is going deep on agentic engineering (aka vibe coding).

During our dinner Keynote Presentation, Ben is covering: why artisanal software is no longer commercially viable, and why you should expect outages and security holes as the industry learns a new paradigm.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Contemporary Analysis