After careful consideration, the American Society for Indexing has changed its plan to hold its 2026 conference in person and will instead host an online conference. While both the association and its members had eagerly looked forward to meeting in person this year, ASI’s board determined that, due to current events in the United States, 2026 is not the right time for such a gathering.
Originally, ASI had considered three different cities as the site for its annual conference. One was excluded early in our search, due to turbulence in the streets surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. Since that time, the other two have also experienced similar tumult. Minneapolis was chosen as the conference location shortly before Operation Metro Surge began there. Since then, ICE operations have left the city and surrounding area unstable.
ASI’s priority is the safety of its members and guests. With members travelling from across the United States and members of our international sister associations crossing our nation’s borders, ASI cannot confidently predict their safety. With this in mind, and the knowledge that ICE activity is planned to continue in other locations, the Board chose to move to an online conference.
We are regretful that we cannot support the people and businesses in the beautiful city of Minneapolis and hope that in a future year we will have the opportunity to gather there.
We are looking forward to a robust, thought-provoking online conference later in 2026. Watch your email for a save-the-date announcement.
ASI remains committed to an engaging, collaborative, and communal conference. In the coming weeks we will be discussing creative ways to enhance the online format so that it is everything attendees hope for and expect. We will share details on dates, programming, and registration as soon as they are finalized. We appreciate your understanding in this unprecedented circumstance.