Branded Merch Network Announces Automate & Elevate 2026
Online event returns November 12 alongside education partner PRINTING United Alliance with practical education on how AI and automation are changing workflows across print, promo and apparel.
Sept. 17, 2026
Branded Merch Network (BMN) announces the return of Automate & Elevate, an online industry education event focused on helping print, promotional products, and apparel professionals better understand and apply AI, automation, and emerging technology.
The 2026 event will take place Thursday, Nov. 12, from 1:00:30 pm ET, with PRINTING United Alliance serving as an Education Partner and helping bring the print industry perspective to the conversation.
Rather than focusing on technology for technology’s sake, Automate & Elevate will explore where AI and automation are already creating meaningful business impact through smarter workflows, greater efficiency, stronger decision-making, and better customer experiences.
“AI is moving incredibly fast, and businesses don’t need more hype or another long list of tools,” said Jay Busselle, co-founder of BMN, in a press statement. “They need practical examples, trusted voices and a clearer understanding of where these technologies can actually make a difference.”
Bringing the Print Perspective
As an Education Partner, PRINTING United Alliance will help shape the conversation around how AI and automation are affecting print businesses, including workflow, production, customer experience, and the changing role of technology.
“The knowledge running most print operations lives in people, not systems, and AI adoption is forcing every shop to confront that,” said Amy Servi-Bonner, VP, PRINTING AI, in a press release. “Automate & Elevate is built around real-world learning instead of hype, which is the only kind of AI education that actually protects an operation’s margins.”
The event builds on the inaugural 2025 Automate & Elevate, which attracted 269 registrations from across the print, promo, and apparel communities.
The 2026 program will combine industry education, real-world applications, demonstrations, and conversations with people actively putting AI and automation to work.
Confirmed participants and partners include ASI, PromoPilot, and additional technology and industry contributors, with The 2 Regular Guys returning as hosts. More program details will be announced soon.
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Apparelist. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Apparelist.
