The Advanced Guide to 8am Kaleidoscope 2026

8am Kaleidoscope 2026 returns for a second year, this time at the Wynn in Las Vegas on September 22–24. The 2025 debut drew 330 attendees and seven product launches to Austin, and the 2026 edition builds on that with a four-track agenda and CEO Dru Armstrong returning to the keynote stage.

Whether you're deciding if it's worth the trip or you've already booked the room block, here's everything you need: dates, venue, keynotes, session tracks, pricing, how it stacks up against ClioCon and ABA TECHSHOW, and a first-timer's playbook for Vegas.

What 8am Kaleidoscope Is (and Who It's For)

8am Kaleidoscope is the annual legal tech customer conference hosted by 8am, the rebrand of the company you used to know as AffiniPay. If you use LawPay, MyCase, CPACharge, CasePeer, DocketWise, or PracticePanther, you're already in the 8am product family. The acquisition spree is now a single platform, and Kaleidoscope is where they introduce it to you.

The name "8am" comes from a simple observation: the first thing many of us do in the morning is take care of business. Invoices, collections, the parts of running a firm that aren't the practice of law itself. The name "Kaleidoscope" reflects how the acquired companies are coming together as one platform.

One thing to know going in: this is a customer-focused event. About 200 of the 330 attendees in 2025 were active 8am customers, with the rest being employees, exhibitors, and media. There are two reader paths here. If you already use one or more 8am products, Kaleidoscope is a high-value three days for staying current on the platform you depend on. If you don't, the AI track and keynotes are still open and informative, and ClioCon or ABA TECHSHOW are worth considering alongside, depending on where your stack sits.

Dates, Venue, and Registration at a Glance

The conference runs September 22–24, 2026 (Tuesday through Thursday) at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. Registration opens February 1, 2026, with a $995 standard all-access pass and a $289-per-night room block at the Wynn (plus taxes and resort fees).

Here's how the three days break down:

• Tuesday 9/22: Registration opens during the day, opening reception in the evening. Plan to arrive Tuesday so you don't miss the welcome event.

• Wednesday 9/23: Opening keynote, full breakout slate, Partner Hall and Solutions Hub open, happy hour, free evening to do Vegas.

• Thursday 9/24: Second keynote, full breakout slate, Partner Hall and Solutions Hub open, closing reception.

A note on the venue: Encore is on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, attached to Wynn. The two towers operate as a single connected complex, so sessions, hotel rooms, dining, and the Partner Hall are all reachable on foot without leaving the building. Walking distance is short, which is useful when you're trying to fit five conversations into a coffee break.

A note on Vegas in late September: daytime highs are still in the 90s, with overnight temperatures dropping into the mid-60s. You'll be indoors almost the entire time, but the walk from your gate at Harry Reid International to ground transportation is going to feel like a sauna. Pack accordingly.

The cost math, all-in: $995 registration plus three nights at $289 plus flights and meals lands most attendees somewhere around $2,500 for the trip. That's the bar the value question has to clear.

Keynote Speakers and Marquee Sessions

Two confirmed keynotes from 8am leadership are on the agenda for 2026, plus a guest keynote that will be announced closer to the event. The executive sessions are where the 2026 product roadmap will land, so if you're trying to decide which 8am product to commit to, this is the room you want to be in.

CEO Dru Armstrong missed the 2025 conference due to personal circumstances. She returns in 2026 to deliver the opening keynote, kicking off the conference's second year on the main stage.

Chief Product Officer Leslie Witt delivered the keynote at the 2025 conference, laying out the "8am IQ" AI strategy across all the product lines. She opened on the framing that lawyers don't learn business in law school, citing the company's own data: 68% of surveyed lawyers struggle with collections, 61% struggle with accounting principles, and 53% lack confidence making informed financial decisions. Expect a similarly data-anchored thesis in 2026, with the focus shifting to how 8am IQ has matured over a full year.

The guest keynote slot is reserved for a non-legal voice on growth, leadership, or performance. In 2025 it was Gabby Thomas, the Olympic sprinter who won three gold medals at the Paris 2024 Games. The pick fit the audience: small-firm leaders running lean operations under pressure. Whoever 8am announces for 2026 is likely to fit the same mold.

The product announcements to watch for, based on the 2025 roadmap:

• 8am IQ. Updates across MyCase and LawPay as the AI suite matures.

• 8am Capital. Production launch of short-term financing for firms that struggle to qualify with traditional lenders. Originally scheduled for early 2026.

• Chat with Cases. Continued progress on the natural-language interface for client and financial data.

• SmartSpend. Broader rollout of an employee credit card that auto-links business expenses to invoices.

• NetDocuments. Follow-on integration work with the document management partner.

If you've been tracking the broader AI timekeeping and billing-automation conversation in legal tech, this is the room where 8am's piece of it shows up next.

Session Tracks, CLE/CPE Credits, and the Solutions Hub

Below the keynotes, the conference structure is 20+ breakout sessions across four announced tracks, plus three formats that deserve almost as much planning: the Solutions Hub, the Innovation Stage, and the Partner Hall.

AI and the Future of Work

This is the strongest draw for most attendees, and it's likely to be where 8am introduces the next phase of its AI roadmap. Expect deep dives into how 8am IQ is showing up across MyCase and LawPay, progress on Chat with Cases, and at least one session on AI-driven timekeeping or billing automation.

The most useful questions in this track are about workflow. Where does AI fit between client intake and invoicing? What does the lawyer still do, and what does the software do? The answers are getting clearer, and Kaleidoscope is where 8am will lay them out for the customer base.

Running and Scaling Small Businesses

This track is operations content for solo practitioners and small-firm leaders. Topics include cash flow, hiring, pricing models, and how to scale without losing the quality that got you here in the first place. Witt's 2025 keynote numbers on collections and accounting confidence belong in this track too, and the breakouts tend to translate the data into concrete steps.

Marketing That Connects

The marketing sessions are practical material you can use Monday morning. Expect sessions on local SEO for small firms, intake conversion, client retention, and developing a brand voice that sounds distinctly like your firm.

Leadership in a Changing World

The fourth track is people-focused: managing partners, retention, and firm culture. The peer-driven roundtables tend to be valuable because the people in the room are running firms with similar headcount and similar challenges.

CLE (Continuing Legal Education) and CPE (Continuing Professional Education) credits are available for select sessions. The full credit list won't be confirmed until closer to the event, so check the conference app once it's live. Bring your bar number and any CPE certification if you're claiming credits.

Here's how each of the three non-breakout formats works:

• The Solutions Hub is one-on-one time with 8am product and support teams. It's a high-value time slot if you already use any 8am product. Slots tend to fill fast, so book as soon as registration opens.

• The Innovation Stage is short-format demos. Useful for getting a fast read on the partner ecosystem and any new tools that integrate with the 8am stack.

• The Partner Hall is the technology-partner exhibit area, with 12 partner exhibitors at the 2025 event. The size is intentionally focused, so plan one full pass, then return to the booths that matter.

Kaleidoscope vs. ClioCon vs. ABA TECHSHOW

Three legal tech events, three different jobs. Kaleidoscope is for the 8am stack. ClioCon is for the Clio stack. ABA TECHSHOW is vendor-neutral and serves the broader solo and small-firm market.

Most firms shouldn't go to all three. Pick the one that matches your stack, and pick a second one only if you're actively evaluating a switch. (And if you're also weighing LegalWeek, that's a different conversation entirely. LegalWeek skews enterprise.)

Worth noting: 8am is also sponsoring the free shuttle service at ABA TECHSHOW 2026. They're investing across the legal tech calendar this year, supporting the broader industry events alongside their own. Kaleidoscope is the company's home turf, and they're showing up everywhere else too.

The First-Timer's Playbook

The biggest difference between a productive Kaleidoscope and a forgettable one is preparation. The attendees who get the most value do three things before, three during, and three after. The "after" is where most of the leverage lives, and it's also the part that gets skipped.

Before You Go

Identify the two or three sessions that are non-negotiable for you, and build everything else around them. The full session list goes live closer to the event.

Book Solutions Hub appointments as soon as registration opens on February 1. The slots tend to fill fast, and a well-prepared conversation with the product team can be more useful than a half-relevant breakout.

Line up three to five Partner Hall meetings before you arrive. Cold floor-walking burns time, and the partners you want to talk to will have packed schedules. A quick LinkedIn message a week out is enough to get on the calendar.

During the Event

Protect 30 minutes a day for unstructured Partner Hall walking. The best conversations happen unscheduled, and the people running the booths usually know the product cold.

Skip at least one breakout to do a hallway conversation. Most sessions are recorded for later viewing; coffee with a peer who runs a firm the same size as yours isn't.

Take photos of any product roadmap slide. They get pulled from decks faster than you'd expect, and you'll want to refer back to them when you're making a Q4 budgeting decision.

After You Get Home

Within seven days of getting back, write up your top five takeaways and three follow-ups. Email both to whoever sent you, even if that's nobody but yourself. Writing it down is how the trip turns into action items.

Schedule the partner follow-up calls before you're back in the inbox. Every week beyond that, response rates drop sharply.

If you collected business cards, transcribe them and send a short email within the week. Three weeks later is too late.

Vegas-Specific Notes

The Wynn complex is on the north end of the Strip, walkable to Resorts World and the Fashion Show Mall. It's a long way from the Bellagio fountains and the south-Strip casinos, so build that into any dinner plans.

Late September weather: 90°+ during the day, mid-60s at night. You'll be indoors almost entirely, but pack a layer for the over-air-conditioned ballrooms.

Don't book a flight that lands after 10 PM Tuesday. The opening reception is Tuesday evening, and the room-block rate is best when your check-in starts that day.

Final Thoughts

8am Kaleidoscope is in its second year, and the trajectory looks promising. The 2025 crowd was intimate, the energy was high, and the format has clear room to grow.

Going in 2026 means getting in while the format is still small enough for direct conversations with senior leadership. If you're already in the 8am stack, the trip is easy to justify. If you're trying to decide where AI fits in your firm's next year, three days here can replace weeks of separate vendor calls.

If you're evaluatingAI timekeeping while walking the Solutions Hub, Ajax is the tool that reads your work as it happens and writes the time entries for you.Book a demo before or after the conference and we'll come prepared to talk about your specific workflow.