Advance Guide to the 2026 ALA Annual Conference & Expo

Every spring, over 1,000 legal management professionals converge for the ALA Annual Conference & Expo - four days of educational sessions, 200+ exhibitors, keynote speakers, and some of the best peer networking in the industry. 

The 2026 edition lands at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland, and interest is high.

Here's your advance guide: dates, venue, registration costs, keynotes, sessions, travel logistics, and practical tips for getting the most out of National Harbor in April.

Dates, Venue, and What Your Registration Includes

The conference runs April 12–15, 2026 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland - with a preconference workshop on Saturday, April 11. Here's how the week breaks down:

About the Venue

The Gaylord National is a waterfront resort with a 19-story glass-enclosed atrium kept at 72°F year-round. It sits directly on the Potomac River in National Harbor - a dining and entertainment district with over 40 restaurants, the Capital Wheel, MGM National Harbor, and Tanger Outlets all within walking distance.

All conference sessions, meals, and exhibits take place on-site, so you won't need to shuttle between buildings. The resort also has several of its own restaurants:

• Old Hickory Steakhouse - upscale dinner

• National Pastime - sports bar with duckpin bowling

• Pose - breakfast through dinner with Starbucks coffee

• Moon Deck - cocktails overlooking the atrium and river

Registration Pricing

Registration is currently at the Standard/Onsite rate - the early bird and advanced deadlines have passed.

Full registration includes:

• Access to all general and breakout sessions

• Exhibit Hall access all three days

• Online speaker materials

• Meals - grab-and-go breakfasts Monday through Wednesday, lunches, and refreshment breaks

• All four networking events - Welcome Reception, Awards Reception, Association Luncheon, and Exhibit Hall Reception

Ways to Save

• Group discount: 5+ registrations from the same firm in a single transaction get 10% off full conference rates.

• Managing partner discount: Nonmember managing partners qualify for the ALA member rate. Email ALA@mcievents.com after registering to request the adjustment.

• Partial attendance: One- and two-day packages are available - contact ALA@mcievents.com for details. Individual event passes range from $85 (Awards or Exhibit Hall Reception) to $140 (Welcome Reception). Full guest registration is $550.

• Retired member rate: New for 2026 - fully retired members paying the retired membership rate automatically receive the $725 conference rate during checkout.

One important note: the conference is in-person only. Sessions are not recorded, and there is no virtual attendance option.

Who Should Attend - and How to Make the Most of It

The ALA conference is built for anyone who manages the business side of a law firm, corporate legal department, or government legal agency. ALA's membership spans roughly 9,000 professionals across 80+ chapters in 28+ countries, and this is where a significant portion of them converge each year.

The concrete value depends on your role:

• HR directors can earn SHRM-CP/SCP and HRCI recertification credits

• Finance and operations managers get sessions on billing strategy, budgeting, and legal technology adoption

• CLM holders earn recertification credit from nearly every session (ALA uses the honor system - no session sign-in/sign-out required)

• Anyone evaluating vendors for practice management, timekeeping, document automation, or cybersecurity gets 200+ exhibitors in one room for three days

If your firm needs budget approval for the trip, ALA provides two useful tools on the conference website under Resources:

• An Expense Calculator for estimating total trip costs

• A Budgeting & Funding Toolkit with ready-made talking points for getting budget approval from firm leadership

Both are worth downloading before you have the conversation.

Keynotes, Sessions, and the Exhibit Hall

Keynote Speakers

Three keynotes anchor the program:

• Opening Keynote - Dr. Michelle Rozen, behavioral scientist and author of The 6% Club. Her research focuses on why only 6% of people consistently follow through on their goals. She'll cover her 6% Performance Formula, the 0–10 Rule for cutting distractions, the 20-Minute Rule for focus under stress, and The Power of the Pause for resetting under pressure.
  
  
  

• David W. Brezina Memorial Session - J.R. Martinez, burn survivor, Army veteran, actor, and motivational speaker. Martinez shares his story of perseverance after surviving severe burns during military service, focusing on how we choose to respond to obstacles.
  
  
  

• Closing Keynote - Heather McGowan, on "Leading in the Age of Uncertainty." McGowan addresses how leadership must adapt to economic volatility, AI, and cybersecurity challenges - with practical frameworks for building high-trust teams and enabling collective intelligence.
  
  
  

Educational Sessions

The conference features 60+ breakout sessions in multiple formats: interactive discussions, panel conversations, and hands-on workshops. The full agenda is available on the MCI events platform linked from the conference site.

Session types to know about:

• General Sessions - large-audience keynotes and presentations

• Breakout Sessions - smaller, topic-specific sessions that qualify for CE credit

• Business Matters! Sessions - vendor-led: worth attending if the topic is relevant, but they do not qualify for CE credit

• Meeting of Minds - peer-to-peer discussions: also do not qualify for CE credit

If maximizing CE credits is a priority, plan your schedule around the distinction. CLM, SHRM, HRCI, and NASBA/CPE credits are all available, but only from qualifying sessions.

Preconference Workshop

On Saturday, April 11 from 1:00–5:00 PM (separate registration required), a half-day workshop covers succession planning for administrative and management roles - both planned transitions and the unplanned kind that catch firms off guard.

If you're a firm administrator who hasn't documented your own role's institutional knowledge, this one is worth the extra afternoon.

The Exhibit Hall

Over 200 vendors exhibit across three days, covering everything from practice management systems and billing platforms to document automation, cybersecurity, HR tech, and AI-powered tools.

Tips from experience:

• Go early on Wednesday for unhurried vendor conversations - the hall closes at 1:30 PM and foot traffic thins out as attendees head to sessions

• Afternoon coffee is served in the Expo Hall on certain days, so plan your breaks around exhibit hall visits

• Come with a short list of priorities - with 200+ exhibitors, wandering the floor without a plan burns time quickly

If AI timekeeping is on your firm's evaluation list, the Exhibit Hall is a good opportunity to compare approaches side by side. Some tools pull metadata from app integrations, while others - like Ajax - read your screen directly to capture work across every application without requiring individual integrations. The differences in how entries are generated, grouped, and attributed to matters are easier to evaluate when you can ask pointed questions in person.

We wrote a comparison of the leading AI timekeeping tools if you want to do your homework beforehand.

Where to Stay Now That the Gaylord Block Is Sold Out

ALA's room block at the Gaylord National is sold out. The conference rates were $322/night for single or double occupancy, plus 18% tax, a $27/night resort fee, and 6% tax on that resort fee.

You still have options:

• ALA's alternative booking tool lists nearby hotels at competitive rates - find the link on the conference homepage at annualconference2026.alanet.org

• National Harbor hotels - several are within walking distance or a short shuttle ride. The Gaylord operates a Circulator shuttle for hotel guests running 11 AM to 4 AM daily.

• Old Town Alexandria - across the Potomac River, connected by water taxi (~25 minutes). Wider range of restaurants and hotels, and rates tend to run lower than National Harbor during large conferences. A rideshare from Old Town is roughly 15–20 minutes.

• Check for Gaylord cancellations - contact ALA at ALA@mcievents.com. Rooms do open back up as plans change.

Either way, book now. National Harbor fills fast during events this size.

How to Get There: Flights, Ground Transport, and Parking

Fly into Reagan National Airport (DCA) if at all possible. It's 7 miles from the venue and about 15–20 minutes by car.

From DCA, your options:

• Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) - typically $20–$35, 15–20 minutes depending on traffic

• Taxi - roughly $30–$40

• Public transit - Metro to Branch Ave or King St–Old Town, then bus to National Harbor. Budget about 50 minutes. Not ideal with luggage.

• Rental cars - available at DCA and Hertz on-property at the Gaylord. Only worthwhile if you plan significant off-site travel.

Parking at the Gaylord is expensive - self-parking runs $22 for the first hour up to $46 for 3+ hours, and valet is $43–$70. If you're driving but staying off-site, the public National Harbor garages (St. George, Mariner, and Fleet) are much cheaper - roughly $5 for up to 2 hours, $12 for 2–4 hours, and $20 for a full day.

Pack Smart and Prepare: Tips for First-Time Attendees

What to Wear and Bring

• Business casual is the standard dress code

• Comfortable shoes - the Gaylord is large, and you'll be on your feet between sessions, the Exhibit Hall, and networking events all day

• Bring a layer - conference rooms run cold, and the atrium's 72°F can feel chilly after a few hours of sitting

• Portable charger - long conference days drain phone batteries fast

Before You Arrive

• Download the conference app - session schedules, speaker bios, venue maps, and live captioning links are all accessed through it

• Build your personal schedule in advance. With 60+ sessions, deciding on the fly wastes time.

• Update your LinkedIn profile and prepare a brief intro - who you are, what firm you're with, and what you're trying to learn or solve

On-Site Perks to Know About

• The Welcome Reception on Sunday evening is the icebreaker - don't skip it

• If you hold a CLM designation, are an ALA volunteer, or are an international attendee, the Hospitality Hub is a dedicated space with drinks and snacks. It's open Monday through Wednesday.

• Accessibility: ALA provides live captioning for all sessions, reserved front-row seating for visual or mobility needs, a nursing lounge, a Quiet Room, and wheelchair/scooter rental through cloudofgoods.com

• Dietary restrictions can be noted during registration or at the registration desk on arrival - buffets include allergen signage

Final Thoughts

The ALA Annual Conference is one of the few events where the full spectrum of legal management - operations, HR, finance, administration, and firm leadership - converges in one place. The CE credit opportunities alone make the investment worth it, and the Exhibit Hall is dense enough with relevant vendors that you can accomplish months of product evaluation in three days.

If you're still on the fence, download ALA's Expense Calculator and Budgeting Toolkit to build the case. 

And if recovering lost billable hours is on your firm's agenda this year, book a demo with us before or after the conference - we'd love to show you what we've built.

Register at mcievents.com/alaac2026. Book your hotel now. And bring comfortable shoes - the Gaylord will earn you your steps.