ENGAGE Washington DC 2026: Highlight Reel

ENGAGE 2026 moved fast, and it delivered—from the welcome reception to the final session. Hosted in Washington, D.C., it brought together 1,400 attendees for three days of learning, networking, and innovation.

There’s something powerful about putting the right people in the same room at the right moment. 

With 200+ sessions on the agenda, teams addressed real operational challenges, shared what’s working, and explored what’s next in public safety and public administration solutions. ENGAGE 2026 delivered a true reset and recharge, showcasing what’s possible when public sector heroes come together to share ideas, learn from one another, and focus on solutions that work in the real world. 

This year also included a few important additions: 

• Hero-Grade rebrand: How we raised the standard for what customers should expect from the technology they rely on every day.
• Free hands-on training: Gave attendees more time in the product, more time with experts, and more skills to take home.
• FirstTwo: Showcased a new way to deliver real-time, map-based intelligence in the field so agencies can make faster, more informed decisions.

ENGAGE is a customer event, through and through. It’s powered by your success, your feedback, and your mission. If you were there, you felt it. If you were not, here’s why ENGAGE 2027 in Las Vegas belongs on your calendar. 

Keep reading for a highlight reel from each day of the conference, from the biggest announcements to the moments that brought the community together.

Welcome Reception: Welcome to Washington

ENGAGE started with high energy, high connection, and a room full of people who understand public sector work. The welcome reception brought attendees together in the heart of the capital, setting the tone for the week before the first full day of sessions.

With a live DJ, local flavors, and themed activities, the first night was more than a social event. It was a reset. A chance to step out of daily pressure, shake hands with familiar faces, and meet new peers who are solving the same problems in different cities, counties, and agencies.

For many attendees, this is where the best conversations begin. You reconnect with partners. You trade notes with other leaders. You hear what’s working, what’s changing, and what questions everyone is bringing into the week. It was the perfect warm-up for three days of learning and inspiration.

Day 1: Executive Keynote: The Future Is Now

Day 1 opened with a clear message: CentralSquare is a different company, and we came prepared to prove it. 

The Executive Keynote was built around Hero-Grade innovation that customers could see and measure. Demos showed real outcomes, and customer voices reinforced the impact through live testimonials onstage. That theme carried throughout the week with 33 customer-led breakout sessions, grounded in what agencies are doing right now.

A scenario demo brought the next-generation tech stack to life, showcasing how FirstTwo, Centerline AI, the Public Safety Suite, and FieldOps work together to deliver connected, actionable intelligence. The focus was practical—reducing guesswork, improving coordination, and helping teams act with clarity under pressure.

We also introduced new innovations purposefully designed to work together across the experience, including CentralSquare Home and the Common Citizen Portal—a single place for residents to find what they need, from permits and utilities to payments. With Centerline AI as an intelligent assistant, citizens can ask questions and receive real‑time answers directly in the portal, supported by NaviLine Impact, a modern, cloud‑based back office that delivers the data behind the scenes, saving time and resources.

Hero‑Grade impact was reinforced through powerful testimonials from East Baton Rouge Parish and Tamarac, FL. East Baton Rouge showed the power of being fully live in the cloud with Vertex 911, CAD, Records, and Jail—supporting 25 agencies with reliable, end‑to‑end public safety operations. Tamarac highlighted how NaviLine and EAM enable smarter asset management, better planning, and stronger service for 74,000+ residents, laying the foundation for growth and community trust.

The keynote also highlighted year-over-year improvements that matter operationally:

• 34% faster average time to go-live
• 49% reduction in mean-time-to-resolution with 15% fewer incoming cases
• 12,000+ support cases resolved in under 12 minutes with an AI assistant
• Zero-downtime version upgrades for cloud customers.

The common theme on this day across every room was practicality. Attendees left with ideas and skills they could bring home and apply immediately. 

Day 2: ENGAGE Awards, Travis Mills, BIG Ideas, Expo Hall

Day 2 was built around recognition, perspective, and innovation. The ENGAGE Awards celebrated Hero-Grade customers making advancements in safety, operations, community impact, and more. This year’s awards honored organizations and leaders who are making a measurable difference through innovation, dedication, and leadership. Honorees ranged from local governments to emergency communications centers, each representing the impact technology can have when it is applied with intention. 

This year’s winners were:

• Excellence in Resourcefulness: City of Tarpon Springs, FL
• Innovation: City of Punta Gorda, FL
• Smart Community: Ada County Highway District of Boise, ID
• Smart Safety: Russ St. Myers of South Metro, CO
• User Group: South Dakota Public Safety User Group
• Citizen Experience: Chief Dan Hyman of Ramapo Police, NY
• Exemplary Service in 911: Brunswick County, NC

The day also featured keynote speaker Travis Mills, an inspirational military veteran and a surviving quadruple amputee from the war in Afghanistan. His message centered on resilience, leadership, and overcoming adversity. The CentralSquare Foundation also made a donation to the Travis Mills Foundation in support of post-9/11 injured veterans and their families.

For a room filled with people who serve their communities every day, his message struck a chord. It was a reminder that perseverance, mindset, and purpose matter, especially in demanding roles where the work is rarely easy. 

BIG IDEAS sessions kept the conversation forward-looking, including a Fireside Chat: Local Government Trends and How Dispatch & Patrol Keep Schools Safe. These sessions were candid and solution-oriented, grounded in the realities of public sector operations. 

The Expo Hall was divided into a few key areas. In the Experience Center, customers explored solutions like Centerline AI, FirstTwo, FieldOps, Payments, NaviLine, and Finance Enterprise. In the TownSquare, they met 1:1 with CentralSquare experts for personalized guidance and product Q&As. Finally, excited customers visited the Tuesday-only Hat Bar for custom gear.

Customer Celebration: Shamrock & Roll

Shamrock & Roll brought St. Patrick’s Day to ENGAGE. With a Rock & Roll theme, the night was built for fun and customer appreciation. A live band kept the energy high, the dance floor stayed full, and the lip sync battle delivered one of the most memorable moments of the week.

The activities made it even better. Caricature artists provided fun keepsakes. Live T-shirt screen printing gave attendees something to take home. And the human claw machine created plenty of laughs and photo-worthy chaos. More than anything, it was a chance to relax, celebrate the CentralSquare community, and celebrate the true impact our customers are making every day across North America. 

Day 3: Hands-On Training, BIG Ideas

Day 3 kept the focus on practical growth. The BIG Ideas sessions tackled the decisions agencies are facing right now, with clear takeaways leaders can bring back to their teams:

• The Future of AI in Public Sector (panel)
• What to Expect When Moving to the Cloud (panel)
• Avoiding Single Points of Failure to Combat Retention Challenges

Hands-on training was another Day 3 highlight, and one of the most meaningful additions to ENGAGE 2026. Training was free for all attendees, with sessions available across all three days. The rooms stayed full, engagement stayed high, and customers got real product mastery instead of surface-level overviews. These sessions gave teams direct access to CentralSquare experts and practical takeaways that make a difference shift after shift.

Why ENGAGE 2027 Matters

ENGAGE 2026 made one thing clear. Momentum matters. 

When public sector professionals have space to learn, collaborate, and reflect, progress accelerates. ENGAGE provides that space, along with the tools and relationships that help agencies move forward with confidence. 

As the first Hero-Grade ENGAGE, it was one of the most impactful yet—driven by the customers who showed up ready to learn, share, and lead. The week was full of practical ideas, real outcomes, and the kind of conversations that make progress feel possible.

To our customers: thank you. Your commitment to your communities shapes our products. Your feedback pushes us to keep improving implementations, support, and performance. Most of all, your work raises the bar for what “Hero-Grade” means every day.

Save the date! ENGAGE 2027 will be in Las Vegas, NV, April 18–21. Add it to your calendar now so you’re ready when registration and agenda details go live.