11 Top COO Conferences to Attend in 2026-2027 for Operational Excellence

Best COO Conferences of 2026-2027

Below are my summaries of the best COO conferences that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a look at each event’s dates, location, pricing, and unique offering.

1. The 8th Annual LPGP Connect CFO and COO London - London, UK (July 1, 2026)

• Dates: July 1, 2026
• Location: Park Plaza Victoria London
• Pricing: Complimentary for limited and general partners
• Social Media: LinkedIn

A one-day gathering for CFOs, COOs, and C-suite operations leaders in private equity and private debt, the LPGP Connect CFO/COO London conference is now in its 8th year.

Why attend? This London event zeroes in on private markets operations. With 70+ speakers covering fund administration, valuations, tech, and talent, it's a focused day for PE and private debt leaders looking to sharpen their operational edge.

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2. IMN Real Estate CFO and COO Forum East - New York, NY (September 17, 2026)

• Dates: September 17, 2026
• Location: New York Hilton Midtown
• Pricing: $1,499

IMN's Real Estate CFO & COO Forum East is a real estate-specific event for senior finance and operations leaders. Organized by IMN, it draws 400+ decision-makers to New York each year for focused peer networking and market insights.

Why attend? This is the East Coast's go-to event for real estate CFOs and COOs. Sessions cover capital markets, AI, risk, and fund administration—with confirmed speakers like Brian Kraut of Sentinel Real Estate Corp and Stephanie Grayson of Cambio AI.

3. Operations and Technology Councils' Conference 2026 - Las Vegas, NV (September 21–24, 2026)

• Dates: September 21–24, 2026
• Location: Caesars Palace
• Pricing: From $1,680 (members) - $4,480 (non-members)
• Social Media: LinkedIn

Organized by America's Credit Unions, this annual conference brings together credit union operations, member experience, and technology professionals for four days of peer learning and networking in Las Vegas.

Why attend? It's the go-to event for credit union CTOs, COOs, and CXOs. Sessions tackle AI adoption, member experience strategy, and operational efficiency. You can also add the Security Summit to your registration for a deeper dive into information security trends.

4. COO Connect - Boston, MA (September 23-25, 2026)

• Dates: September 23-25, 2026
• Location: MIT Endicott House
• Pricing: $5,950 for members and register to reserve for non-members

COO Connect is a peer-driven leadership event organized by the COO Alliance and provides days of networking, strategic discussions, and executive development. Designed specifically for COOs, the event focuses on the challenges of scaling organizations, improving operational performance, leading teams, and partnering effectively with CEOs.

Why attend? COO Connect is built exclusively for operations executives and provides opportunities to exchange practical strategies with experienced COOs, discuss leadership and operational excellence, and learn approaches for improving execution, organizational alignment, and business growth.

5. Operations Leadership Summit 2026 - Spartanburg, SC (October 20-22, 2026)

• Dates: October 20–22, 2026
• Location: Milliken Customer Center
• Pricing: Register to see current pricing
• Social Media: LinkedIn

Organized by IndustryWeek and hosted at Milliken's facilities, the Operations Leadership Summit brings together manufacturing operations leaders—COOs, plant managers, and VPs—for three days of peer learning in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Why attend? This summit is manufacturing-specific, with three focused tracks: continuous improvement, technology adoption, and industrial safety. Past speakers have included leaders from Ford, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Michelin, and Kimberly-Clark. The IW Best Plants Awards sessions are a standout draw—recognized manufacturers share what's behind their success, and you can ask them directly.

6. The 25th Annual Law Firm COO and CFO Forum - Washington, DC (October 21-22, 2026)

• Dates: October 21-22, 2026
• Location: Conrad Washington, DC
• Pricing: $2,695
• Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn

Organized by Thomson Reuters Institute, the 25th Annual Law Firm COO & CFO Forum is built exclusively for law firm COOs, CFOs, executive directors, and finance leaders navigating the business of law.

Why attend? Now in its 25th year, this is a tight-knit, peer-focused forum—not a large expo. Sessions tackle AI adoption, partner economics, pricing strategy, and law firm M&A. Speakers include CFOs and COOs from Baker McKenzie, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Troutman Pepper Locke, and Bracewell. The closing fishbowl session and 25th anniversary reception make this year's edition especially worth attending.

7. Operational Excellence and Business Transformation Summit Miami 2026 - Miami, FL (October 21–23, 2026)

• Dates: October 21–23, 2026
• Location: W South Beach
• Pricing: From $2,199
• Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn

Organized by Keynotion, this cross-industry summit gathers operations, transformation, and continuous improvement leaders. Speakers include executives from Amazon, Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, and AT&T.

Why attend? The three-day program blends case studies, panels, workshops, and interactive debates—covering enterprise-wide OPEX deployment, digital transformation, and change culture. It's cross-industry and built around practical, Finance-ready outcomes you can act on immediately after leaving.

8. Chief Operating Officer (COO) Forum 2026 - Washington, D.C. (November 9–11, 2026)

• Dates: November 9–11, 2026
• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Pricing: TBA
• Social Media: LinkedIn

The Health Management Academy's COO Forum is an invite-only, twice-yearly retreat for healthcare C-suite leaders from top U.S. health systems. Organized by THMA, which has convened health executives since 1998, member systems include Providence, Northwell Health, and Cedars-Sinai.

Why attend? This isn't a conference—it's a 2.5-day, member-led retreat built entirely around candid peer dialogue. Sessions cover AI adoption, cost transformation, workforce strategy, and policy shifts. Industry partners include GE HealthCare, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson. Access is application-based, which keeps conversations at a genuinely executive level.

9. The Drawdown Operational Leaders Summit Winter 2026 - Almancil, Portugal (November 11–13, 2026)

• Dates: November 11–13, 2026
• Location: Conrad Algarve
• Pricing: Apply to attend
• Social Media: LinkedIn

Organized by The Drawdown (Real Deals Media), this invite-only winter summit brings together senior private markets CFOs and COOs. It's free for qualifying GPs and focuses exclusively on private equity operations and finance challenges.

Why attend? The format is deliberately intimate—50+ GPs, three days at a resort—built for candid peer exchange. Topics span fund structuring, management company challenges, and day-to-day operations. It's not a broad leadership conference; it's a focused gathering for the people running PE firms, not just working in them.

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10. COO Leaders’ Summit - Indianapolis, IN (April 26, 2027)

• Dates: April 26, 2027
• Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
• Pricing: TBA
• Social Media: LinkedIn

The COO Leaders’ Summit – North America is an executive conference for exploring the challenges shaping modern business operations. Hosted by The Global Series, the event focuses on the "4 Ts" of operations—time, trade, talent, and technology—with discussions on digital transformation, workforce evolution, cybersecurity, sustainability, and operational resilience.

Why attend? The summit offers practical insights into accelerating transformation, building resilient operations, and leading through rapid change. Attendees can learn from experienced COOs, exchange strategies with peers, and explore approaches to talent management, technology adoption, and operational excellence.

11. CFO & COO Council Summit - Middleburg, VA (May 17-18, 2027)

• Dates: May 17-18, 2027
• Location: TBA
• Pricing: TBA

The WSJ CFO + COO Summit is an executive leadership event hosted by the The Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute and discusses the forces shaping business performance and growth. Through keynote interviews, expert-led discussions, and peer networking, the summit explores topics such as economic uncertainty and leadership in a progressive business environment.

Why attend? The summit offers a rare opportunity for CFOs and COOs to learn from influential business leaders while exchanging ideas with peers facing similar strategic and operational challenges. Attendees gain insights into economic shifts, emerging technologies, operational performance, and finance-operations collaboration.

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