Momentum 2026: Welcome to the Agentic Era. The Future Is Now.

Momentum 2026 kicked off at the Bellagio in Las Vegas as customers, partners, analysts and media came together to explore what comes next in the age of agentic AI.

Across keynotes and conversations, attendees explored how Manhattan’s AI, unified commerce, and cloud-native technology are helping organizations simplify complexity, move faster and stay always ahead of changing consumer expectations and constant disruption.

At the center of it all is the ActivePlatform™, built to help customers stay always ahead of what comes next.

From autonomous agents and self-configuring systems to customer stories and immersive hands-on experiences, Day 1 focused on helping organizations accelerate execution, unify operations, and move forward with confidence in a world that refuses to slow down.

The Future Is Now

The energy started before the general session even began.

More than 100 customers filled Manhattan’s Active AI Bootcamp for hands-on workshops focused on building and deploying ActiveAgents™. Across the Bellagio, attendees explored how AI agents are already simplifying workflows, accelerating execution, and helping teams focus on higher-value work instead of manual operational tasks.

The conversations happening before the keynote reinforced one of the defining themes of the day: businesses are ready for practical AI that delivers real operational value now.

President and CEO Eric Clark opened the conference by recognizing the scale and influence of the Manhattan community itself.

“These supply chains and storefronts power more than three trillion dollars of global commerce,” Eric shared. “If this community were a country, it would rank among the ten largest economies on Earth.”

That perspective shaped the conversation from the start.

Supply chain commerce continues to move faster. Consumer expectations keep rising. Disruptions keep coming from every direction. And businesses can’t solve modern complexity with disconnected systems and fragmented workflows.

Throughout the keynote, Eric focused on how Manhattan is helping organizations move beyond reacting to change and start building operations designed to stay ahead of it.

He made an important point -“AI plus unification and human ingenuity. That is the answer.”

That message carried throughout the day.

Manhattan made it clear that AI only works with unified systems, connected data, and strong operational governance. Without that foundation, AI simply accelerates complexity.

That’s where ActivePlatform changes the equation.

Manhattan built ActivePlatform as a unified, cloud-native, microservices-based platform long before the current wave of AI. It connects data, workflows, and execution across the enterprise to help organizations simplify operations, move faster, and adapt in real time.

Leaders also reinforced that human ingenuity remains essential in the age of enterprise AI. The future isn’t people versus AI. It’s intelligent systems working alongside human insight, creativity, intuition, and expertise.

Eric shared that Manhattan is already helping reduce standard implementation timelines by up to 50 percent through new agentic AI capabilities.

Built for What’s Next

Sanjeev Siotia, Chief Technology Officer, pulled attendees deeper inside the technology powering Manhattan’s approach to agentic AI.

“For decades, humans were forced to adapt to the software,” he said. “The future belongs to software that adapts to us.”

That philosophy shaped two of the biggest announcements of the morning: Solution Design Studio™ and Manhattan Marketplace™.

Designed as a new AI-powered workspace for business users, Solution Design Studio allows organizations to configure complex supply chain systems using natural language instead of technical configuration screens.

Teams can create operational blueprints, collaborate inside the platform, and move from idea to execution dramatically faster.

Building on last year’s launch of AgentFoundry™, Manhattan Marketplace creates a shared ecosystem where customers and partners can discover and deploy intelligent agents, extensions, and accelerators designed specifically for Manhattan’s Active solutions.

Every agent runs natively on ActivePlatform, giving organizations a trusted foundation for innovation with unified data, governance, APIs, and deterministic execution.

Sanjeev described it simply: “Humans define the what. Machines generate the how.” It’s what he calls intent-based engineering.

Simplifying Complexity at Scale

That operational focus continued as Brian Kinsella, Manhattan’s Chief Product Officer, took the mainstage and gave attendees got a closer look at how ActivePlatform is driving execution across warehouses, stores, fulfillment operations, and transportation networks.

Customers from Vineyard Vines, SP Richards, and Giant Eagle shared how they’re using Manhattan solutions to simplify operations, move faster, and create more connected experiences across their businesses.

Zack Saylor, Director of Supply Chain Technology at Giant Eagle highlighted how the Wave Coordinator Agent is helping teams improve visibility into the inventory allocation and resolve issues faster in the company’s fast-moving grocery operations. Zack said, "In the grocery industry we’re shipping and receiving 75% of our products the same day, especially our produce buildings. This agent allows us to make sure we have the right product in the right place at the right time.”

Success in Action

That operational focus carried into customer sessions throughout the day.

Sean Whitehouse, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Dick’s Sporting Goods, took the main stage to discuss the role strong partnerships play in navigating large-scale transformation and operational complexity.

Reflecting on more than 20 years of partnership with Manhattan, Sean said, “Manhattan pushes us and that’s an important part of our partnership.“

Throughout the day, one message came through clearly: the businesses pulling ahead are simplifying operations, connecting workflows, and building unified ecosystems instead of disconnected processes.

That conversation continued during an afternoon fireside discussion hosted by Aaron Millstone, SVP Customer Strategy and Applied AI, featuring leaders from Eaton, Pet Supplies Plus, Cardinal Health, and Giant Eagle.

The discussion focused on scaling AI responsibly, balancing innovation with governance, and helping organizations evolve operationally while continuing to empower people across the business.

Despite the excitement around automation and AI, Momentum’s opening day never framed the future as people versus technology. It framed the future as intelligent systems amplifying human capability.

The day closed with a keynote from Jim Craig, best known as the goaltender behind the “Miracle on Ice” gold medal victory at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Craig shared lessons on leadership, teamwork, resilience, and performing under pressure drawn from one of the most iconic moments in sports history.

Built to Stay Ahead

Momentum also marked the debut of Manhattan’s refreshed brand expression, brought to life through bold visuals, immersive experiences, and the new “Always Ahead” tagline.

Katie Foote, Manhattan's Chief Marketing Officer, spoke about aligning the company’s external expression with who Manhattan already is: a modern cloud-native and AI-empowered company built to help customers stay ahead of change instead of constantly reacting to it.

In conclusion, supply chain commerce is becoming more complex. AI is accelerating rapidly. Consumer expectations continue to evolve. Volatility isn’t slowing down.

But the businesses pulling ahead aren’t waiting for the future of AI to arrive. They’re already operationalizing intelligent systems, simplifying workflows, and creating organizations where people and AI work together seamlessly.

Momentum continues tomorrow with more innovation, more customer insights, and more conversations shaping the future of supply chain commerce in this AI era.