Xerocon Denver 2026: 13 must-see sessions

Xerocon Denver is just around the corner

For two days, swarms of accounting professionals will come together at the Colorado Convention Center, ready to network, explore vendors, and be inspired by a solid agenda of special guests, guest speakers, and accounting thought leaders.

So, is the Mile High City ready?

If you’re attending, kick off your planning with this list of 13 must-see sessions.

Day 1: Wednesday, August 19

An introduction to Karbon practice management for Xero firms

Time: 10.45am

Presenter: Tim Cook, Karbon

See how leading firms run on Karbon. Walk through client management, workflow automation, project planning, email, billing and payments, and the Xero integration that keeps client, billing, and payment data in sync.

Special guest: Simon Curran

Time: 12.20pm

Presenter: Simon Curran, Rokt & All Blacks Performance Labs

Simon has spent the last decade discovering what truly separates the best from the rest. He’s worked alongside the men’s New Zealand national rugby union team (the All Blacks), Formula One garages, surgical theatres, symphony orchestras, special forces units, and the boardrooms of some of the fastest-growing companies on the planet. In his session, he will share insights on leadership and high performance from these teams and organizations.

Why your brain thinks 4am is a great time for tax planning

Time: 1.15pm

Presenter: TBC

Does a 4am cortisol spike sound familiar? Explore why entrepreneurial stress rewires sleep patterns and exactly what you can do about it. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of your own stress responses and practical tools to protect your well-being without sacrificing performance.

Meet Kai, Karbon's AI coworker

Time: 2.10pm

Presenter: Jake Lyman, Karbon

Get your first look at your firm's true AI operating system with Kai, the AI coworker that knows your clients, work and team. See how intelligent automation embedded into your accounting practice management software takes on the searching, summarizing, and repetitive steps so your team focuses on higher-value work.

The big picture: Understanding the economic and tech trends shaping the future

Time: 2.30pm

Presenters: 

• James Bergin, Xero

• Louise Southall, Xero

• Amanda Aguillard, CPA, Aguillard Accounting

Between AI headlines and conflicting economic forecasts, it's hard to know what to actually pay attention to. Led by Xero’s Futurist and Economist, this session is designed to zoom out and tackle the trends and big questions shaping the future for small businesses and the accountants who serve them.

Be the one they ask: Making AI part of how you and your clients work together

Time: 4.30pm

Presenters: 

• Delia Chase, Xero

• Serghei Barbulat, Xero

• Vijeyta Aggarwal, Xero

According to 350 small business owners, 89% want some form of transparency over how and when their accountant uses AI on their work. This session will share practical ways to bring your clients along the journey, including tips on how to help clients understand AI use cases, benefits, and limitations, and how to use AI to unlock more billable advisory work.

Day 2: Thursday, August 20

Special guest: Jasmine Crowe-Houston

Time: 9.10am

Presenter: Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Goodr

Jasmine Crowe-Houston is an award-winning entrepreneur, TED Speaker, and leader who is working to make the world a better place. She founded Goodr, which provides meals to people in need across the US. Expect inspiring stories of fostering change, hope, connection, and better futures.

Special guest: Chelsea Pottenger

Time: 9.45am

Presenter: Chelsea Pottenger, Founder, EQ Minds

Chelsea Pottenger is an Australian mental health educator, author, and keynote speaker. Her company, EQ Minds, was created to educate and empower people to prioritize and care for their mental health. Chelsea is on a mission to get businesses to prioritise their employees' mental health, so expect tangible and practical takeaways from this session.

Guest speaker: Joe Woodard

Time: 11.45am

Presenter: Joe Woodard, Woodard

Joe is an author, consultant, business coach, and national speaker, and has trained over 125,000 accounting and business professionals in areas of practice development, changing technology trends, strategic consulting, and how to maximize the use of accounting software in their practices.

Fewer hours. Less busyness. More relationship: Thoughts of a CPA at 1am

Time: 12pm

Presenter: Martin Kamenski, Revel CPA

One night in a hotel room, Martin couldn't sleep. He started typing what would become a manifesto that's now circulating among CPA firm owners across the country. It's about AI, about a client named Jed, a question James Ashford keeps asking, and the profession’s road ahead. In this session Martin will go into the details, some of which didn’t make it on the page.

Close faster with Aider (presented by Karbon)

Time: 1.40pm

Presenter: Brendan Roberts, Aider

Meet Aider by Karbon, period close automation connected to your practice management. Run close by exception, see progress and risk across every client, and use AI-powered insights to turn clean data into advisory revenue. Close fast, stay in control, create capacity.

Same numbers, different rules: Bookkeeping above and below the 49th parallel

Time: 2.15pm

Presenter: TBC

When a trusted client expands across the Canada-US border, are you ready to support them? In this session, you’ll learn the key differences between Canadian and US bookkeeping, the authorizations and access required to work efficiently, where to find reliable resources, and how to identify when a specialist referral is the best option.

Special guest: Andre Agassi

Time: 3pm

Presenter: Andre Agassi, former professional tennis player

In the late 1980s, Andre Agassi’s energy and adrenaline revived the sport of tennis. With his flash coupled with raw talent and strength, Andre became one of the world’s best tennis players, winning 60 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including 8 majors, an Olympic gold medal, the 1990 ATP Tour World Championships, 17 Masters titles, and 3 Davis Cup wins. Beyond his professional tennis career, Andre focused on philanthropic ventures across youth and education.

See you in Denver

Amongst these exciting sessions, Xero will be running workshops and the Xero User Experience Lab, where they invite you to test real prototypes at always-on stations and share feedback. 

The question is: will there be a giant slide and ball pit on the show floor like Xerocon London 2026? You’ll have to wait and see.

Don’t forget to stop by booths EP2 and E7 and say hi to the Karbon team