Information professionals are navigating one of the most significant shifts the field has seen. They are being asked to govern AI initiatives, close skills gaps, manage data readiness, and justify their function's value, often simultaneously and without clear organizational support.
This year's research focuses on information professionals and how their role is changing, how organizations view the work of information professionals, and how they are navigating the demands of the AI era. With the strongest response rate in the history of the program, it is already proving the profession has a lot to say. Sponsors who underwrite this program get in front of that conversation, in the research and live on stage, with the practitioners who are actively working through these challenges.
In 2026, we are pairing AIIM's annual Industry Watch research with a companion Insight Series webinar on the same topic. Practitioners read the findings, then show up live to discuss what it means for their organizations. Sponsors are visible at both moments.
This year's Industry Watch goes deeper than technology adoption. It is asking practitioners about their professional identity, their career confidence, their organization's AI governance maturity, and the gap between what they are expected to deliver and what they feel equipped to do.
The survey covers five areas:
Who information professionals are and how their role is being perceived and valued inside their organizations
How AI is actually showing up in their day-to-day work, from governing AI outputs to assessing data readiness to being left out of AI decisions entirely
How ready they feel, personally, as a team, and as an organization, to take advantage of AI capabilities
What skills they are developing and where they feel most underprepared
What tools they are using, planning to adopt, or actively phasing out, including document capture, IDP, content services, workflow automation, records management, and more
That combination of professional identity and practical readiness data is what makes this research different from a standard technology adoption survey. It tells sponsors not just what tools practitioners are buying but how they feel about their own capacity to make those decisions well. That is the conversation sponsors want to be part of.
AIIM's annual primary research study, now in its strongest year yet. The 2026 survey is already generating record responses after a single email send, a signal of how much this topic is resonating with the profession right now.
The published report captures findings across all five research areas and includes year-over-year trend data. It publishes as a gated PDF download with full sponsor branding.
250 downloads are expected. Sponsors receive opt-in leads from report downloads (approximately 200, as not all downloads opt in), logo placement on the report cover and landing page, rights to reference benchmark data and AIIM co-brand in your own marketing, and a sponsor copy of the published report for your own website 30 days after launch.
A live program taking place on September 23, 2026 is built directly around the published findings. This is a structured conversation about what AIIM's practitioners said about their AI readiness, their gaps, and where they are investing. That specificity is what drives attendance and engagement.
Title Sponsors present their perspective on the findings. Gold Sponsors join a moderated panel. All underwriters receive opt-in leads from registrations.
250 registrants are expected. Sponsors receive opt-in leads (approximately 200) from webinar registrations.
Sample program structure:
Welcome and Introduction — 5 minutes
SME Session: Research Findings — 20 minutes, AIIM presents top findings and year-over-year trends
Title Sponsor Presentation 1 — 20 minutes
Title Sponsor Presentation 2 — 20 minutes
Break — 5 minutes
SME and Sponsor Panel — up to 45 minutes, moderated discussion including Gold Sponsors, hosted by AIIM
Closing Remarks — 5 minutes
Most research sponsorships give you a report, a logo, and a list of people who downloaded a PDF. This program gives you two touchpoints with the same audience, once when they are reading the data, and once when they are live and discussing what to do about it.
The research topics map directly to the conversations your sales team is already having. Data readiness for AI. Skills gaps. Governance maturity. Tool consolidation. These are not abstract themes, they are the questions practitioners are answering in the survey right now and will be talking about on September 23.
Leads are opt-in and shared per asset. Sponsors who want a deduplicated combined list can request one. You know exactly where every lead came from and what they engaged with.
2026 Information Professional Benchmark Package Industry Watch Report + Insight Series Webinar
$15,500 member / $17,250 non-member
Two slots available
Logo on report cover and Insight Series webinar registration page
Full page in the report to use as case study or company profile
Approximately 200 opt-in leads from Industry Watch report downloads
Approximately 200 opt-in leads from Insight Series webinar registrations
Named Presenting Sponsor in all AIIM promotional emails and social posts
Dedicated 20-minute speaking slot at the September 23 Insight Series webinar
Featured Sponsor Perspective sidebar in benchmark report, 150 words, your voice
Logo and link on the report landing page for the full program year
Sponsor copy of the published report for your own website, 30 days after launch
Rights to reference benchmark data and AIIM co-brand in your own marketing
$11,500 member / $12,750 non-member
Two slots available
Logo on report cover and Insight Series webinar registration page
Half page in the report to use for company profile
Approximately 200 opt-in leads from Industry Watch report downloads
Approximately 200 opt-in leads from Insight Series webinar registrations
Panel speaker slot at the September 23 Insight Series webinar
Named in all AIIM promotional emails and social posts
Logo and link on report landing page for the full program year
Sponsor copy of the published report for your own website, 30 days after launch
Rights to reference benchmark data and AIIM co-brand in your own marketing
Prefer to participate in just one touchpoint?
Title
$10,500 member / $11,650 non-member
Logo on cover, approximately 200 opt-in leads, Sponsor Perspective sidebar, logo and link on landing page for full program year, sponsor copy of the report 30 days after launch
Gold
$6,500 member / $7,200 non-member
Logo on cover, approximately 200 opt-in leads, logo and link on landing page, sponsor copy of the report 30 days after launch
Full Sponsorship — $8,500
Dedicated 20-minute presentation, approximately 200 opt-in leads, logo on registration page and promotional materials
Panel Sponsorship — $5,000
Panel participation, approximately 200 opt-in leads, logo on registration page
Research Report Listing
$5,850 members / $6,500 non-members
Logo and listing in the published report, opt-in leads from downloads, thought leadership positioning without a full underwriting commitment.
AIIM's audience has shifted significantly in recent years and is moving in exactly the direction your sales team wants. Newer contacts are more enterprise-focused, more senior, and more aligned with AI, automation, and governance topics than our historic base.
For the first time in 2025, more practitioners reported working in IT than in traditional records or information management departments, a sign that this audience is sitting closer to the technology budget than ever before. Decision-making authority more than doubled from 2024 to 2025. The fastest-growing roles in our audience are AI governance, data governance, M365 architecture, and workflow automation. Nearly half work at organizations with 1,000 or more employees.
2x Growth in practitioner decision-making authority, 2024 to 2025
9.4% Average increase in AI adoption across all 11 tracked use cases
50% From organizations with 1,000 or more employees
40K+ Total AIIM member and subscriber reach for promotion
Secure your sponsorship todayDon’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of information management and gain unparalleled visibility in the industry. Connect with us today to reserve your spot and transform the way businesses manage information. For more details, contact Amy Michalski at amichalski@aiim.org or book a meeting here. |
