ARKI 2026 – Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show

Last Updated on October 21, 2026 by Craig Allen Keefner

Less Waiting, More Spending and Better Guest Experience

The ARKI (Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation) Show takes place December 14–16, 2026, in Miami Beach, Florida. The program includes a Monday evening kickoff, a full Tuesday conference day, and Wednesday sessions ending at 2:30 p.m. The official steering committee lists 11 members.

The Industry Group (TIG)

The Industry Group will be at Booth 39. In our booth you can learn about Canopee Tech menu-board software and meet Bruno, or explore SiteKiosk interactive software and meet Heinz. See our ARKI event page for registration discount details.

Schedule summary

Monday, December 14 — Opening and networking

• 3:30 p.m. — Registration opens.

• 5:00 p.m. — Welcome and opening remarks: Dave Wurm, Connect Media.

• 5:10 p.m. — Opening keynote, “Retail Without Walls: The Rise of Autonomous Commerce”: Linda Johansen-James, founder and CEO, International Retail Group.

• 6:00 p.m. — Welcome reception

The opening keynote focuses on extending brands beyond traditional stores through automated retail while maintaining customer engagement and a consistent brand experience.

Tuesday, December 15 — Deployment, operations, and hospitality

• 8:30 a.m. — Breakfast.

• 8:45 a.m. — Breakfast briefing, presented by Intel.

• 9:15 a.m. — “How Brands and Locations Win with Automated Retail”

  • Alejandro Rodríguez, Amerikiosks.

• 10:30 a.m. — “Kiosks of the Future – Where Kiosk Tech is Going”

  • Moderator: Sandra Nix, CTS.

• 11:45 a.m. — “Making Automated Retail & Kiosks Fit: Integrating Across Venues”

  • Participants from Evolvending, Lee County Port Authority, Shopworks, JLL, and White Castle.

• 12:30 p.m. — Lunch & Learn on autonomous QSR and the guest experience.

  • Nipun Sharma, Appetronix.

• 1:30 p.m. — “Install It Right or Pay for It Later: The Hidden Risk of Poor Kiosk Lifecycle Management”

  • Participants from Burroughs, honeygrow, and Bibbeo.

  • Moderator: Ray Friedrich – Chief Strategy Officer, East Street Business Advisors

• 2:45 p.m. — “Operator vs. Vendor: Understanding Roles, Responsibilities, and Partnerships”

  • Ian Benson, Prepango.

  • Justin Honeysuckle, TendedBar.

• 4:00 p.m. — Hospitality automation keynote.

  • Tord Olav Dønnum, Shin Starr.

• 4:45 p.m. — ARKI Awards presentation, presented by CTS.

• 5:15 p.m. — Cocktail reception, presented by Rips & Co.

Tuesday is the most operationally focused day, covering location and product selection, venue integration, installation and maintenance, operator/vendor responsibilities, and automated foodservice. Scheduled breaks separate the main sessions.

Wednesday, December 16 — Data, payments, AI, and outlook

• 8:30 a.m. — Breakfast.

• 8:45 a.m. — Breakfast briefing; details not yet listed.

• 9:15 a.m. — “Decoding the Data Behind Successful Self-Service Ecosystems”

  • Srishti Handa, Dave’s Hot Chicken.

  • Moderator: Jeff Rogers, BetterHealth Vending.

• 10:30 a.m. — “Frictionless by Design: Building Seamless Payment Experiences in Unattended Retail”

  • Mustafa Khanwala, Mishipay.

  • Dale Laszig, DSL Direct.

  • Moderator: Richard Slawsky, Connect Media.

• 11:45 a.m. — “From Assisted to Autonomous: How AI and Mobile Are Redefining Automated Retail and Kiosks”

  • Participants from ATP, URway Holdings, and ARYA Cleaners.

  • Moderator: Ben Wheeler, T-ROC.

• 12:30 p.m. — Lunch & Learn; topic and presenter not yet listed.

• 1:30 p.m. — Thought Leader Roundtable.

  • Participants from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, AutomateRetail.ai, Mishipay, Zero Empty Spaces, and NAMA.

  • Moderator: Bill Stutzman, Digi Ventus.

• 2:30 p.m. — Show concludes.

Wednesday shifts toward measuring performance and ROI, choosing payment technologies, integrating AI and mobile, and assessing the industry’s next direction.

Steering committee

The official roster contains these 11 members. Titles and affiliations below follow the committee page.

• Elliot Baum — Owner, AutomateRetail.ai.

  • Background: Real estate, technology integration, micro-stores, and digital food halls.

• Jeremy Cauble — Director of Strategic Innovation, Canteen North America.

  • Focus: Unattended retail innovation, customer experience, and operational technologies.

• Valentina Ellison — CEO & Co-Founder, Evolvending.

  • Focus: Restaurant-branded unstaffed food vending, particularly airport deployments.

• Ray Friedrich — Chief Strategy Officer, East Street Business Advisors.

  • Background: Foodservice operations, strategic planning, and executive advisory.

• Anne Johnson — Senior Director of Everyday Retail Services, Walmart.

  • Focus: Lottery and automated retail self-service businesses.

• Steven King — CEO, Bluesky Robotics.

  • Focus: Computer vision, robotics, and applied emerging technologies.

• Sandra Nix — President & CEO, Connected Technology Solutions.

  • The committee page lists her position but does not yet include a biography.

• Alejandro Rodriguez — Founder & CEO, AmeriKiosks.

  • Background: Pharmabox, automated retail hardware/software, and robotic retail solutions.

• Michael Saletta — Co-Founder, Beagle Advisory Group.

  • Background: Scaling automated retail, vending, and foodservice; former Farmer’s Fridge airport expansion leader.

• Ben Wheeler — Director, Business Development–Automated Retail, T-ROC.

  • Focus: Self-service product development, engineering, manufacturing, and commercialization.

• Dave Wurm — Vice President of Strategic Sales, Connect Media.

  • Focus: Vendor partnerships, industry events, and customer-facing technology marketing.

2026 Speaker Lineup

• Dave Wurm — VP, Strategic Sales, Connect Media; opening host.

• Linda Johansen-James — Founder & CEO, International Retail Group; keynote on autonomous commerce and extending brands beyond traditional storefronts.

• Alejandro Rodriguez — Founder & CEO, Amerikiosks Corp.; keynote speaker.

• Sandra Nix — President & CEO, Connected Technology Solutions; moderator.

• Valentina Ellison — CEO & Co-Founder, Evolvending.

• Christina Henjum — Director of Concessions, Lee County Port Authority.

• Sharon Loeff — President & Founder, Shopworks.

• Catherine Loy — Head of Max & XM, covering business development, specialty leasing, and experience management, JLL.

• Audra Mazzeo — Vice President of Retail, White Castle.

• Nipun Sharma — CEO & Co-Founder, Appetronix; Lunch & Learn presenter.

• Chris Adamson — Chief Commercial Officer, Burroughs.

• Blake Boeckel — Technology Manager, honeygrow.

• Miles Power — President, Bibbeo.

• Ray Friedrich — CEO, East Street Business Advisors; moderator.

• Ian Benson — EVP, Business Development, Prepango.

• Justin Honeysuckle — Co-Founder & President, TendedBar.

• Tord Olav Dønnum — CBO, Shin Starr; keynote speaker

• Srishti Handa — Vice President of Marketing–Brand and Growth, Dave’s Hot Chicken.

• Jeff Rogers — Founder & CEO, BetterHealth Vending; moderator.

• Mustafa Khanwala — CEO, Mishipay.

• Dale Laszig — Founder & CEO, DSL Direct.

• Richard Slawsky — Editor, KioskMarketplace.com and VendingTimes.com, Connect Media; moderator.

• Dr. Murat Aras — CMO, ATP.

• Edward Crowley — Chief Engagement Officer, URway Holdings.

• Sassan Rahimzadeh — President, ARYA Cleaners.

• Ben Wheeler — Director, Business Development–Automated Retail, T-ROC; moderator

• Francisco Alonzo — Managing Director of Customer & Concessions Development, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

• Elliot Baum — Owner, AutomateRetail.ai.

• Andrew Martineau — CEO, Zero Empty Spaces.

• Sharon Peyer — Board of Directors, National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA).

• Bill Stutzman — Director of Strategic Initiatives, Digi Ventus; moderator.

Exhibitor lineup

Official exhibitor directory

The current page lists 41 exhibitor entries—including The Industry Group at Booth 39. This is separate from the sponsor list.

Booth assignments below follow the official directory.

• Aeris Communications — Booth 37

• Amerikiosks — Booth 31

• Bibbeo LTD — Booth 29

• BOXXTECH — Booth 33

• BrightSign — Booth 11

• Burroughs, Inc. — Booth 49

• Canopee Tech — Booth 39 —  Drive Thru Menu boards

• Connected Technology Solutions — Booths 13 & 14

• CPI Service — Booth 26

• Custom Case Kiosk by Balaji Brands — Booth 8

• Digital Media Vending (DMVI) — Booth 52

• Digi Ventus — Booths 44 & 45

• Eaton — Booth 18

• Fresh Blends — Booths 40 & 41

• Freshing — Booth 17

• Granite — Booth 46

• Holosonics — Booth 32

• International Retail Group — Booth 9

• LogiKiosk LLC — Booth 15

• Maya Labs — Booth 51

• MetroClick — Booth 38

• MicroTouch — Booth 12

• Mishipay — Booth 28

• MySingleLink — Booths 21 & 22

• Otter — Booth 23

• Palmer Digital Group — Booth 24

• Panasonic Connect North America — Booth 25

• Paytronix — Booth 36

• Planes Companies — Booth 20

• Prepango — Booth 53

• Rips & Co — Booth 10

• riverArk — Booth 42

• Sargent and Greenleaf — Booth 27

• SiteKiosk Software — Booth 39+ (as listed)

• SKYDATA-IoT — Booth 19

• Tech 2 Success / OptConnect Wireless Solutions — Booth 43

• TIG – The Industry Group (KioskIndustry, KMA, RetailSystems) — Booth 39

• T-ROC — Booth 47

• Vendekin — Booth 48

• Whoosh Inc. — Booth 30

• Worldlink Integration Group — Booth 50

• WTIwireless — Booth 16.

Exhibit-hall hours

Exhibit-hall hours for ARKI 2026:

• Monday, December 14: 3:30–7:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, December 15: 8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, December 16: 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.