In 2026, the self-storage industry saw more competition, smarter customers, and AI everywhere. As operators prepare for 2027, understanding the 3 B’s (Budgets, Brands & Bots) will be critical to staying competitive.

Throwing more money at Google Ads isn’t a marketing strategy anymore. Today’s operators are competing for attention across search, AI platforms, social media, maps, and an increasingly automated customer journey. The brands that adapt fastest will have the advantage.

Discover where your marketing dollars should actually go, why building a recognizable local brand matters more than ever, and how AI platforms and AI-powered search are changing the way customers discover, compare, and choose storage facilities.

We’ll focus on what operators can actually use to generate leads, improve conversions, and drive rentals. Walk away with practical strategies to spend smarter, stand out, automate strategically, and compete harder in 2027.

If you've only used AI as a chatbot, you've seen a fraction of what it can do. Ryan Chapman, co-founder and CEO of Lumio and a former Apple engineering leader who worked on Siri's AI agent systems, explains how AI agents actually work and how to turn them into real teammates. The key is giving them three things: context, so they know your business; access to your systems, so they can act; and schedules, so they get to work on their own. Then he goes under the hood of customer-facing AI agents to show why your real advantage is your playbook, not the AI itself. You'll leave knowing how to give AI its first real job in your business.

AI only works as well as the business behind it. Albert Kim of StoragePilot, Jeff Ryan of Tenant Inc. and Tyler Harper of Patchwork Labs take an honest look at their own category: what it does well today, what it still cannot do, and what an operator needs in place before any of it pays off. Moderated by Tim Hall of Tenant Inc.

Revenue management in self storage is changing fast—and so are the questions operators are asking. From AI and automation to value pricing, rate locks, ECRIs, discounting and competitive pricing, this expert panel takes on some of the hottest and most debated revenue management topics in the industry today. Our panelists will challenge conventional wisdom, share fresh ideas and perspectives, and explore where the industry may need to rethink the traditional playbook. We’ll debate what technology gets right, what it misses, when human judgment still matters, and what self storage can learn from other revenue-managed industries. Expect candid opinions, differing perspectives, and a forward-looking conversation about the strategies shaping the next era of revenue management.

Leading storage architects on design trends, site planning, and what sets a well-designed facility apart in today’s market.

This session will explore the underwriting, construction hurdles, and where the real opportunities are for turning existing buildings into self-storage.

This panel takes an expert-level look at developing and buying RV and boat storage in today's oversupplied, high-cost market. Four experts cover data, zoning, build vs. buy, and site design — with one message: disciplined operators still win.

This session looks at how developers are navigating steel pricing, supply, and component sourcing — and what it means for project cost and timing.

Storage Owners who want to grow their portfolio look for every opportunity possible for cash flow. If you are only looking at traditional methods like loans or investors, you are missing out. Smart Owners look at tax strategies to generate enough cash flow to fund the next deal. Maximize your tax benefit through Cost Segregation, 179D, and other tax strategies. Have you built your facility since 2006? If so, you may qualify for 179D energy efficiency deductions. This discussion will explore how owners acquiring, developing, or renovating facilities can maximize accelerated depreciation benefits, improve after-tax cash flow, and navigate eligibility requirements, tax limitations, and potential future depreciation recapture.

Join industry financing experts for an in-depth discussion of today’s self-storage financing landscape, with a particular focus on the impact of significantly higher interest rates. Panelists will provide timely perspectives on current deal flow and capital availability across life companies, banks, credit unions, CMBS, SBA programs, and debt and equity funds. Topics will also include evolving underwriting standards, managing existing debt and lender covenants, and navigating upcoming loan maturities.

The U.S. self-storage industry has helped shape the global market, but what works at home doesn’t always translate abroad. An international panel of experienced operators will explore lessons learned from decades of U.S. development and operations, examining what can be replicated and what must be adapted. Topics will span the entire project lifecycle, from site selection, entitlements and construction to supply and demand, marketing, operations, financing and valuation.

Capital markets advisors active in self-storage transactions locally and nationwide will provide a ground-level assessment of current market conditions. The session will examine how the cost of capital and broader market dynamics are shaping pricing expectations, influencing owners' hold-or-sell decisions, and redefining underwriting parameters for buyers and sellers alike. Panelists will address current acquisition strategies and capital sources, the asset profiles drawing the deepest buyer demand, the segments facing limited liquidity, and the execution factors that separate closed transactions from stalled processes.

The fundamentals of running a great storage facility haven't changed: stay on top of the inbox, know your property, watch your numbers, understand your market, and keep your team on the same page. What has changed is the tools available to help. In this session, Sue and Melissa share the new tools that have them excited about how much more an operator can get done. They'll show how AI and modern management tools take care of the time-consuming parts of everyday tasks, so you can spend more time on customers, your team, and growing your business. Sue brings years of operating experience to show why each tool matters, and Melissa walks through how to put it to work.

What you'll learn in this session:

• How to turn a busy inbox into an organized task list, using AI and a project management tool to sort emails, assign tasks, and track what's been done
• How to turn a spoken audit recap into a follow-up list, assigned tasks, and ready-to-send emails in minutes
• How to use AI to review facility reports, chart trends across locations, and flag issues early
• How to run competitor rate surveys in a fraction of the time and see where your rates stand in the market
• How to capture meeting action items automatically and keep your team accountable
• How to choose where to start so new tools support the way you already run your facility

For each item, Sue explains why the task matters and where operators tend to lose time, Melissa demonstrates the tool that helps, and they close the item together with what it frees you up to do.

Although automation and remote management are growing in popularity, Sarah Beth DeFazio is still an advocate for "tech with a human touch." She'll highlight why managers still matter, and how being hospitable to customers translates into tenants.

One challenge with protecting self-storage employees is that they’re often alone, sometimes at night, and they're very mobile. Christina Powell talks about practical ways to keep employees safe (awareness of surroundings is key!) while also highlighting SAFEhugg, which  gives employees a simple way to get help and record incidents in real time when they may not be able to physically access their phone.

Great marketing doesn't always require a big budget. Sometimes, it starts with a conversation, a connection, or a relationship right in your own community.

In this session, we'll explore practical ways self-storage managers can drive more business through grassroots marketing. Learn how to use LinkedIn to build professional relationships, create a referral network with local businesses, and turn everyday interactions into opportunities for new rentals.

Whether you're connecting with real estate agents, apartment communities, moving companies, or other local professionals, you'll walk away with actionable strategies to increase your facility's visibility, strengthen community relationships, and turn connections into customers.