Quadrants 2026: Equipping Leaders to Tackle Challenges Ahead

AI and business transformation were at the top of the agenda when Volaris Group hosted the world’s largest gathering of vertical market software leaders from April 26 to 30, 2026 in Copenhagen

“I had heard about it. I had watched the videos. I thought I knew what to expect,” recalls Pedro Fernandes, CEO and Chairman of Bullet Solutions about his assumptions before his first experience attending Quadrants.

But he was blown away by his first impressions upon arriving at the employee-only conference for the best minds in vertical market software.

“Walking into Quadrants for the first time is like stepping into a different universe,” he said about the opportunity to meet hundreds of software leaders from across industries and from different parts of the world. After meeting many colleagues united by common goals, drive, and a sense of purpose, he exclaimed, “The scale is staggering.”

In 2026, it’s not business as usual in the software industry. AI is stoking fears about what comes next, and SaaS valuations have been depressed as a result. Some industry watchers have even labeled the current moment a “SaaSpocalypse,” worried that AI agents and “vibe-coded” software will erode per-seat revenue models — or that customers will simply build their own tools in-house.

At times like this, software businesses need the support of a powerhouse like Volaris Group behind them. To drive our businesses forward, we believe the best way to ensure our companies survive and thrive in the age of AI is to invest back in our businesses and the leaders who will move us into the future. Quadrants is our biggest example of how we do that.

How the Quadrants conference has evolved over the years

2026 marks the fifth time that Volaris Group has organized Quadrants. This time, the event was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, with around 1,600 people attending. Attendees represented close to 350 companies across about 50 countries, making the conference not only the largest gathering of vertical market software leaders but possibly also the most diverse.

So far, the conference has grown each time we’ve held it:

• 2017 – a pilot with 50 attendees
• 2019 – around 600 attendees in London
• 2022 – around 1,100 attendees in London
• 2024 – around 1,300 attendees in Cancún
• 2026 – around 1,600 attendees in Copenhagen

With about 1,100 sessions offered in 2026, Quadrants offers a highly customizable learning and development experience for participants, who can mix and match their selections in endless combinations.

Recognizing what lies ahead at the welcome reception

The conference’s opening reception began with a welcome toast from Constellation Software President Mark Miller, who made a special appearance alongside Volaris Group CEO Mike Dufton. Acknowledging that the world of vertical market software is changing, they promised that Quadrants programming would work through solutions to ensure business leaders take advantage of the opportunities afforded by AI to stay ahead of the competition.

Mark Miller reminded everyone that Denmark holds a special place in the context of Volaris Group’s long and successful M&A history. That’s because he made the first European acquisition for Constellation Software and Trapeze Group in 2000—a Danish software firm that specialized in tools for the public transit sector.

The “blast from the past” theme nodded to Volaris Group’s 30-year history of navigating changes in technology — and set the stage for a night of pure ’90s nostalgia. Our employees were treated to ‘90s music, a live artist painting, a video DJ, several types of games, and a retro-style, AI-powered photo booth that was a hit among those who wanted to remind themselves what it was like to wear ‘90s grunge fashions and virtually try on other looks from past decades.

After catching up with colleagues and reflecting on Volaris Group’s success with digital transformation and rising above market disruption, the night ended with a promise that the rest of the conference would be forward-looking and incorporate AI into our vision.

Adopting AI is no longer optional for any company. Those who delay or hesitate risk falling behind—overtaken by competitors who move faster and learn sooner.

-Rafael Denardi, VP of Finance, Governança Brasil

Keynotes establish clear priorities across the company

All attendees had the chance to hear high-level strategic updates on the company’s direction during the morning keynotes and afternoon fireside chats that bookended the first two full days of the conference. With close to 1,600 people in attendance at these plenary sessions, CEO Mike Dufton and other leaders fostered unity across the company and set the tone for tackling new opportunities and challenges.

At a time of broader market disruption for the software industry, the extended conversations ensure that our top leaders, all invited to Quadrants, are moving in unison to address big-picture priorities as we navigate technological change.

This year marked the largest number of leaders who participated in the main stage events. Panelists who were part of the day 1 plenary sessions talked about the following:

• The opportunities of verticalization: Modaxo CEO Bill Delaney, who leads a transit-focused collection of businesses, and Lumine Group CEO David Nyland, who leads a media and communications-focused collection of businesses, joined Volaris Group CEO and Vencora founder Mike Dufton to discuss why organizing an ecosystem around a vertical market has benefits for the customer conversation, M&A, and creating a competitive advantage (or “moat”) that positions for defense amid AI disruption. Omegro CEO Troy O’Connor spoke about the decision to unify the portfolio’s focus on enterprise asset management.

• The voice of the customer: Portfolio Leader Jesper Ulsted moderated a panel that made the case for customer intimacy. Each panelist is a leader of a business that has earned genuine trust with their customer base over time, and each had a story about what that trust makes possible in the current moment. Veridian’s Malcolm Youngson, Insuresoft’s Nancy Schulte, CREALOGIX’s Almir Marghella, and Intellicene’s Greg Colaluca were the leaders featured on stage.

• Leadership in the AI era: Volaris CEO Mike Dufton moderated this important panel, speaking with business leaders who are embracing the opportunities brought by AI and bringing their teams along for the journey. CELCAT’s David Wilkes spoke about the courage to abandon a sunk-cost platform and the discipline to reskill employees rather than rehire. He sees deep domain knowledge as a permanent moat for his business. eQuip’s Crystal Germond led a full replatforming of a business that contained more than a million lines of legacy code, making a business case for enduring short-term discomfort to get long-term gain. SpecTec’s Adam Dennett spoke about the cultural dimension of AI transformation as being people-led, not technology-led. To him, the mindset for the journey matters as much as the destination.

The gap between AI talkers and AI doers is widening fast. The companies moving fastest aren’t waiting for perfect. They’re shipping, learning, and pulling their teams up the curve together.

-Malachi Charbonneau, General Manager, medaptus

AI becomes a dominant topic during keynotes

The topic of AI earned several special conversations on days 1 and 2 of the keynote and fireside chats. As we all know, 2026 is far from “business as usual” for software companies.

• Perspectives about AI at Volaris Group and Constellation Software: Volaris Group COO and CFO Brian Beattie led a conversation between C-Suite leaders. Volaris Group CEO Mike Dufton spoke about the Business Transformation team (sometimes called the AI Center of Excellence), the AI Accelerator, and the benefits of decentralization during the current technological shift. Constellation Software Board Director Laurie Schultz spoke from the perspective of someone who has made history as Canada’s first female CEO to lead a technology company to unicorn status, culminating in a billion-dollar sale of the business. Constellation Software President Mark Miller spoke about how, despite technological changes over 30 years of company history, Constellation Software and its businesses have endured.

• Framing the AI threat and what AI is doing to vertical market software: Volaris Group CEO Mike Dufton clearly laid out the risks to our businesses if they do not act now to adapt to the age of AI. The pace of technology advancement is quick, and the gap between leaders and laggards is widening if businesses do not act urgently. But there are many opportunities for our businesses: AI tools combined with domain knowledge help AI work for our markets. Investment in people and process means our business model is built to win. To give a perspective from outside our company, Kellen O’Connor, Director, Europe North at AWS spoke to our audience about AI and the future of vertical market software.

• AI Accelerator successes: Volaris Group is rapidly introducing our businesses to the AI Accelerator program, which equips developers, product leaders, and senior leaders with tools and skill sets to help them rapidly pivot in a changing landscape. Leaders including James Wadsworth from Helm Operations, Malachi Charbonneau from medaptus, and Greg Richards from AssetWorks spoke about their experiences with their teams participating in the very first sessions of the program.

• Rethinking how we work – AI across functions: Every function is being affected by AI, and this panel was about the opportunities already found in some of our businesses. Dragintra’s Bart de Hoog, SSP’s Stuart Redfearn, Click’s Sara Turner, and AskCody’s Allan Mørch all spoke about how AI has transformed various functions within their businesses, including in R&D, customer support, sales, marketing, and more.

My big takeaway: AI is giving companies unprecedented power and speed to deliver. But with that power comes a critical responsibility: you have to be talking directly to your customers. Technology amplifies your direction — make sure that direction is right.

-Frank Paterno, SVP, Business Partner, Click

AI has become a key driver for learning and development

Employees who have been with Volaris for several years have steadily seen AI grow as a topic of conversation and debate between our 2022, 2024, and 2026 editions of Quadrants:

• In September 2022 – just three months before ChatGPT was publicly released that November – a marquee moment happened at Quadrants through a debate between Constellation Software founder Mark Leonard and MIT professor Michael Schrage. Just before AI saw mainstream adoption, their talk was about the benefits of business experimentation. The conversation-starting moment established a starting point for leaders to think differently.

• In October 2024, Quadrants held the AI Innovation Challenge. Hundreds of teams across Volaris entered their AI projects in a competition, vying for prize money and bragging rights among colleagues. The event was extremely popular among our businesses and showed the innovation capabilities of our leaders across all functions of the business.

Now in 2026, the conversation about AI across Volaris has reached a heightened level at Quadrants. AI is a topic that is now fully integrated into every area of the event’s programming. Beyond the keynotes, Quadrants offered several popular AI Special Sessions led by the Business Transformation team who have formed the Volaris AI Center of Excellence, and we are now seeing AI being discussed and used all over the company.

We’re living through a real shift with AI. I felt it in every conversation, workshop and session. I learned a lot, but more than that, I left thinking differently. Also, somehow, in a couple of days, my use of AI expanded more than it has in the last few months.

-Eliana Franco, Director, Marketing, BiblioCommons

A sample of AI-related topics at Quadrants 2026:

• AI Tools in Development: Spoiled for Choice
• AI-Driven Forecasting
• AI & Your Data Moat: Defend It, Monetise It, or Lose It — How is the Terrain Shifting?
• Artificial Ignorance: Roadblocks in Implementing AI in Your Customer Care Department
• Embedding AI Across Your Business: Get to Insights & Decisions Faster
• Ethical & Secure AI in Client Services
• From Cost Center to Growth Engine: AI Wins in Operations
• From Prompts to Possibilities: Scaling Marketing with AI
• From Skeptics to Believers: Winning the AI Adoption Battle
• Leading Through AI Disruption: Guiding Teams Through AI-Driven Change Without Fear, Confusion, or Productivity Loss
• Leading in the Age of AI: Improving Strategic Decision-Making & Operations
• Live AI Build: Workflows, Prompting & Agents – Where Might the Tools Be Going?
• Talking AI to Customers: Leading the Conversation When the Ground Moves Week by Week
• Training & Testing in the Age of AI
• AI Governance
• Accelerated Cloud Adoption to Enable AI Readiness
• Hiring in the Era of AI
• How AI is Rewiring Specs, Planning & Delivery – And What May Change Next

And that was only a fraction of what was being offered on a single morning of the first day of the conference.

The question I keep coming back to is: ‘Where can AI agents help us move from defending our position to creating new market advantage?’

-Gary Wong, AI Product Champion, AssetWorks

Gary Wong, AI Product Champion at AssetWorks had the chance to attend a session about how businesses can protect their data moats. He believes it’s a topic every SaaS and AI leader should be paying attention to.

“The biggest takeaway for me was that offense is becoming the new defense,” he shared. “It is no longer enough to protect your data. The real opportunity is activating it through AI agents, MCPs, A2As, and APIs and then turning it into a data flywheel and operating advantage.”

Quadrants 2026 called on external AI experts to present to our employees, with many of them working as partners to Volaris Group to accelerate our businesses’ AI adoption and innovation. These partners included AWS, Microsoft, OpsGuru, Yonder, and Ask AI/Mosaic. Many of them are also supporting the Volaris AI Accelerator, a new learning program being introduced to our businesses in 2026. 

Of course there are many angles to AI. Getting the most out of AI in a business context in a relevant, profitable, ethical, and safe way is far from easy or trivial. We don’t have all the answers. But we’ll figure it out together. 

-Akshay Kalle, VP of AI Transformation, Omegro

Breakouts: Sharing advice, insights, and knowledge in small groups 

A unique element of Quadrants has always been the small-group discussion format.  

In 2026, attendance in each of the smaller breakout rooms was capped at 15 for the peer-moderated sessions and 40 for the expert-led ones. The intimate size for these discussions meant that they felt candid, private, and practical for business leaders seeking perspectives from others as they address complex business challenges. 

Sessions like these illustrate why Volaris Group has maintained a longstanding reputation of excelling at operating software businesses. The many solutions to problems within our network demonstrate why hundreds of business owners have entrusted Volaris Group with their employees, customers, and legacy when selling their companies for 30 years and counting. 

Examples of breakout topics include: 

• Brand Positioning for Growth
• CRM & Sales Operations Excellence 
• Change Management: How to Keep Long-Term Employees from Becoming Change Resisters
• Data-Driven Budgeting 
• Improving Decision Quality & Speed in Complex Environments 
• Executive Presence & Storytelling 
• Finance as a Business Partner 
• From Growth to Greatness: Evolving Leadership Focus in a Maturing Business 
• Growth Mindset in Established Organizations 
• Managing Non-Standard Legal Positions While Protecting Commercial Objectives 
• Refining Your Go-to-Market Model 
• Smart Ways to Manage Technical Debt 
• Accelerating Enterprise Deals 
• Mapping the Customer Journey 

Speaking and moderating sessions at Quadrants

Since Quadrants is still an event run mostly by our own employees, many of our leaders have a chance to refine their public speaking and storytelling skills in a supportive environment while preparing for the event. To guide our leaders, the Volaris corporate office offered a session about how to be a strong presenter or moderator. 

Presenters generally find sharing with colleagues to be a positive and encouraging experience. They say the benefits of presenting at Quadrants far outweigh any possible downsides. They get a chance to expand their networks, create influence and impact across the larger organization, perfect their company story, and get valuable insights and feedback from peers. 

Sunrise Software’s Technical Operations Manager, Christopher Carswell, is a self-proclaimed introvert who felt nervous ahead of his time speaking at his portfolio event. But by the time of his presentation, he didn’t have to persuade himself to get on the stage anymore.  

“I was bursting to get on it [and] to say out loud what 17 production AI products and two next-gen platforms in five months actually means,” he recalls.

As for how his presentation was received? “The talk landed. Our AI suite had a room of portfolio leaders leaning in, not just listening. The conversations it kicked off carried on through lunch, through the bar, through every channel for days afterwards.” 

Portfolios organize programming tailored to their needs

During the first half of the week, Quadrants attendees networked across the company and across portfolios. But the back half of the week belongs to the portfolios, who take responsibility for organizing learning and development activities targeted toward their groups.

By taking programming into their own hands during the last two days of the conference, portfolios are empowered to show off their creativity and unique leadership styles. The decentralized structure of our portfolios is a benefit to our innovation efforts. When portfolios take different approaches to our big-picture company goals, we are likely to discover several different approaches for tackling any larger, more complicated problems.

Common themes across portfolio events at Quadrants 2026 included AI business transformation, putting customers at the heart of the business, and improving the “moat” of a business – a term popularized by Warren Buffett to describe the structural, long-term advantage that enables a company to maintain a strong market position and defend against competitive forces.

Examples of programming from across our branded portfolios:

• Modaxo: With Modaxo being a world-class leader in transit and mobility technology, the 2026 theme of Modaxo MOVE was “Think Bigger, Move Faster.”
• Omegro: As a portfolio that is newly focused on enterprise asset management (EAM), CEO Troy O’Connor gave an inspiring keynote with the theme “No human is limited” and laid out Omegro’s priorities and performance metrics.
• Cultura: The agrifood-focused portfolio designed Cultivate, the name of their shared learning experience, to build skills, deepen relationships, and help their leaders collaborate and make an impact across our industry.
• Vencora: The financial services technology portfolio organized a CEO keynote from Kevin Bradley and an AI workshop with Microsoft AI, among other activities and discussions.

Additionally, other portfolios operating under the Volaris Group brand organized their own activities. Here are two examples we checked in on:

• Rob Turner’s portfolio: A standout event among portfolio day events, this group distinguished themselves with style and substance. “A lot of LEGO energy” is how Randall Walsh, CEO of the portfolio’s healthcare vertical described the theme. Day 1 programming reset how leaders think about competition in an AI-native world. Teams were challenged to imagine how a lean, AI-first competitor could attack their market with fewer people, lower costs, and faster product innovation—then imagine how AI can fundamentally reshape how value is created and delivered. By day 2, teams focused on turning real customer problems into products built with AI and defining the path to revenue. Teams prototyped and developed a commercial plan to bring solutions to market. Two full days of hard work were balanced by a wellness lounge and a scavenger hunt across Copenhagen.

• Nathan Godfrey’s portfolio: Newly focused on the educational and cultural verticals, close to 100 leaders and specialists from across the portfolio worked on advancing their AI-first transformation agenda by putting it into practice. Every business participated in discussions and hands-on workshops and demonstrations, highlighting how AI is already improving productivity, accelerating development workflows, and creating new product opportunities across the portfolio. Guest speakers included the Volaris Business Transformation team, AWS, and Microsoft. Business leaders were recognized with awards for organic growth, best overall financial performance, and most improved business. The AI workshops demonstrated the speed at which AI can move ideas from concept to execution.

The high quality of programming organized at the portfolio level shows how Volaris Group drives excellence and performance at all levels of the company. With close attention being given to every part of the business at this level, we ensure no one is left behind.

Every company in the portfolio was challenged to come up with an AI initiative to drive revenue and growth or reduce operational costs. It forced us to think differently, get creative, and actually apply AI in a way that moves the business forward.

-Sean Courtney, Director of Sales, Squirrels

Extras: Trade show, wellness activities, and the social fabric

Quadrants 2026 programming incorporated several “extras” in the form of experiential and networking elements that enhanced the main programming and ensured employees had a well-rounded experience during the week. They included:

• Wellness activities: Led by a fitness leader local to Copenhagen, these included a running group, stretch class, and tabata
• Trade show for external partners and vendors
• Networking to help employees feel a sense of belonging: Networking with LGBTQ+ leaders and allies
• Functional meetups as yet another way to make professional contacts

Closing party and parting words from Volaris Group CEO

The closing party was hosted at Øksnehallen, a former market hall in Copenhagen’s historic Meatpacking District. The evening was a final chance to connect with colleagues after a week of intensive learning and networking. The ambiance was warm and inviting, and employees were greeted by food, drink, and dessert stalls, pinball machines, lounge chairs and swings, and a live band followed by a DJ.

Volaris Group CEO Mike Dufton gave one final toast to re-emphasize Volaris Group’s commitment to learning, development, and having fun while driving a high-performance culture. He, along with Chief of Staff Ryan Hill, announced an award to Eric Tumperi, a Group Leader who has set a great example by making significant contributions to the learning content for Quadrants in 2026.

The award is named for Marie Borg, a beloved colleague who helped shape an early version of Quadrants before she passed away in a tragic accident. In her memory, Volaris Group donated to an education charity in her home country of Denmark.

What Quadrants means for Volaris in 2026 and beyond

Attendees of Quadrants 2026 left with countless new perspectives, lessons, and memories that will leave a lasting impact.

HUSK Wellness President and CEO Erin Markowski called the week in Copenhagen “unforgettable.” She joined Volaris Group in 2024 after an acquisition and said, “I can confidently say this experience will stay with me. Listening to and learning from leaders around the world about their AI transformations has inspired me to accelerate our plans for innovation and shift towards becoming an AI-first business.”

Oliver Haug, Director of H&H Communication Lab GmbH, was impressed to see an organization the size of Volaris Group begin to seriously question its established principles, thought models, and the way it understands software companies—all in light of a new reality being significantly shaped by AI.

“What I found particularly remarkable was not just the analysis of these changes, but the willingness to shake up even the cornerstones that had long been taken for granted,” he shared. “This is not a familiar step, especially for large organizations. It was all the more exciting to see the clarity and energy with which Volaris is pursuing this path.”

Questioning principles is one thing, but having the courage to adapt or even discard them is another.

-Oliver Haug, Director, H&H Communication Lab GmbH

Pedro Fernandes, CEO and Chairman of Bullet Solutions expects a challenging road ahead for software businesses as the entire technology industry adapts. “But the structure Volaris Group has built, one that genuinely encourages companies to support and learn from each other, gives me real confidence that we’ll stay ahead.”

With Quadrants 2026 equipping our leaders with renewed energy and inspiration, it is now up to each of us to apply these new approaches and ideas to shape this new era.