In a few weeks, over 10,000 delegates from more than 160 countries will descend on Miami for four days of meetings, panels, networking and, if previous years are anything to go by, a record setting daily step count.

Sibos 2026 lands at the Miami Beach Convention Center from 28 September to 1 October – a fitting destination. As The Economist recently highlighted in its report on the extraordinary rise of Miami’s economy, the city is rapidly establishing itself as a global financial hub, making it an exciting backdrop for a gathering of the world’s financial community.

For banks, fintechs, market infrastructures, payments firms and technology providers, Sibos remains one of the biggest opportunities in the events calendar to get in front of customers, prospects, partners, and the press.

Infinite has a few seasoned Sibos veterans among its ranks. So, whether you’re exhibiting, speaking or simply attempting to make it from meeting #37 to a boat party on Day 3 without losing your voice, here’s our guide to getting the most out of the eventful week.

Beyond the booth

Whatever your Sibos strategy, visibility shouldn’t begin when the exhibition doors open in Miami. 

By the time delegates arrive, the conversation is already well underway. Use the weeks before Sibos to establish what your organisation has to say, and why people should listen. Preview blogs, media briefings, commentary and executive LinkedIn content can all help establish your point of view before attendees have had a chance to collect their badge.

Find your voice in the AI conversation

This year’s theme is Digital finance for AI-driven economies, and you won’t have to look long to find AI on the agenda.

Importantly, the programme moves beyond whether financial institutions should adopt AI to what happens as it becomes embedded in the financial system – from building AI-ready organisations and deploying agentic AI to questions around trust, compliance and autonomous systems.

That creates an opportunity but also a communications challenge. Highlighting that AI will make financial services faster, smarter and more efficient isn’t going to distinguish you from thousands of other delegates.

The organisations that stand out will get specific. Where can AI genuinely transform financial services today and what is the impact (in $$ value, preferably)? Where is the industry getting ahead of itself? What risks does agentic AI create? And which problems don’t actually need an AI solution?

Don't overlook market infrastructure

AI may dominate the headlines, but some of the most important Sibos conversations remain about the infrastructure that makes global finance work.

Cross-border and real-time payments, ISO 20022, T+1 settlement, interoperability and digital assets all feature prominently again this year.

For communications teams, that’s an opportunity-filled territory – if they can translate the benefits of their solutions into how they are genuinely improving outcomes for customers.

What should the industry consider as they move to shortened settlement cycles to avoid operational challenges? How is the roll out of ISO 20022 going and what’s the value add for the industry? And where are digital assets and tokenisation moving beyond experimentation to deliver tangible benefits for financial institutions and their end clients? Connecting a prominent but niche industry theme to a specific problem customers are trying to solve offers strongest comment opportunity.

Prepare for conversations you didn't schedule

You can plan your Sibos diary with military precision, but the event itself is less cooperative.

Indeed, some of the most valuable conversations happen between sessions, over coffee or when a journalist spots your CEO crossing the exhibition floor.

Before heading over, identify the four to five issues reporters, customers and prospects are most likely to raise – or themes you might be looking to promote proactively. Equipping spokespeople with clear messaging, supporting evidence and – crucially! –  something memorable to say about each will go a long way. It will help your executives be prepared to speak naturally when an unexpected opportunity for an interesting conversation presents itself.

Extend Sibos shelf life

Sibos preparations require a lot of effort and often generate a wealth of content--it would be a shame to let that momentum disappear as soon as you board the plane home.

A good panel can become a LinkedIn post, op-ed or a follow-up media interview. Questions repeatedly raised by customers can inform future thought leadership. An executive’s observations from the conference floor can become a rapid-response blog.

Communications teams should therefore be listening, as much as broadcasting. What surprised the attendees and your industry contacts? What issues emerged as the most divisive? Which transformative technology is making most behind the scenes impact? That intelligence may be one of the most valuable things you bring home – for both your communications, but also wider commercial strategy.

Bonus survival tips:

1. Forget fashion – wear comfortable shoes.
2. Miami in September is hot and humid, but the convention centre may not be, so best to dress for both.
3. Leave gaps in the diary – a packed calendar looks like good organisation until your best Sibos conversation happens unexpectedly or ends up overrunning so much you have to cancel others.
4. Spontaneous photo shots of the conference and your take on event panels will probably make for best LinkedIn posts.
5. Enjoy it! Talk to people you didn’t plan to meet, disagree with opinions expressed on panels or accidentally overheard on the exhibition floor. You may even find time to see Miami.