BNI Tech Talk – Global Convention Recap (November 6, 2026)

BNI TECH TALKS • NOVEMBER 6, 2026

Quick Summary

In this BNI Tech Talk, Jeremy Walsh recaps the technology and marketing updates shared at the 2026 BNI Global Convention in Monaco. The session explores BNI’s plans for a more connected visitor and member experience, including easier visitor follow-up, modernized applications and renewals, a unified website experience, and expanded use of AI. Jeremy also reviews recent platform improvements, the social features being piloted in the mobile app, branding resources, and the upcoming BNI Blueprint. Throughout the session, he emphasizes that technology should support the personal relationships that make BNI successful. The recording concludes with audience questions about availability, BNI Plus newsletters, reporting, and more.

Watch the Recording

About the updates: This recap reflects information shared during the November 6, 2026 session. Some items were already available, some were in pilot, and others were future plans. Timing and availability vary by country; roadmap discussions are not confirmed release dates.

Session Recap

1. Highlights from Monaco

Jeremy shared photographs and impressions from the BNI Global Convention in Monaco before reviewing the technology and marketing presentation delivered by Rob Gorecki, Steven Schwartz, and Heather McLeod. His recap brought those announcements to the Tech Talks audience and clarified the differences between current tools and future initiatives.

The session’s pop quiz also highlighted upcoming conference destinations, as announced during the presentation:

• 2027 BNI Global Convention: Panama.
• 2027 US & Canada National Conference: Phoenix, Arizona, in May.
• 2028 BNI Global Convention: Bangkok, Thailand.

2. Making the time members invest more valuable

The convention presentation emphasized the scale of members’ investment in BNI: approximately 535,000 hours spent in chapter meetings each week. The goal of improvements to technology and marketing is to help members get more value from that time.

Survey results discussed in the session reinforced the importance of relationships: 84% of members reported having a close friend in their chapter, 82% felt supported in their chapter, and 56% of departing members said relationships were what they would miss most. Jeremy also discussed concerns about return on investment and the opportunity to improve member success and retention.

3. Creating one connected BNI experience

A central theme was treating the BNI journey as one continuous experience, from first becoming aware of BNI through visiting, applying, onboarding, and succeeding as a long-term member. Marketing, visitor follow-up, chapter activities, and member support should work together throughout that journey.

The presentation also stressed that new members and experienced members have different needs. Improving the early membership experience should go alongside helping established members continue to find value, develop relationships, and succeed.

4. Branding resources and coordinated marketing

Jeremy highlighted the branding resources accessible through myBNI. These bring assets together in one place and include a Canva connection for editing supported templates, such as adding a chapter name to an approved design.

Other marketing initiatives discussed included global guides that share successful practices across the organization, a coordinated calendar for 2027 campaigns and activities, and increased public relations efforts to raise awareness of BNI.

5. Helping more visitors attend, apply, and join

BNI is analyzing groups of visitors over time to understand where people leave the journey between preregistration, attendance, application, and membership. The aim is to reduce friction at each stage and help more people reach the right chapter.

Planned improvements discussed included:

• Easier follow-up for visitors who registered but did not attend, with a simple way to reschedule.
• More convenient ways for visitors who attended to revisit or apply.
• More targeted outreach to former members, taking account of professions, chapter openings, and relevant membership credits.

Jeremy described an anticipated pilot around March 2027 for visitor journey improvements. This was tentative timing rather than a confirmed worldwide release.

6. Modernizing applications, payments, and renewals

A major administrative initiative is the planned modernization of the membership application, renewal, and payment processes. Jeremy explained that Chargebee is the underlying platform being connected to BNI Connect, with the intention of keeping the management experience connected even where a task uses a different system behind the scenes.

The planned capabilities include more flexible invoicing, better accommodation of country-specific requirements, and eventual support for automatic renewals. During Q&A, Jeremy said that more flexible payment arrangements could become possible, but he could not confirm when monthly payments or monthly renewals would be available.

7. Recent platform improvements

The recap reviewed tools and improvements that Tech Talks attendees had already explored in earlier sessions:

• Member Traffic Lights: Available in the mobile app in many countries, with availability still varying by market.
• Ask IVAN: Continued improvements to BNI’s AI-assisted question-and-answer resource.
• Mobile app events: Event access added in response to a frequently requested feature.
• BNI Plus: Tools supporting chapter meetings and related communications, subject to country availability.
• BNI Insights: Expanded reporting and improvements such as color-coded Member Traffic Lights downloads.
• Leadership Team Hub: Recently introduced Chapter Success Meeting tools, covered in the preceding Tech Talks.

8. Social features in pilot

Members in the UK and New Zealand were piloting new mobile app social functionality using Social Plus. The concept is to modernize BNI’s community experience with groups, chapter conversations, and a familiar social feed within BNI’s own environment.

Keeping these conversations connected to BNI could also reduce the manual administration required to add and remove people in external groups when membership changes. Jeremy emphasized that this was a pilot. Wider release would depend on feedback, results, localization, and implementation work; no worldwide release date was provided.

9. BNI Blueprint

The BNI Blueprint initiative is intended to bring successful practices and processes into an interactive resource for the people managing BNI at different levels. Jeremy described Tim Cook’s work on standardizing reliable approaches and using data to understand what makes chapters, franchises, and memberships successful.

An executive director blueprint was discussed as an upcoming step, with other levels planned and access expected through myBNI for eligible roles.

10. How AI is supporting the technology team

Jeremy explained that BNI already uses AI extensively behind the scenes, particularly in development, infrastructure, and content preparation. One example was a React Native mobile app upgrade whose estimated work was reduced from about six months to six weeks with AI assistance.

He also described an infrastructure dashboard built by Nandu to monitor systems, traffic, availability, and costs, helping the team respond to problems and adjust resources. The emphasis was on skilled people using AI to improve their work. Jeremy said the technology team members had not been replaced by AI and that his support team’s member interactions remained human.

Future areas discussed included more proactive dashboards, visitor conversion and retention insights, one-to-one and referral matchmaking, and improved AI-assisted search in BNI Connect. These were areas of investment and development, rather than features with confirmed availability dates.

11. A more unified website experience

A planned website initiative would bring chapter and regional experiences under the BNI.com umbrella, making it easier for visitors to find the right chapter without navigating many separate regional websites. Location information and maps would help guide visitors to relevant options.

Regions were expected to retain some ability to customize content, such as images and wording. Jeremy recalled an anticipated start around March 2027, followed by a rollout over approximately 12–18 months. He presented this as an estimate, not a fixed implementation schedule.

12. Rollouts, pilots, and personal follow-up

Jeremy discussed the addition of an implementation manager to help franchisees adopt new tools and support effective pilots. Testing and feedback will help determine which initiatives move forward and how they are introduced.

His strongest practical message was that automated communication cannot replace a personal relationship. Calling or texting a visitor before the meeting, welcoming them, and personally following up afterward remain essential. Members and leadership teams were encouraged to use the tools available in their countries and share feedback about what works and what needs improvement.

Questions and Answers

Where can I find previous recordings?

Previous recordings are hosted on the BNI support site. Jeremy shared the recordings link and QR code during the webinar. He also discussed the intention to make recordings available through BNI Academy and noted recent Academy interface improvements.

Are there global statistics comparing members who give more referrals with those who receive more?

Jeremy did not have global statistics to share. He suggested reviewing a Summary PALMS report over a meaningful period and comparing referrals given and received. Spreadsheet calculations or analysis tools can help identify patterns within the data available to your role.

Will the new membership system allow monthly payments?

The new system is expected to support greater flexibility, but Jeremy could not confirm the availability or timing of monthly payments or monthly renewals.

How is BNI balancing growth with support for existing members?

The connected member journey is intended to address both. Jeremy emphasized that leadership is considering the needs of new and long-standing members, including ways to improve ongoing engagement and success rather than stopping support after onboarding.

When will new app features reach the United States and other countries?

No specific dates were available. Pilot results, translation, and implementation affect availability. Jeremy also could not provide a timeline for an API connection to BNI Connect.

Can members use AI to collect BNI Connect data for an external CRM?

Jeremy stated that scraping data is against BNI policy. He also noted the challenges created when member data is copied into external systems, particularly when people leave BNI or no longer want their information retained there.

How can I check whether BNI Plus is available in my country?

Log in to myBNI and look for the BNI Plus tile. If it is not available, speak with your executive director about local implementation plans.

Where should I send suggestions about BNI Academy naming and older references?

A participant suggested clearer references explaining the transition from BNI University and BNI Business Builder to BNI Academy. Jeremy recommended sending that suggestion to globaltraining@bni.com.

How do I access Marketing Hub?

Access Marketing Hub through myBNI.

Is the BNI Plus weekly newsletter sent automatically?

The newsletter content is largely generated automatically from that week’s chapter meeting information. It still needs to be reviewed and sent manually by the person responsible for the newsletter.

Key Takeaways

• Technology and marketing improvements are focused on a connected visitor and member experience.
• Check what is available in your country; a pilot or roadmap item is not yet a worldwide release.
• Use the existing tools and branding resources, and ask for help when needed.
• Keep personal visitor follow-up and member relationships at the center of your chapter’s work.
• Share practical feedback to help improve future releases.

Upcoming Tech Talks

There are no further Tech Talks scheduled during November 2026. Sessions are planned to return on December 4, 11, and 18, 2026. Jeremy invited suggestions for future topics, including Marketing Hub, applications and renewals, and using Excel and AI to work with BNI Connect reports.

Happy connecting!