- October 21, 2025
- Lake Buena Vista, FL
The International Society of Automation (ISA) — the leading professional society for automation — today announced the successful conclusion of the 2025 ISA Automation Summit & Expo (ASE), held 5 – 7 October at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The unique event format delivered a dynamic blend of technical discussions, hands-on learning and an expo experience focused on industrial automation, new technology implementation, cybersecurity and career development amidst rapid AI-driven change.
ASE grew significantly in 2025, drawing more than 630 attendees from across the worldwide automation community, representing a multitude of industries spanning manufacturing, energy, utilities, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and entertainment. Participants engaged in concurrent sessions covering standards, industry applications and emerging concepts, creating a high-energy environment for knowledge exchange and professional growth.
Event Highlights
- Headline keynote sessions anchored conference themes with real-world case studies on implementing new technology and navigating evolving threats in OT cybersecurity. Keynotes included:
- “To Infinity and Beyond: Innovation in Space Flight,” Douglas Hurley, retired astronaut, NASA
- “Confessions of a Dirty Hacker: Over Two Decades as a Hacking Curmudgeon,” Tom Liston, owner, Bad Wolf Security
- Automation leaders from organizations such as Lockheed Martin Ventures, AWS, Wabtec, Eli Lilly & Co. and MiTRE delivered pragmatic insights on modernizing operations, scaling secure architectures and enabling resilient, data-driven decision-making. A total of 67 speakers shared their perspectives.
- The ISA Expo showcased 65 vendors across industrial automation, process control and OT cybersecurity, offering live demos, solution walk-throughs and peer-to-peer exchanges that helped attendees translate ideas into action.
- ISA’s flagship OT cybersecurity certificate courses, IC32 and IC33, provided hands-on training to help practitioners elevate their skills and validate competencies in critical areas of industrial security.
- An interactive, cutting-edge VR experience brought real-world critical infrastructure scenarios to life in the Student Simulation Showcase, highlighting ISA’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of automation professionals and advancing applied learning through student design competitions.
- Networking activities — including the welcome reception, young professionals reception and exhibitor breaks — kept energy high and connections flowing throughout the event. On 6 October, ISA hosted its Honors & Awards Gala inside Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, celebrating the achievements of top automation leaders with a memorable evening for attendees and their families.
The 2026 Automation Summit and Expo will be held in Lake Buena Vista, FL, on 27 – 29 September.
ISA thanks its sponsors for the Automation Summit & Expo: Honeywell, Control Station, Fortinet, ZEDEDA and Acronis, as well as Igloo, Visco and VTScada, who provided the immersion room, VR technology and video wall, respectively. A complete list of sponsors and exhibitors can be found at ase.isa.org.