AI data centers have rapidly emerged as a kitchen table issue, especially in the small towns and rural counties where they’re being built. As local, regional, and national leaders, we all have a shared responsibility to shape this future (before it shapes us).
Whether you’re a yes, a no, or a maybe – and whether the data center coming to your community is a good neighbor or not – this year’s Roadshow agenda is designed to equip you with the information, tools, and networks that you need to build better futures.
- How do we prepare for growing electricity demand?
- How do we protect our water resources while supporting economic opportunity?
- How do we preserve working lands while welcoming investment?
- How do communities maintain local control over development?
- How can economic growth create lasting prosperity for the people who already call these places home?
If you, your organization, or your community are facing these questions – the 2026 Roadshow is for you.
Explore the Program
This year’s Roadshow features twenty breakout sessions organized around four interconnected conference tracks.
⚡ ENERGY
- Rising Bills: Defining the Energy & Affordability Crisis
- Partnering with Local Utilities to Accelerate Community Resilience
- Growing Food & Clean Power: Agrivoltaics and Rural Opportunity
- Distributed Energy as a Ministry
💧 WATER
- Water Is Life: Indigenous Perspectives on Water Stewardship
- Under Pressure: Water Use, Reuse, and the Future of Data Centers
- The Big Picture: Planning Strategies for Sustainable Water Infrastructure
- From Preparedness to Recovery: Planning for Rural Flood Resilience
🌾 LAND
- Working Lands: Rural Land Use and the Future of Agriculture
- Local Control: Practical Tools and Model Policies
- Rural Organizing Strategies for Self-Determination
- Ending Land Loss: Strategies for Restoring Heirs Property Rights
🤝 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Building Shared Prosperity
Featured conversations include:
- Community Benefits that Matter: Designing CBAs for Long-Term Value
- Turning Community Insight into Rural Resilience
- Cultural Preservation as a Resource for Resilience
- Dignity and Work: Building Opportunity in the Age of AI
Workshops
- The Cost of Power: Utility and Data Center Perspectives
- Deploying New Technologies for Affordable Growth
- The Permitting Matrix: How Communities Can Use the Approval Process to Make Data Centers Work for Them
From the Ground Up: Energy Planning Tools for Rural Communities
Register Early & Save Your Seat
Every Conversation Connects
Although organized into four conference tracks, every session explores four shared priorities shaping communities across the country.
Affordability
Reducing costs while expanding opportunity.
Infrastructure
Preparing communities for long-term resilience and growth.
Local Control
Ensuring communities help shape decisions that affect their future.
Conservation & Stewardship
Protecting the natural resources that sustain communities for generations.
Registration is Now Open
November 4–6, 2026 Decatur, Alabama
Early Bird Registration: $100
Available through August 9, 2026
Official Conference Hotel
DoubleTree by Hilton Decatur Riverfront
Special conference rate: $130 per night
Help Shape the Future
The Rural Renaissance Roadshow is more than a conference. It is Groundswell’s flagship national convening for leaders working to strengthen rural communities through practical, community-centered solutions.
Organizations interested in supporting the Roadshow are invited to explore sponsorship opportunities and join a growing network of partners committed to strengthening rural communities.
Register Today
The conversations shaping the future of rural America aren’t happening somewhere else.
They’re happening here.
November 4–6, 2026
Cook Museum of Natural Science
Decatur, Alabama
Early Bird Registration is Open