19th Annual Riverway Summit Comes to Hamilton, Ohio on April 24, 2026
Join us for the 2026 Riverway Summit in Hamilton as we explore this year's theme: "Reimagining."
Explore, celebrate, and learn as we reimagine innovative approaches to:
- Riverfronts and natural spaces
- Recreation, tourism and cultural vitality
- The built environment and infrastructure
- Connections across communities
- And more!
This is the 19th Summit, bringing together leaders, organizations, and communities from across the Great Miami River corridor to share ideas, forge partnerships, and envision the future of our river corridor. Whether you're a municipal leader, business owner, community advocate, or recreation enthusiast, join us for a day of inspiration and collaboration in Hamilton.
The Fitton Center for Creative Arts provides a stunning backdrop for the Summit, with gallery spaces and inspiring architecture that embody Hamilton's commitment to arts and culture along the Riverway.
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Tentative Agenda
Subject to change as sessions and speakers are confirmed.
- Keynote by citizen-led neighborhood initiative, "17 Strong" - Places Need People
- Riverway Rapid Share where Riverway leaders will share bite-sized updates of the huge strides being made in reimagining riverfront communities across the 99+ mile corridor.
- The Impact of Tourism from the State of Ohio Tourism Director, Sarah Wickham, on the transformation communities have when they activate river corridors and trails.
- Accessibility, Resiliency, and Adaptive Recreation session by Board Safe Docks and Travel Butler County session on Building Docks for the Future: Accessibility + Resiliency and Wheels to the World initiatives.
- Trail Safety Roundtable, moderated by local bike trail experts to discuss the emerging challenge of overpowered e-bikes on shared trails; exploring safety, regulations, and how communities can balance innovation with responsible trail use.
- Local business owners who have helped spark creative, community-centered events and programs.
- Adaptive Reuse - Companies such as COhatch, 80 Acres Farms, and Spooky Nook have transformed vacant buildings into economic engines that draw visitors and investment to the riverfront.
The ORSANCO Life Below the Water Line exhibit returns for 2026, showcasing the diversity of aquatic species in the Great Miami River.
Local Food by caterer, Two Women in a Kitchen, will provide creative breakfast and lunch grab-and-go stations, allowing attendees to network while exploring the Fitton Center's galleries and interactive activities between sessions.
History of the Riverway Summit
The Miami Conservancy District and the University of Dayton (UD) co-hosted the first Great Miami River Summit on the UD campus in 2008. The goals of the Summit were to develop a set of recommendations to stimulate river corridor investments in the cities; to share plans for riverfront development and to explore opportunities to leverage individual projects into a collective power; to discuss and explore their shared interests in successful cities and farmland preservation; and for Great Miami River stakeholders to begin to develop a shared vision of the river as an economic driver, unifying force, and competitive advantage for the region.