The last decade of the Standards Publishing Advisory Board (SPAB) has been defined by professional resilience. As the host and organizer of SPAB, Accuris has worked to ensure this community has a steady platform to navigate the “Winds of Change” (the 2016 theme). This resilience is the foundation upon which we are building our upcoming session in Scottsdale, AZ, February 23 – 25, 2026.
Navigating the Shift to Data with Our Customers
In 2016, the board began a deep dive into “Next Generation Data Formats.” We were moving beyond the document and into the data. By 2018, the focus had shifted to XML and “Digital Publishing Possibilities.” This was the era where “SMART Standards” (Machine Applicable, Readable, and Transferable) became a professional requirement rather than a theoretical goal.
When the pandemic hit, the Accuris team felt the weight of our responsibility to the SPAB community and our customers. We refused to let the connection break. In 2021 and 2022, SPAB achieved record-breaking virtual attendance. Key stakeholders from over 130 global organizations joined from their home offices – a testament to the professional commitment these experts have to the industry. We tackled ESG Panels, DEI Initiatives, and the “Rise of the Autonomous Standard” through high-definition virtual platforms.
Our Days, Dedicated to Your Growth
Accuris consistently prioritizes these technical transitions to ensure that standards professionals and their customers have the tools they need to stay ahead of the curve. We are proud of our involvement in these shifts and appreciate the trust the community has placed in us since the company’s inception as Information Handling Services. During this era, we helped SDOs and customers transition to usage analytics, allowing them to see exactly how and where their standards were being applied in real-time.
The record of our journey also reflects the rise of geopolitical and regulatory forces shaping standards development. As we head to Scottsdale, we will expand on this by examining the future of standards development, looking at how technology like AI-assisted drafting and collaborative tools are transforming standards creation for a new era.
Thanking the Resilient Professional
To the professionals and customers who continued to lead committees and manage standards through a global lockdown: your resilience is why the global supply chain stayed intact. We are deeply appreciative of your commitment, and we are proud to provide the platform where your work is celebrated. The spirit of SPAB remained intact through these shifts. We look forward to celebrating that resilience in person very soon in Scottsdale as we discuss the next wave of disruption: AI and data fusion.
If you would like more detail, follow the SPAB LinkedIn page here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/spab-standards-publishing-advisory-board/