Adam Grant’s new book Vibe is a signal, and meeting planners should pay attention
I just saw the announcement for Adam Grant’s upcoming book, Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World, coming October 13, 2026.
I’ve admired Dr. Grant for years. He does what the best thinkers do, he studies what is real, he names it clearly, and then he makes it usable for the rest of us. Since his first book, Give and Take, he has had the right messages at the right time.
And he has a pattern.
If you look back at the arc of his books, he often writes right before a topic moves from “interesting” to “inevitable.” He gets there early, with research, language, and frameworks that help the market understand what it is feeling.
That’s why Vibe matters.
Because this is not just “a new Adam Grant book,” it’s a flare in the sky that says, get ready, the topic of human connection is about to become one of the hottest conversations in business, leadership, and conferences in 2026 and 2027.
Why Vibe is going to land hard
Even in his early notes about the book, Grant frames “Vibe” as a special connection between people that creates a spark, and he calls it an engine of happiness and success.
He also shared a line that I think will get quoted everywhere; connection is not about how much time we spend together, it’s about how much joy and meaning we create together.
That’s not “nice.” That’s a strategic reframe.
It takes connection out of the sentimental category and puts it right where it belongs, in the category of outcomes, energy, trust, and momentum.
Which is exactly where the conference business lives.
His track record, he spots the conversation before it becomes the conversation
A lot of authors chase trends. Grant tends to define them.
You can see it in the themes he has elevated over the last decade:
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Originals made originality, creativity, and challenging groupthink feel like a mainstream leadership skill, not a quirky personality trait.
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Think Again landed with a clear message about rethinking, curiosity, and the strength to update your beliefs in a rapidly changing world.
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Hidden Potential shifted focus from giftedness to development, systems, and what it really takes to achieve greater things.
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And even outside the book format, his widely circulated work on attention management (a term he did not coin, I think that was done by my friend Maura Thomas) helped push the conversation beyond “time management” into how we direct focus and motivation.
When Grant plants a flag, the market tends to follow.
So when he puts his voice and research behind “strong connections,” I hear it as an early warning system for what meeting planners and leaders will be prioritizing next.
Here’s the part that has me smiling
This “new” topic is not new to me.
I’ve been speaking, coaching, and writing about Human Interaction (H.I.) for two decades (although it has been only 3 years since I started using H.I. to define the importance of connections in an AI-Driven world). I have watched what happens when people build real relationships, and I have watched what happens when they hide behind technology, convenience, and busyness.
Now, with AI accelerating everything, connection is not a soft skill. It’s a competitive advantage.
And in the meetings and events world, it’s the difference between:
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a conference where people attend sessions, then leave unchanged
and
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a conference where people engage, create trust, build community, and walk away with relationships that turn into opportunities
That’s why my keynote, Human Interaction (H.I.) in an AI Driven World, has become such an important conversation.
Because when technology gets smarter, humans do not automatically get better at being human.
We have to choose it.
We have to practice it.
We have to design for it.
The “vibe” I care about is not abstract, it’s what happens in the room
This is where I want to be clear about my lane, while still giving full respect to Adam Grant.
Grant is going to bring the research and language that helps the world understand connection at a high level.
My work is the applied side.
I don’t just talk about connection, I build it live in the room.
I want attendees to treat a multi day conference like a human laboratory, a place to practice curiosity, generosity, follow up, and the kind of conversations that create trust faster than a LinkedIn connection request ever will.
I want meeting planners to be able to say, “Our event had energy this year. People actually met each other. Sponsors felt the buzz. Attendees stayed longer. The hallway conversations mattered.”
That is a vibe too.
And it’s measurable.
If you plan events, here’s what I think is coming next
In 2026 and 2027, I think “connection” stops being a theme and becomes the expectation.
Not because it sounds good on a conference website, but because the world is starving for it. People are saturated with content, and starving for community.
So the smartest planners will stop asking only, “What will people learn?”
They’ll also ask, “What will people become because they were together?”
That shift changes everything:
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how you open the event
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how you design networking
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how you shape sponsor ROI
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how you create culture in associations and industries
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how you keep people coming back year after year
And it puts H.I., Human Interaction, right at the center.
A note to Adam Grant, and a note to all of us
Dr. Grant, congratulations. I’m looking forward to Vibe, and I’m grateful you’re elevating a topic that matters.
And to everyone else, if you’ve been waiting for permission to prioritize relationships again, consider this your sign.
Because if Adam Grant is writing about vibes and strong connections now, it’s because the next few years are going to reward people and organizations who know how to bring humans together, on purpose.
FAQ, from my point of view
What is Adam Grant’s book Vibe about?
From the official positioning, Vibe is about strong connections, the kind that create a spark, and why building meaningful ties is one of the pressing problems of our time.
When does Adam Grant’s Vibe come out?
The announced publication date is October 13, 2026.
Why will “human connection” become a major 2026 and 2027 conference topic?
Because AI and digital life are increasing speed and convenience, but not necessarily trust, belonging, or meaningful relationships. When a high profile thinker like Grant puts a flag in the ground on connection, it signals the market is ready to treat it as a central business issue, not a feel good side note.
What does “Human Interaction (H.I.) in an AI Driven World” mean?
It means the more technology scales, the more we need to intentionally build trust, community, and real relationships, person to person. If organizations and conferences do not design for H.I., people drift into isolation, silos, and surface level engagement.
What should meeting planners do now?
Design events where connection is not optional, it’s inevitable. Make it easier for attendees to meet, easier to talk, easier to follow up, and easier to turn conversations into community.
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Thom Singer, CSP, is a professional keynote speaker and the CEO at the Austin Technology Council. He believes that in our technology driven world, the importance of Human Interaction (H.I.) has never been more important.