2026 Napa Confernece ReCap 

The 2026 CSSA Napa Self Storage Owner’s Conference brought the California self storage industry together once again for two days of education, networking, collaboration, and connection in the heart of Napa Valley.

Held at the Meritage Resort & Spa under this year’s theme, “Self Storage by Design: The Future Isn’t Predicted, It’s Designed,” the conference focused on the intentional building of businesses, relationships, leadership, and the future of the industry itself.

The event officially began Monday morning as attendees spread out across Napa Valley for a series of optional activities that set the tone for the conference experience. Golfers headed to the Napa Valley Country Club for the Charity Golf Classic, while attendees boarded two curated wine tours exploring both the Heart of Napa Valley and the Off the Beaten Path tour experiences through wine country.

As the afternoon transitioned into evening, attendees gathered for the Opening Reception on The Lawn at The Village at Vista Collina. Live music and conversations between operators, vendors, and industry partners helped create the spirit of Napa networking that has become a hallmark of the CSSA conference experience. Guests were also treated to entertainment from a live magician who became one of the memorable highlights of the conference.

View the Full 2026 Napa Conference Photo Gallery

Watch One of the Memorable Magic Moments

Following the reception, attendees enjoyed dinner throughout Napa before reconvening at the Meritage Crush Lounge for the Night Cap Networking event. Karaoke, the Charity Storage Bowling Tournament, and late-night networking carried the evening forward, creating another social and memorable moment of the conference experience.

Tuesday morning began early with the Sunrise Legislative Reception, “Elections, Propositions, & Power Shifts,” where attendees gathered for important discussions surrounding California politics, legislation, advocacy, and the evolving political landscape impacting self storage businesses across the state.

The official conference programming then began with breakfast and opening remarks before attendees welcomed keynote speaker Andy Cohen, Co-CEO of Gensler, for “Designing for Tomorrow.” Cohen delivered an engaging presentation centered around innovation, intentional design, future thinking, and the evolving relationship between space, experience, and business.

The educational programming continued with “From Owner to Innovator: The Modern Storage Operator,” moderated by Pedro Florida of Trojan Storage. The panel explored modernization, operational evolution, technology, leadership, customer experience, and what it means to adapt successfully within a rapidly changing industry.

The legislative conversation continued later in the day during “Not On Our Watch: Defending Self Storage in Sacramento,” where industry leaders discussed advocacy efforts, current legislation, political challenges, and the importance of remaining engaged in protecting the interests of California self storage operators.

Following lunch and sponsor visitation, attendees returned for “Heroes: Commercial Real Estate Update and Economic Overview” presented by Spencer Levy of CBRE. Levy delivered one of the conference’s most talked-about presentations, blending commercial real estate insights, economic forecasting, AI, leadership, communication, and David Bowie-inspired reflections on reinvention, adaptability, and innovation.

The final educational session of the conference, “Designing Your Legacy: Succession Planning for Self Storage Owners,” featured Jay Halverson and Will Hendricks of Blue Ocean Companies. Their discussion focused on ownership transition, leadership continuity, long-term planning, and preserving the businesses and legacies owners have spent decades building.

The conference concluded with a Cinco de Mayo Closing Reception where attendees gathered one final time to celebrate another successful Napa conference with music, networking, food, and conversation as the sun set over Napa Valley.

From education and advocacy to networking and relationship building, the 2026 CSSA Napa Self Storage Owner’s Conference once again demonstrated why Napa remains one of the industry’s most anticipated annual events.

Thank you to all attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and partners who helped make this year’s conference possible. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.