For the full story of the evolution, click here.

The Vision, Dream, and Idea for CBS 2026

The Cross Border Summit has been on an incredible journey, evolving through the challenges and opportunities of recent years. Drawing from our previous experiences, we’re building toward a future that’s not just recovering but thriving—ready to launch into orbit. Let’s recap the themes that have brought us here and look ahead to what 2026 holds.

A Brief History of Our Themes

• 2023: Open Borders, New Beginnings - As China reopened its borders in early 2023, we kicked off the summit with a focus on fresh starts. AI was emerging, with prompts and GPT becoming key tools for innovation in the cross-border ecosystem.
• 2024: Planting Seeds and Building Streams - Still rebuilding after the disruptions of COVID—business failures, sales, and the aggregator shake-up—we emphasized rebirth and nurturing a new ecosystem. This was when AI agents began gaining traction.
• 2025: Ignition - Gaining stability, we’re on the launchpad: loading the rocket ship, warming up the engines, and counting down. Coinciding with Loi Krathong, we’ll release krathongs into the river on November 5 before the after-party. We’re also introducing our new GFAVIP “community ecosystem”—a suite of softwares and systems to engage the community and escape spreadsheet chaos.

Gearing Up for 2026: Launch into Orbit

We’re in this for the long term. Save the date: November 3, 4, 5, 2026, in Chiang Mai at the Nimman Convention Center. We’ve taken off in our rocket ship, powered by the community ecosystem built from CBS 2025 onward. Daily, we’ll fuel this rocket for everyone to join us in November 2026.

Right in the heart of downtown Nimman, this event will feature:

• Multi-track sessions for Amazon marketplace and D2C sellers from around the world.
• A ton of pre-events, after-parties, and side events.
• A built-up chapter network through our community ecosystem.
• Opportunities to push limits and grow as business leaders in the cross-border e-commerce community.

The theme of “Launch into Orbit” captures our momentum: from recovery to full acceleration. Join us as we soar to new heights!