Access User Groups 2026
- George Hepworth
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Again in 2026, Access enthusiasts and professionals have a number of opportunities to meet -- primarily virtually -- with colleagues around the world. User Group Meetings spotlight topics of interest to newbies and veterans, and often include both a formal presentation and an informal "after party" where you can get to know each other better.
In addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, there will again be a number of Access Conferences in 2026.
Among the more active virtual user groups are the international chapters of AccessUserGroups.org, founded by Access MVP Juan Soto.
AUG chapters schedule open monthly meetings, traditionally with an invited speaker presenting a topic relevant to Access developers. Sessions usually include time for questions, general discussion and for sharing ideas. All meetings are led by experienced Access developers, many of whom are current or former MVPs, and are free for all to attend. As of 2026, chapter meetings are in English, Italian or Spanish with captions available.
Depending on your time zone, meetings are available at times from breakfast, lunch, evening or even during the night. Meetings are recorded and made available on YouTube shortly after the session.
Access Lunchtime (AL) https://accessusergroups.org/lunch/
AL is focused on helping users, IT pros, developers and new users meet, share ideas and get questions answered.
Meets on the last Tuesday of the month, from 12 noon Central US Time (UTC-5 in summer / UTC-6 in winter). Led by Maria Barnes.
Access Europe (AEU) https://accessusergroups.org/europe/
AEU’s focus is on innovative and lesser-known features in Access.
Meets on the first Wednesday of each month starting at 18:00 (6 PM) UK time (UTC+1 in summer / UTC in winter). Led by Colin Riddington.
Access España (ESP) https://accessusergroups.org/espana/
ESP caters to both newbies and expert developers. Meetings are in Spanish.
Meets on the third Thursday of each month at 9:00 pm (21:00) Central European Time (UTC+2 in summer / UTC+1 in winter). Led by Juanjo Luna.
SQL Server With Access (SA) https://accessusergroups.org/sql-server-with-access/
SA’s objectives are to discuss, and provide help and information on how to use Access with SQL Server.
Meets every second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm (18:30) Central US Time (UTC-5 in summer / UTC-6 in winter). Led by Juan Soto.
Access Pacific (AP) https://accessusergroups.org/pacific/
AP provides a late day forum for Access users locally and around the world. Topics tend to be more eclectic.
Meets on the first Thursday of every month, from 6:30 pm (18:30) Pacific Time (UTC-7 in summer / UTC-8 in winter). Currently led by George Hepworth, pending recruitment of a replacement.
Access Latino America https://accessusergroups.org/access-latino/
LA focuses on advanced Access topics. Meetings are in Spanish.
Meetings are scheduled for the 4th Thursday of each month at 9pm (21:00) Central Standard Time - Mexico City (UTC-6). Led by Edgar Olivares.
Access Italia https://accessusergroups.org/italia/
Italia provides a forum for Italian Access developers (but open to all), professionals and amateurs to share knowledge, tips, tricks and ideas about MS Access. Meetings are in Italian.
Meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 19:00 to 20:00 Central European Time (UTC+2 in Summer, UTC+1 in Winter). Led by Alessandro Grimaldi.
Access Express Australia (EA) https://accessusergroups.org/access-express-australia/
EA specializes in informal discussions about on-going projects involving all things Access and SQL Server Express.
Meets on the third Friday of each month at 11:30 Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10). Led by Kent Gorrell.
The YouTube channel for AccessUserGroups.org provides access to the recordings of all meetings.
In Germany, Access-Stammtische (regulars' tables) are a strong tradition. These are meetings in pubs, beer gardens and similar places. Most meetings take place in person, but there are also a number of opportunities to meet online.
The Access-Stammtisch Hannover meets once a quarter, on the third Wednesday of the second month. Lectures and special events usually take place online.
Scheduled Access-Stammtisch Hannover meetings in 2026.
The Access-Stammtisch Ruhrpott meets every 3rd Friday in odd-numbered months.
The Access-Stammtisch Rhein-Main usually meets on the last Friday of the month. The next planned date is February 27, 2026. Their website has an interactive calendar where you can find future meeting dates.
Rhein-Main also continues to hold virtual meetings every second Friday of the month.
The Access-Stammtisch Munich meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month. The next meetings are on February 12, 2026 and March 12, 2026.
There were or are a few more regulars' tables in Germany (Stuttgart, Berlin, Bremen, etc.), but their current status is unclear.
In the United Kingdom, the UK Access User Group was established by Rod Gordon in 1995 as a subscription service. It is currently led by Peter Bryant, Andrew Richards and Steve Girling.
The group continues to offer both online and live events. Membership is currently £65 per year but the cost of live events is reduced by that amount for members. Their next live conference will be in Birmingham on May 18 and 19, 2026 and will be used to build 'an app in a day'.
Recordings of all online events are available to members. The group also has a very active list server (email group).
For a less formal meeting where you can share Access stories, swap ideas and suggestions, and get acquainted with other Access lovers, check out the San Francisco Access User Group, which meets once a month, on the 2nd Friday, at 4:15 PM Pacific (UTC-7 in summer / UTC-8 in winter). SFAUG is led by Steve Schechner sschechner@hotmail.com.
In addition to the formal and regularly scheduled Access User Groups listed above, other, less formal, local groups in your area may also meet to discuss Access topics.
Ask other Access developers about groups that might be near you. And don't overlook the opportunity to get engaged in one or more groups as a presenter or leader.
If you know of further Access user groups anywhere in the world, please write us a comment with information and links about them.