Best European Conferences for IT/Tech Leaders: Event Timeline 2026

The real value of conferences for leaders isn’t just about “learning.” It’s about high-level networking, finding partners, and understanding market trends before they hit the mainstream. In 2026, Europe continues to host some of the world’s most influential technology events, drawing CTOs, IT directors, and tech managers from across the globe.

Here is your chronological, curated guide to the most valuable European events for IT leaders in 2026.

A Quick Note on 2026 Dates

Many 2026 dates are still TBC (To Be Confirmed) as of late 2025. We’ve used confirmed 2026 dates where available and projected dates based on the 2025 schedule for others; always check the official event site before booking.

Q1 2026: Setting the Agenda (Jan-Mar)

This quarter is all about deep tech, cloud, and setting the technical strategy for the year ahead.

CloudFest

• When: March 23-26, 2026 (Confirmed)
• Where: Europa-Park, Rust, Germany
• Who it’s for: CTOs, Cloud Architects, Infrastructure Leaders
• Why it’s worth it: The world’s #1 cloud infrastructure event. It’s less about high-level theory and more about the “how to” of cloud, hosting, and security. CloudFest takes over a spectacular European amusement park to facilitate new partnerships, deep knowledge sharing, and the best parties the industry has ever seen. With over 10,000 participants, 250+ speakers, and 80+ countries represented, it’s a must-attend for anyone serious about internet infrastructure. The event includes keynotes and panels, an extensive exhibition hall, and social events that create networking opportunities in a festival atmosphere.

Gartner CIO Leadership Forum

• When: March 10-11, 2026 (Confirmed)
• Where: Intercontinental London – The O2, UK
• Who it’s for: CIOs, CTOs, Heads of Infrastructure, Technology Strategists
• Why it’s worth it: A high-level, exclusive forum focused purely on CIO and CTO-level challenges, from budgets to strategy. This event is purpose-built for senior IT decision-makers from across the UK and Europe navigating enterprise strategy, infrastructure modernization, and business transformation initiatives. Attendees are directly responsible for IT budget allocation, vendor selection, and strategic planning. Many are actively evaluating security, data management, cloud platforms, AI integration, and workforce modernization tools. It’s more than just a conference – it’s where leaders solidify long-term technology partnerships and set the direction for their digital investments.

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe

• When: March 23-26, 2026 (Confirmed)
• Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Who it’s for: Cloud Architects, SREs, Platform Teams, Developers, Security Professionals
• Why it’s worth it: This is the key event for the cloud native ecosystem. If your organization runs on Kubernetes, your top architects need to be here. As the flagship event for the cloud native community, it’s an unmissable opportunity to connect with project maintainers, end users, and technologists building the future of infrastructure. Following a record-setting event in London in 2025 and a memorable gathering in Amsterdam in 2023, this return to the Netherlands is set to deliver even more momentum.
  The event features co-located events for Platform Engineering, Observability, and AI, emphasizing real-world deployments and integrations of generative AI and ML pipelines. The Project Pavilion allows CNCF projects and working groups to engage, network, and collaborate with peers. Keynotes and vision talks provide deep dives into the intersection of AI and cloud-native, with maintainers, researchers, and end users sharing what’s working now and what’s next. The Maintainer Summit is an exclusive event for the people behind CNCF projects to gather in person, collaborate, and celebrate the projects that make cloud-native possible.
  For leaders managing cloud native teams and GitLab pipelines, this event provides essential insights and networking opportunities.

Q2 2026: Innovation and Growth (Apr-Jun)

Spring in Europe is marked by a heavy focus on innovation, data, and connecting with the startup ecosystem.

Gartner Data & Analytics Summit

• When: May 11-13, 2026 (Confirmed)
• Where: London, UK
• Who it’s for: Data and Analytics Leaders, AI Leaders, Data Architects
• Why it’s worth it: The definitive event for leaders building a modern data strategy. Go here to separate the AI hype from practical reality. The summit is the premier conference for data, analytics, and AI leaders to uncover the latest in data management, data trends, governance, and data architecture to deliver value for the future. It’s an opportunity to connect with your community and Gartner’s experts, building and diversifying your network by meeting forward-thinking data, analytics, and AI leaders.
  Leaders building a real-world data strategy with Atlas Search will find this summit invaluable for understanding how to implement AI at scale.

Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit

• When: June 10-11, 2026 (Confirmed)
• Where: Warsaw, Poland
• Who it’s for: Women in STEM, Tech & IT leadership
• Why it’s worth it: Europe and Asia’s largest dedicated empowering event for women in technology, focusing on leadership and inclusion.

TNW Conference (The Next Web)

Important Update: TNW Conference will not take place in 2026. After the Financial Times acquired a majority stake in TNW in 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted TNW’s core revenue stream. Despite significant efforts over the years, no sustainable path to commercial viability has been found. In light of this and the broader financial outlook, the TNW Board made the difficult decision to close its Events & Media division. The media site stopped publishing new content at the end of September 2025, and there will be no TNW Conference in 2026.

Viva Technology

• When: June 17-20, 2026 (Confirmed)
• Where: Paris, France
• Who it’s for: Innovation Leaders, Startups, Corporate Innovation Teams, Investors
• Why it’s worth it: A massive event with a strong focus on enterprise innovation and the EU startup scene, a must if you’re tracking European digital transformation, VivaTech is one of Europe’s leading innovation expos, gathering startups, corporate labs, investors, and global tech media to explore emerging trends and foster partnerships. With 180,000 attendees, 14,000 startups, 4,000 partners, and 3,600 investors, it’s where business meets innovation. The event features multi-track programming with thematic stages covering AI, blockchain, sustainability, digital culture, creative tech, and deep dives into emerging trends. The festival atmosphere blends business with cultural energy, with Paris urban vibe complementing conference activities.

Devoxx Poland

• When: June 17-19, 2026 (Projected)
• Where: ICE Krakow Congress Centre, Krakow, Poland
• Who it’s for: Developers, software architects, and tech leads
• Why it’s worth it: Poland’s largest developer conference with 2,700+ attendees, focused on Java and software craftsmanship, offering networking and deep technical sessions.

Q3 2026: The Summer Specialization (Jul-Sep)

While traditionally a quieter quarter for massive shows, Q3 is perfect for specialized, deep-dive summits.

SaaStock

• When: TBC (Usually September/October)
• Where: Dublin, Ireland
• Who it’s for: SaaS Founders, AI Leaders, Investors, SaaS Operators
• Why it’s worth it: The premier conference for the SaaS (Software as a Service) ecosystem. Essential for any IT leader building or buying SaaS products. SaaStock Europe is where AI and SaaS leaders lock in the meetings that move the needle. Big deals. Real insights. Dublin energy. At SaaStock, they don’t hope you meet the right people – they guarantee it. AI-matched introductions. Structured meetings. Walk away with 10+ high-value connections: decision makers from leading scaleups and high-growth startups, check-writing investors, partners, or even your next co-founder.
  The 2025 event took place October 13-15 at the Royal Dublin Society. Based on historical patterns, the 2026 event is expected in a similar timeframe, but dates have not been officially confirmed. The event provides curated networking opportunities, world-class content, and facilitated meetings designed to drive ROI. Past sponsors have reported ROI of 3x to 10x from the event.

Q4 2026: The Grand Finales (Oct-Dec)

The end of the year is dominated by massive, forward-looking events that help define the agenda for 2027.

Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo

• When: TBC (Usually November)
• Where: Barcelona, Spain
• Who it’s for: CIOs, IT Executives, Senior IT Leaders
• Why it’s worth it: This is the “big one” from Gartner. It’s a massive gathering of CIOs and senior IT execs covering every topic: leadership, tech, strategy, and more. CIOs and IT leaders come together in Barcelona to dive into the technology, insights, and trends shaping the future of IT and business. The conference typically covers everything from microservices architecture to leadership challenges, providing a comprehensive view of where IT is headed.

Web Summit

• When: November 9-12, 2026 (Projected)
• Where: Lisbon, Portugal
• Who it’s for: Tech Leaders, Startups, Investors, Media
• Why it’s worth it: One of the largest tech conferences in the world. It’s chaotic, huge, and covers everything. Go for networking and to see the sheer scale of the global tech industry. Web Summit is an annual technology conference held in Lisbon, Portugal, founded in 2009 by Paddy Cosgrave. The conference’s topics center on internet technology, emerging technologies, marketing, and venture capitalism. Web Summit’s partners range from Fortune 500 companies to startups, with attendees representing all levels and sectors of the global high technology industry.
  With over 70,000 attendees from around the globe, Web Summit serves as a platform for startups to showcase their innovations, for investors to discover the next big thing, and for industry leaders to discuss the future of technology and its impact on society. Speakers have included a mix of CEOs, subject-matter experts, celebrities, and politicians, including Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Al Gore, Bono, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. The event also features Night Summit events to continue making connections after hours.

Slush

• When: TBC (Usually November)
• Where: Helsinki, Finland
• Who it’s for: Founders, Startups, Venture Capitalists, Deep Tech Innovators
• Why it’s worth it: If you want to connect with the deep tech and VC world, this is it. It’s the world’s leading startup event, with a dark, moody, and intense focus on “what’s next”. Slush is often described as the most founder-focused event on the planet. With over 13,000 attendees, it brings together the core of the startup ecosystem under one roof. The event features $4 trillion in assets under management (AUM) among attending investors – creating a density of one VC per two founders and the world’s most significant AUM under one roof.
  Slush provides access to 400+ meeting tables at the heart of the venue through its in-house-built Meeting Tool, facilitating over 20,000 meetings. Attendees can hear tangible company-building insights from top founders, operators, and investors across four stages. The event also offers Helsinki-wide Slush Week side events hosted by partners and the startup community. Slush is run by students and recent graduates as a not-for-profit, on a mission to help create founders who change the world.

DATA & AI Tech Summit 2026

• When: TBC 2026
• Where: Warsaw, Poland
• Who it’s for: Data and AI professionals, IT Leaders
• Why it’s worth it: Focuses on leadership, AI-native data engineering, modern data platforms, and actionable enterprise AI strategies, ideal for Polish and regional decision makers.

Conclusion: How to Choose the Right Event for You

Give yourself three practical criteria for choosing:

1. Networking vs. Learning
   2. Niche vs. Scale
   3. Goals (Does this event align with my key 2026 objectives?)

Ultimately, the right conference is the one that directly solves your biggest problem, whether that’s finding a new partner, solving a technical challenge, or understanding your 3-year strategy. CloudFest and KubeCon are essential if you’re building cloud-native infrastructure. Gartner events provide high-level strategic insights and peer networking for CIOs. Web Summit and Slush offer unparalleled access to the startup and VC ecosystem. SaaStock is the definitive gathering for anyone in the SaaS space.

Local Perspective: Where Leaders Connect Closer to Home

While these global conferences set the stage for international strategy, regional events can deliver more intimate, decision-maker–focused conversations. One example is Talk4Managers by j‑labs – a series of exclusive meetings for IT leaders held in Krakow, Warsaw, and Munich. These sessions bring together technology managers, CTOs, and engineering leaders to exchange perspectives on leadership, technology adoption, and organizational growth.

Talk4Managers focuses on real business challenges, effective team management, and practical innovation — offering the kind of candid discussions and peer learning that large conferences often overlook. It’s an excellent complement to major European events for leaders who want to stay connected and inspired between global gatherings.

Check out a few short videos to see what it looks like 👉Talk4Managers Monachium | Talk4Managers Krakow

Can’t make it to all these events? Follow the j‑labs insights as our experts track the trends that matter for you, or contact us directly to discuss how our team can support your 2026 goals.