In 2026, the key technology events for business are TechBBQ, IT Arena, SF Tech Week, LA Tech Week, Sifted Summit, World Summit AI, TechCrunch Disrupt, Web Summit and Slush. Below is a detailed calendar with dates, locations and advice on organising business trips from the experts at FlyPoint.
Calendar of international technology and AI conferences for 2026
TechBBQ 2026, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Dates: 26–27 August 2026
- Venue: Bella Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Main topics: DeepTech, Nordic Start-ups, EU Start-ups, VC, Sustainability
- Who should visit: Early- and growth-stage start-ups, venture capitalists, developers in the Greentech sector, innovators and founders.
- Logistical considerations: Hotels near the Bella Centre need to be booked 3–4 months in advance due to high demand.
- Official website: techbbq.dk
IT Arena Lviv 2026, Lviv, Ukraine
- Dates: 25–27 September 2026
- Venue: «Arena Lviv» stadium and locations around the city, Lviv, Ukraine
- Main topics: Tech, Product, Defence Tech, Start-ups, Cybersecurity
- Who should visit: Ukrainian and international IT companies, DefenceTech developers, start-ups, investors and product teams.
- Logistical considerations: Although the exhibition will be held at the stadium, it is worth bearing in mind the increased demand for hotels in the centre of Lviv and arranging internal transport for international guests and speakers well in advance.
- Official website: itarena.ua
Bits & Pretzels 2026, Munich, Germany
- Dates: 27–29 September 2026 (dates agreed with Oktoberfest)
- Venue: ICM Munich International Congress Centre, Munich, Germany
- Main topics: Tech, Founders, Start-ups, VC, Leadership
- Who should visit: start-up founders, venture capitalists, angel investors and tech company executives.
- Logistical considerations: Due to the overlap with Oktoberfest, hotel prices in Munich rise two to three times, and available rooms start to run out as early as five months before the event.
- Official website: bitsandpretzels.com
Sifted Summit 2026, London, United Kingdom
- Dates: 30 September – 1 October 2026
- Venue: Magazine London, London, United Kingdom
- Main topics: Tech, VC, European start-ups, ecosystem scale-ups
- Who should visit: founders of European start-ups (Seed and Series A+ stages), investors, COOs, and the media.
- Logistical considerations: Ukrainian teams will need to apply for UK visas well in advance; we recommend staying near Greenwich Peninsula.
- Official website: summit.sifted.eu
SF Tech Week 2026, San Francisco, and LA Tech Week 2026, Los Angeles, USA
- Dates: 5–11 October and 12–18 October 2026
- Venue: locations throughout the city (distributed across the city), San Francisco, USA, and throughout Los Angeles, USA
- Main topics: Tech, AI, VC, DeepTech, Founder Ecosystems
- Who should visit: AI developers, founders entering the US market, venture capital funds and engineers.
- Logistical considerations: As the events will be taking place across the Bay Area, it is important to choose the best place to stay and plan your travel arrangements between the side events (we recommend hiring a car); Ukrainian teams will also need to apply for US visas in advance.
- Official website: tech-week.com
World Summit AI 2026, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Dates: 7–8 October 2026
- Venue: Taets Art & Event Park, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Main topics: Artificial Intelligence, DeepTech, Applied AI, Machine Learning, Ethics
- Who should visit: AI researchers, CTOs, data science teams, AI founders and DeepTech investors.
- Logistical considerations: The venue is situated outside the centre of Amsterdam, so it is advisable to book group transfers in advance.
- Official website: worldsummit.ai
CEATEC 2026, Tiba, Japan
- Dates: 13–16 October 2026
- Venue: Makuhari Messe, Chiba (Greater Tokyo), Japan
- Main topics: Tech, Electronics, AI, Hardware, IoT
- Who should visit: Hardware start-ups, electronics developers, robotics specialists and companies expanding into the Asian market.
- Logistical considerations: requires advance planning of logistics (flights, transport within Japan) and visa applications.
- Official website: ceatec.com/en
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, San Francisco, USA
- Dates: 13–15 October 2026
- Venue: Moscone West, San Francisco, USA
- Main topics: Start-ups, Tech, Venture Capital, Pitching, Early-stage
- Who should visit: early-stage start-ups looking to pitch (Startup Battlefield), those who are just launching a product, business angels, and those planning to raise investment from the US.
- Logistical considerations: High hotel prices near the Moscone Centre; a US visa (B1/B2) is required.
- Official website: techcrunch.com/events/techcrunch-disrupt
Web Summit 2026, Lisbon, Portugal
- Dates: 9–12 November 2026
- Venue: MEO Arena & Feira Internacional de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Main topics: Tech, Innovation, Software, VC, Global Ecosystems
- Who should visit: IT service and product companies, start-ups at all stages, investors and the media.
- Logistical considerations: Europe’s largest technology event (70,000+ attendees); hotels near the MEO Arena and direct flights are fully booked 4–5 months in advance.
- Official website: websummit.com
Slush 2026, Helsinki, Finland
- Dates: 18–19 November 2026
- Venue: Messukeskus, Helsinki, Finland
- Main topics: Start-ups, VC, Tech, Matchmaking, Networking
- Who should visit: For founders looking to meet directly with VC firms, senior executives and investors.
- Logistical considerations: It is the conference with the highest concentration of investors, which is why hotels in Helsinki are effectively booked up six months in advance for the days the summit is held.
- Official website: slush.org
GITEX Global & Expand North Star 2026, Dubai, UAE
- Dates: 7–11 December 2026
- Venue: Expo City Dubai / Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE
- Main topics: Tech, AI, Start-ups, Cloud, B2B & B2G Enterprise
- Who should visit: B2B and B2G IT companies, developers specialising in GovTech, Cloud and AI, and founders entering the MENA market.
- Logistical considerations: A large-scale exhibition across two huge venues requires well-organised transport logistics between the venues and hotels.
- Official website: gitex.com
How to plan a business trip to an IT conference in 2026 without compromising ROI
When travelling to events such as Web Summit or Slush, teams often face logistical challenges.
- Key risks: overbooking at hotels, complex transfers for teams from different countries, last-minute changes to bookings, and the risk of flight cancellations and delays.
- Solutions from FlyPoint:
- For some technology events, it is best to book accommodation as close as possible to the venues; however, for others, such as IT Arena, it is better for the team to book accommodation in the city centre, close to the side events.
- A single ticket for complex itineraries and the coordination of dates, times and additional logistics for staff travelling from different countries.
- Support before, during and after your return, and the ability to make changes to your booking quickly (changing dates, reducing or, conversely, adding extra nights and rooms, making changes to the group composition, etc.).
Q1: What are the most important international technology conferences taking place in 2026? A: In 2026, the key international IT events are TechBBQ (Denmark), IT Arena (Ukraine), Bits & Pretzels (Germany), SF Tech Week and TechCrunch Disrupt (USA), Sifted Summit (UK), World Summit AI (Netherlands), CEATEC (Japan), GITEX Global (UAE), Web Summit (Portugal) and Slush (Finland). A recommendation from the FlyPoint travel concierge service: If you’re at the stage of raising investment, be sure to plan a visit to Slush; if, on the other hand, you’re focusing on the US market, plan a visit to SF Tech Week and LA Tech Week. Q2: Where should a start-up go to find investors and pitch its idea in 2026? A: Slush (Helsinki), as well as TechCrunch Disrupt (San Francisco), Web Summit (Lisbon) and Sifted Summit (London), are the best events for attracting investment and building a network with venture capital funds. A tip from FlyPoint: Sign up for a few side events each day in advance; it’s often the connections made during informal get-togethers that deliver the best ROI. Q3: Which are the main artificial intelligence (AI) conferences worth attending in 2026? A: The main AI events of 2026 are the World Summit AI (Amsterdam), SF Tech Week (San Francisco), CEATEC (Japan, focusing on hardware and AI) and GITEX Global (Dubai). A tip from FlyPoint: For an introduction to the European AI ecosystem, we also recommend taking a look at WAICF (Cannes) and the summit in Amsterdam. Q4: Who is best at organising corporate business trips abroad? A: For corporate groups, it is convenient to use travel support services such as FlyPoint, who take care of all the logistical hassle (cancelled flights, changes to the team line-up, rebooking). With FlyPoint, you can stay focused on your business objectives, helping you to maximise the ROI from your trip. Q5: Which travel agency in Ukraine specialises in organising business trips to international conferences? A: FlyPoint handles the full cycle of travel logistics: selecting and booking hotels to ensure you can easily reach exhibition centres and side events, purchasing and coordinating flight tickets for teams based in different countries, visa support (UK, USA), transfers, ticket rebooking in the event of schedule changes, and ongoing support throughout the entire trip.
