Trade visitors at the it-sa Expo at the Central Entrance

That was it-sa Expo&Congress 2025

We look back on three successful days at the trade fair – impressions and memories that make us look forward to the next meeting of the IT security industry on 5 – 7 Oktober 2027.

Facts & Figures Highlights Impressions

Review in pictures & figures

From October 27 to 29, 2026, the it-sa Expo&Congress was the “Home of IT Security” for more than 33,000 trade visitors from 70 countries and 1,005 exhibitors. – A new record for exhibitors and an increase of about 20 percent in trade visitors compared to the previous year underscore the importance of the trade show.

In approximately 430 sessions across six open forums and in numerous sessions and workshops at the accompanying Congress@it-sa, the focus was on current trends and topics in IT security, as well as knowledge sharing and networking.

Highlights of the supporting program included a special keynote by Prof. Dr. Marco Gercke on the topic of “Cyber Incident Simulation,” as well as the presentation of the ATHENE Startup Award UP26@it-sa to the Bochum-based company Fuzzware.

For more information, please also read the closing report for it-sa 2027.

it-sa Expo&Congress 2026 sets new records

33,000 trade visitors

from 70 countries and around 20 per cent more trade visitors compared to the previous event

1,005 exhibitors in 6 halls

a new record number of exhibitors

Intensive exchange

about 430 sessions in six open forums

International relevance

continued growth in international visitor numbers

“This year’s it-sa has impressively demonstrated the momentum currently being generated by the cyber security market. The strong growth in visitor numbers, the high level of international participation and the fact that, for the first time, there were more than 1,000 exhibitors are a clear indication of the event’s relevance. The quality of the discussions at the stands and in the forums was particularly encouraging. Cyber security is now a strategic issue for business, government and society alike. it-sa brings together the relevant stakeholders and provides the framework for this exchange,”

Thimo Holst, Head of Brand Strategy at it-sa

A Look Back at IT Security Trends

Focus on current threat landscapes and best practice

In 2026, it-sa once again provided an in-depth overview of the issues currently facing businesses, public authorities and organisations. Topics discussed included artificial intelligence, cloud security, digital resilience and the protection of critical infrastructure. The highly topical nature of many of the discussions was evident not least in the critical PHP vulnerabilities that have attracted global attention in recent weeks and once again highlighted the urgent need for action in the field of cyber security.

Highlights in the 2026 forum programme

430 forum presentations across six open forums were once again major crowd-drawers this year.
On the final day, the special keynote “Cyber Incident Simulation” featuring Prof. Dr. Marco Gercke provided a particular highlight.
Once again, a highlight of the trade show program was the presentation of the ATHENE Startup Award UP26@it-sa. This year, the award for the best cybersecurity startup in the DACH region went to Fuzzware from Bochum.

For registered users of it-sa 365, all contributions to the open forums will soon be available on demand.

Impressions of it-sa Expo&Congress 2026

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