With its first “Cyber thought leaders dialogue”, the it-sa brand has taken a significant step forward in its strategic development. Around 200 invited guests from across Europe gathered in Nuremberg to discuss current challenges in cyber security and exchange views with high-ranking representatives from politics, public authorities, international institutions and the business community. The launch event also provided a preview of the new it-sa CONFERENCE, which, from 2027, will be the venue for strategic discussions, political analysis and international perspectives on cyber security in Europe.
Cyber security has long since become more than just a technical discipline. Geopolitical tensions, hybrid threats, state actors and AI-enabled attacks are increasingly placing the issue within a security policy context. The it-sa brand is responding to this shift with a new event format: the first “Cyber thought leaders dialogue”, held today on the opening day of the it-sa trade fair, brought together leading figures from politics, public administration, international institutions, critical infrastructure and the cyber security industry.
The English-language event was intended as a pilot format and a first glimpse of the new it-sa CONFERENCE. From 2027, this will complement the it-sa brand’s portfolio as its third pillar and, in future, will focus on strategic dialogue regarding the future of cyber security in Europe.
“With the Cyber thought leaders dialogue, we have today deliberately opened a new chapter in the development of the it-sa brand. The challenges facing Europe have long since gone beyond purely technological issues and affect economic, security and social policy in equal measure. The positive atmosphere at the trade fair was also evident at the event and confirms that there is a need for a forum where these topics can be discussed at a strategic level,” says Thimo Holst, Head of Brand Strategy at it-sa.
Cyber security at the crossroads of geopolitics, critical infrastructure and AI
The programme focused on the current challenges facing Europe’s cyber security. High-level representatives from international organisations, European institutions, public authorities and businesses discussed the implications of an increasingly complex threat landscape.
The first panel examined how cybercrime, state-sponsored attacks and AI-enabled threats influence one another, and what requirements this places on cooperation between governments, security agencies and the private sector.
In the second panel, participants discussed the growing risks to critical infrastructure. The focus was on the resilience of essential services, the consequences of geopolitical developments and the question of how Europe can strengthen its operational capacity beyond regulatory requirements.
The discussions made it clear that, now more than ever, effective cyber security requires close cooperation between the political sphere, the business community, public authorities and operators of critical infrastructure.
New Conference Council to guide the development of content
Another highlight of the opening day was the inaugural meeting of the Conference Council for the forthcoming it-sa CONFERENCE. This newly established body will guide the strategic and content-related development of the conference and support the curation of the programme.
The Council comprises prominent representatives from public authorities, associations, academia and industry, and consists of the Board of Trustees and the Programme Committee. Members of the Board of Trustees include Claudia Plattner and Thomas Caspers from the BSI, Marc-Julian Siewert from the Executive Board of Bitkom, and Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Chair of the IT Coalition Steering Group. Together, they contribute their strategic perspective to the development of the conference.
The Programme Committee oversees the development of the programme’s content. In addition to the Chair, Prof. Dr Marco Gercke, the committee includes, amongst others, Fritz Bollmann (BSI), Susanne Dehmel (Bitkom), Prof. Dr Norbert Pohlmann (TeleTrusT), Dr Joanna Świątkowska (ECSO), Anne Blickhan (European Cybersecurity Fellow), Prof. Dr Haya Schulmann (Goethe University Frankfurt), Merle Maigre (Programme Director of Cybersecurity at e-Governance) and Dr Ralf Schneider from Allianz’s Cybersecurity and Next-Generation IT Think Tank. This composition underscores the new conference’s European scope and brings together expertise from the worlds of politics, public administration, research and business.
The it-sa brand is built on three strong pillars
With the launch of the it-sa CONFERENCE, NürnbergMesse is consistently developing the it-sa brand further. In future, the offering will be based on three closely interlinked pillars:
- it-sa EXPO – Networking and live experience: The it-sa EXPO remains Europe’s leading trade fair for cyber security and the key industry gathering for products, solutions and practical applications.
- it-sa 365 – On-demand knowledge hub: With it-sa 365, the brand already offers a year-round platform for digital knowledge exchange and networking.
- it-sa CONFERENCE – Cyber thought leaders’ dialogue: The new it-sa CONFERENCE expands this offering to include a strategic conference format for discussion on European cyber security issues, developments in security policy and the digital resilience of the economy and society.
The first full edition of the it-sa CONFERENCE will take place in Nuremberg from 5 to 6 October 2027.