About the Event

Cybersec Europe is an annual cybersecurity conference and trade exhibition organised by Jaarbeurs and held at Brussels Expo. The 2026 edition takes place May 20-21 and is the primary cybersecurity gathering in the Benelux region, drawing attendees from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and across Europe. The 2025 edition drew over 7,000 visitors, representing 14% year-on-year growth. The event functions as Belgium's central meeting point for IT security professionals, government decision-makers, and cybersecurity technology vendors - described as the IT event reference in Belgium for staying current across the broadest sense of the IT landscape. The event includes an exhibition floor, conference programme, Tech Theatre sessions, a Capture the Flag competition by Hack The Box, and AI-powered matchmaking for exhibitors and visitors before and during the fair. Sister events include Cybersec Netherlands, Cybersec Asia, and the year-round Cybersec 365 platform.

Audience & Attendees

Cybersec Europe draws cybersecurity professionals, CISOs, IT managers, business leaders, government officials, academics, and technology vendors across the Belgian and broader European cybersecurity community. The event is explicitly positioned for a range of profiles - from cybersecurity specialists and practitioners to business leaders and tech enthusiasts. Confirmed 2026 speakers include Belgium's Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade Theo Francken, Belgium's Minister for SMEs Eléonore Simonet, Connie McIntosh (Head of Security, Ericsson), Ken Munro (Ethical Hacker, Pen Test Partners), Robert Lipovsky (Principal Threat Intelligence Researcher, ESET), Paul Bayle (Group CISO, Atos), Katleen Seeuws (VP Standards & Guidance, CIA/CGAP/CRMA), Henri van Soest (Senior Analyst, RAND Europe), Sarah Ampe (Manager Digital Risk, EY Advisory), and Kristof Tuyteleers (CISO, DNS Belgium), among many others.

Programme Structure

The two-day programme combines keynote sessions on the main stage with a Tech Theatre - expanded in 2026 following its successful 2025 introduction - for practitioner-focused technical sessions. An exhibition floor hosts cybersecurity solution providers for demos and vendor meetings. The Capture the Flag competition by Hack The Box runs as a hands-on skills challenge for technical attendees. AI matchmaking is integrated into the attendee experience, enabling pre-scheduled meetings between visitors and exhibitors before and during the event. Workshops and business cases are woven throughout the programme across both days. Opening keynotes feature government ministers, reflecting the event's strong public sector dimension given Brussels' role as the seat of EU and NATO institutions.

Main Topics

The 2026 programme covers cybersecurity across enterprise, government, and critical infrastructure contexts. Confirmed and prominent session themes include: quantum computing threats and the urgency of post-quantum cryptography readiness; operational technology (OT) security and industrial cybersecurity incident escalation; cyber resilience as the evolution beyond cybersecurity - designing for survival and recovery; cybersecurity for SMEs and the policy dimension of protecting small businesses; supply chain risks and digital sovereignty; AI in cybersecurity including GenAI applications and MLOps; cybersecurity governance and board-level accountability through an internal audit lens; cyber defence lessons from the digital dimension of the conflict in Ukraine; and cybersecurity standards, assurance, and the role of the CISO in today's threat landscape.

Closing Session

The event closes on May 21.

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