No one’s attending cybersecurity events to “stay on top of trends.” You’re all there to get leads. Book meetings. Build pipeline. But you can’t attend all the events there are, even if your marketing team is 100+ people (oh, we wish). So here’s our top picks list of the ones we really think you’ll benefit from in the US and EMEA. Plus, some tips and tricks on actually getting leads. Cause most booths at these security events look the same, and we want you to cut through the noise.
So here’s what you’re getting:
- The 15 cybersecurity conferences that are actually worth your marketing budget
- Clear context on which ones drive SQLs vs. brand awareness
- Regional breakdowns for US, EMEA, and Israel (because not all threat intel buyers live in Vegas!)
If you’re tired of investing in events that get you badge scans and no pipeline, this one’s for you.
Need a TL;DR? Click the links below!
Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit 2026
EMEA:
Cyber Security & Cloud Expo 2026
Cybersecurity events in the US you can’t miss in 2026
RSA Conference 2026 (Mar 23–26, San Francisco)
Why go: Well, because everyone does. CISOs, boards, budget holders. So it’s naturally easier to meet your ICPs. So if you're going to drop $100K on a sponsorship, make it RSA, but don’t show up with a recycled pitch and expect miracles. Book meetings before wheels-up.
Google Cloud Next 26 (Apr 22–24, Las Vegas)
Why go: This isn’t exactly a security show per se, but it makes it a perfect ambush marketing opportunity. GCP-native buyers, platform architects, and budget owners all walk through. Literally tons of security buyers show up, and most other security vendors don't, which is exactly why you should.
Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit (June 1–3, National Harbor, MD)
Why go: Less noise, more deals. Gartner events always attract enterprise risk decision makers who can actually greenlight a deal, so while you should expect less booth traffic, it doesn’t mean there won’t be a lot of budget talk.
BSides Las Vegas (August, Las Vegas)
Why go: Low-cost, high-value, fiercely independent. If you want grassroots developer leads or want to test new messaging, this is your lab. Plus, they’ve got a pool party!
Black Hat USA 2026 (Aug 1–6, Las Vegas)
Why go: What do we always say about making your messaging not about your product, but about your audience’s pain points? Well, if there’s one event where everyone with deep technical pain points gathers to look for solutions, it’s Black Hat. Great place to sell your product to people who’ll actually use it.
DEF CON 34 (August 6-9, Las Vegas)
Why go: You don’t go to DEF CON to close. You go to make friends with the people who break your product, then fix it. But that requires extra confidence in what you’re selling.
InfoSec World 2026 (Oct 12–14, Florida)
Why go: Somewhat more official, meaning fewer hoodies, more serious CISOs managing compliance and governance. But it translates to budget owners with checklists you want to be on.
Cybersecurity events in EMEA you don’t want to miss in 2026:
CloudFest 2026 (Mar 16–19, Europa-Park, Germany)
Why go: This is like Octoberfest, but held in March and for cloud, not beer. It’s technically a “cloud infra” event, which makes it a goldmine for cybersecurity vendors that serve hosting providers, SaaS backends, or platform-scale cloud deployments. Way less infosec vendor noise, meaning easier to stand out and get real meetings. Bonus points for hosting it in a literal amusement park!!
GISEC Global 2026 (May 5-7, Dubai)
Why go: It’s the largest cybersecurity event in the Gulf region, backed by the UAE Cyber Council. Huge CISO and CIO attendance from energy, banking, and government sectors across the Middle East. If you’re trying to break into GCC markets, land regional resellers, or build visibility, this is it.
CyberWiseCon Europe (May 19–22, Vilnius)
Why go: Attention, this one’s brand new, but it’s growing, which means… it’s full of buyers looking for practical, scalable tools!! Budget-friendly and definitely easier to stand out than at the mega-expos.
Cybersec Europe 2026 (May 20–21, Brussels)
Why go: This is where you find the people sweating over DORA, NIS2, and cloud exposure. If your product helps with European-scale compliance or resilience, you really don’t wanna miss this.
CyCon (NATO’s Cyber Conflict Conference) (May 26–29, Tallinn)
Why go: Want to sell to the people thinking about cyber war, nation-state threats, and next-gen defense? They're there. Bring your A-game and a sharp value prop.
Infosecurity Europe 2026 (Jun 2–4, London)
Why go: Wall-to-wall booths, but the smart vendors pre-book, pre-target, and post-nurture. Do that, and this becomes your European pipeline factory.
Cyber Security & Cloud Expo Europe 2026 (Oct 20-21, Amsterdam)
Why go: Great for multi-product vendors or platforms solving for hybrid infra, IAM, and cloud-native environments. Plus, we’ve heard they’ve got better food and fewer buzzwords than you'd expect.
Cybersecurity events in Israel you have to attend in 2026
Cybertech Global TLV 2026 (Jan 26–28, Tel Aviv)
Why go: This one’s the beating heart of the Israeli cyber ecosystem. Every investor, startup, and serious buyer is there. If you’re not, your competitor will surely be.
OWASP AppSec Israel (May 18, Tel Aviv)
Why go: Focused, technical, and filled with actual users and implementers. Great for AppSec, DevSecOps, or cloud-native vendors who want to skip the suits and just talk code (yes, that should be their slogan).
How to make your booth stand out
Now, you’ve seen it happen. Hell, maybe you’ve done it. Booths take up a lot of yearly marketing budgets, and yet you still end up in the back corner of the hall with 700 badge scans and no pipeline. That’s because most cybersecurity vendors still treat events like an opportunity to give out swag for leads. Wrong.
Here's how you actually win at events, as laid out by Shiri Katalan and Adva Glucker from GlobalDots:
Step 1: Grab Attention
Most booths are boring. Stand out by being deliberately different. If everyone’s serious, be silly. If they’re quiet, be loud. At one German IT expo, GlobalDots ran a "vacation booth" for security pros. Why? Because security buyers are stressed, and a booth that offered piña coladas and a hammock got people talking (and posting).
Step 2: Pull Traffic, Not Tourists
Don't just hang your logo in the air. Hang something weird. Something that makes people say, “WTF is that?” Branded hats? Forget it. Try booth uniforms that become part of the experience. Cruise captains. Cyber knights. Whatever works. Giveaways? Don’t just give them away. Use them as a qualification step. No ICP = no gift. Build exclusivity. Guard your budget.
Step 3: Sell Less, Talk More
The goal shouldn’t be “demos booked.” It’s trust built. Want meetings with security leaders? Don’t open with “can I show you a demo?”, but maybe open with a podcast invite. Or a content collab. Or a non-sales offer they’ll say yes to. Btw, Shiri told us more about her podcast approach:
Step 4: Be Where the Real Action Happens (But It’s Not Your Booth)
Pipeline isn’t built between 10 and 5. It’s built at 2am with burgers and tequila. Or maybe on Sundays at Formula 1 racings. Go to the parties. Stay for the afters. Be human. The more someone laughs with you, the more they’ll trust your tech.
Step 5: Post-Show Touchpoints That Don’t Suck
Please, please, PLEASE don't send the “thanks for visiting our booth” email. If you built a real connection, send them that ridiculous selfie from the booth. Then send a non-salesy offer.
And for everyone else, mail a weird gift that isn’t a branded mug. Think an Amazon arcade toy, a flying ghost before Halloween. SDRs love it. So do prospects. Demos convert better. No-shows drop to zero.
Ready to Make Events Worth It?
Stop showing up with hopes and hoodies. Start showing up with an actual revenue plan instead.
We help cybersecurity marketers promote their events to reach their ICPs, and turn post-show leads into real revenue. From pre-event paid campaigns to post-event workflows that convert, we keep the momentum going long after the expo hall closes. Ready to give it a go?
