Forum InCyber Europe · 2027

Agoris analysis · updated June 2026

Key takeaways

• The Forum InCyber Europe 2027 (formerly FIC, rebranded in 2024) holds its 19th edition from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 March 2027 at Lille Grand Palais, on the theme "The agentic vertigo: securing autonomous systems, towards autonomous cybersecurity?".
• The 2027 theme places agentic AI and autonomous systems at the centre: security of AI agents, automation of cyber defence, governance of self-deciding systems. The edition is held under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic.
• The edition is structured around 10 associated events announced: European Cyber Cup (25 teams, 250 players announced), CFI - Cybersecurity for Industry, ID Forum, OSINT conference, Trust & Safety Forum, CoRIIN, INVEST INCYBER and Secure AI.
• Sole organiser: Forward Global, a group born from the split of Avisa Partners in 2023-2024. The exclusivity contract with Lille Grand Palais runs until 2029.
• A dense regulatory calendar: the 2027 edition extends the French transposition work on NIS 2, the application of the AI Act and DORA, with a ramping-up of topics around sovereignty, secure AI and post-quantum cryptography.

Who exhibits

Typical profile

A B2B trade show covering the entire cybersecurity and digital trust chain: cyber publishers and integrators, IT services firms (ESN), telecom operators, hyperscalers, MSSPs, digital identity, OT/industrial security, AI security, blockchain and trust, digital defence, legal and compliance consulting (GDPR, NIS 2, DORA, AI Act). A mixed audience: private companies, public administrations, operators of vital importance (OIV), local authorities, security forces, academic research.

Notable exhibitors

A long-standing presence from Airbus Cyber, Orange Cyberdefense, Thales, Atos / Eviden, Capgemini, Sopra Steria, OVHcloud, Stormshield, HarfangLab, Tehtris, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks. Recurring institutional pavilions: European Commission, Europol, ANSSI, Gendarmerie nationale, Police nationale, ComCyber (Ministry of the Armed Forces). The 2027 exhibitor list is being built as registrations come in, open since 12 January 2026. Full up-to-date list on the official exhibitors page.

Visitor quality

A markedly professional profile: CISOs, IT directors, CIOs, CTOs, compliance officers and data lawyers, complemented by sovereign forces (State services, defence, interior), research, specialised VC funds and international delegations. Recent editions have welcomed delegations from around a hundred countries (100 countries in 2025), with a pronounced cyber-diplomacy dimension (high-level summit, governmental plenary sessions).

Activities & community

Conference programme

Each year the forum rolls out more than 200 conferences (plenaries, round tables, masterclasses, technical demonstrations) and a high-level summit. The detailed programme and 2027 speakers are published progressively on the official portal. For reference, the 2026 edition had notably announced Olivier Gavalda (CEO, Crédit Agricole), Neal Jetton (Director of Cybersecurity, INTERPOL), Octave Klaba (founder, OVHcloud) and Henna Virkkunen (Vice-President of the European Commission), alongside the Director General of ANSSI Vincent Strubel. As headline speakers and chairs change with each edition, refer to the official 2027 programme for the up-to-date line-up.

Awards & prizes

Three flagship prizes structure the forum (official Forward Global wording):

• Cyber Start-up Prize: 5 categories (President of the Republic Prize, Growth Prize, Operational Impact Prize, Research Prize, Jury's Favourite Prize for start-ups less than 2 years old). 2025 winners: Patrowl (Grand Prix), Keyless (Operational Impact), enclaive (Growth), iliadata (Research), Cybi (Jury's Favourite).
• InCyber Book Prize: 5 categories (general public, youth, academic research, cyberdefence, artificial intelligence). Awarded at a ceremony during the forum.
• European Cyber Cup (EC2): a team competition (CTF, forensics, OSINT, hardware hacking, Battle Royale). The 2027 edition announces 25 teams and 250 players. 2025 winners: ESNA, École 2600, Oteria Cyber School.

Satellite events

The 2027 edition brings together around a dozen specialised villages and formats announced:

• TechLab: live technical demonstrations
• CFI - Cybersecurity for Industry: IT/OT and industrial security strand
• ID Forum: digital identity
• OSINT conference: open-source intelligence
• Trust & Safety Forum: platform trust and safety
• CoRIIN: congress on incident response and digital investigation
• Secure AI: track dedicated to the security of AI models
• INVEST INCYBER: investor / start-up networking sessions
• CyberLeaders cocktail and TOP LEADERS one-to-one sessions: executive networking
• Crisis management masterclass: C-level exercises

Community & networks

The forum relies on an official matchmaking platform (more than 4,200 structured business meetings in 2025) and an official Forum InCyber app for managing one's schedule, scanning contacts and accessing the programme. The specialist cyber press (INCYBER NEWS, Solutions Numériques, IT for Business, ZDNet France, ZATAZ, Le Mag IT) covers the event every year.

The Forum InCyber has gone international: Forum InCyber North America (Montreal, ~4,000 visitors in 2024), Forum InCyber Japan (Tokyo, launched December 2025 with ~900 participants), and an announced spin-off in San Antonio (Texas).

What's new in 2027

• 19th edition, and the 4th under the Forum InCyber Europe banner (post-2024 rebranding).
• Central theme: "The agentic vertigo" (securing autonomous systems, automating cybersecurity, governing AI agents).
• INCYBER IMPACT initiative spotlighted.
• Programme structured around 10 associated events announced, including Trust & Safety Forum and CoRIIN.
• Edition held under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic.
• 2027 regulatory framework: continuation of the NIS 2 transposition in France, the AI Act in application, DORA for the financial sector, post-quantum preparation.

Policy & CSR initiatives

Forward Global, organiser of the Forum InCyber, positions the forum on the theme of digital trust serving businesses, citizens and future generations, with a declared commitment to a secure and sustainable digital environment. Beyond this general guiding line, the organiser does not publish a detailed CSR report specific to the forum (event carbon footprint, zero-waste plan, soft mobility to Lille Grand Palais). The societal dimension is carried by the programme content: sessions on responsible cybersecurity, digital inclusion, cyber education (European Cyber Cup student challenges with EPITA, École 2600, Oteria Cyber School), and cyber diplomacy. Lille Grand Palais, the host venue, has its own environmental commitments, which can be consulted on the venue page.

On site: what you need to know

• Venue: Lille Grand Palais, 1 boulevard des Cités-Unies, 59800 Lille.
• Transport access: Lille Metro line 2, Lille Grand Palais station (direct exit). Lille is connected to Paris in 1 hr by TGV (Lille-Europe and Lille-Flandres stations, 10 min on foot from the palais), to Brussels in 35 min, to London in 1 hr 30 (Eurostar). Lille-Lesquin airport is 20 min away by taxi.
• Parking: Lille Grand Palais car park on site (heavily oversubscribed during the 3 days of the forum). Public city-centre car parks as an alternative. The train is preferable.
• Accommodation: Centre / Lille-Europe / Vieux-Lille districts as a priority. Book 3 to 4 months in advance: early March sees strong hotel demand in Lille.
• Opening hours & badges: Tue 9 March to Thu 11 March 2027, access reserved for accredited professionals. Registrations open since 12 January 2026 on the official portal.
• Services: On-site catering, CyberLeaders VIP areas, radio/TV studios, official matchmaking platform, Forum InCyber app.

Preparing your visit

For the exhibitor

• 12 months out: submit exhibitor application via the official platform, choosing between an individual stand or a national / regional pavilion (Bpifrance, Choose France, French regional pavilions Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bretagne, etc.)
• 9 months out: apply for the Cyber Start-up Prize, enter a European Cyber Cup team
• 6 months out: stand brief, prospect targeting via the platform, request to speak in a conference or masterclass
• 3 months out: team accreditations, sales brief on product announcements, Lille accommodation logistics
• 6 weeks out: activate the Forum InCyber app, schedule business meetings, pre-qualify leads via matchmaking

For the decision-maker visitor

• Register early: the professional capacity fills up fast
• Identify the 10 to 15 priority exhibitors in advance and schedule meetings via the official platform
• Allow 2 days minimum to cover the palais + plenaries + thematic villages
• The governmental plenaries (ANSSI, ComCyber, European Commission) have limited capacity: pre-book
• The presence of sovereign forces (Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of the Armed Forces) makes it an annual entry point for sovereignty topics

How the trade show has evolved

Trajectory analysis

The forum, created in 2007 by the Gendarmerie nationale with the support of the Hauts-de-France Region, was for a long time co-organised by CEIS, acquired by Avisa Partners in the 2010s. Following the restructuring of Avisa Partners (legal proceedings 2022-2023, split of the group), the events business was transferred to Forward Global in 2024, which rebranded the event from FIC to Forum InCyber Europe. The exclusivity contract with Lille Grand Palais runs until 2029.

The audience trajectory is in continuous growth: from 16,000 on-site visitors in 2023 to 18,200 on site in 2025, with a stated target of expanding to 30,000 visitors by 2027-2028. The internationalisation strategy is accelerating: opening of Forum InCyber North America in Montreal (2022, 4,000 visitors in 2024), Forum InCyber Japan in Tokyo (December 2025, 900 participants for the 1st edition), and an announced spin-off in San Antonio (Texas). The 2027 edition, centred on agentic AI, takes place within a busy regulatory framework (NIS 2 transposition, AI Act application, DORA), which should work in favour of professional attendance.

Points to watch: the 2024 rebranding coincided with a slight decline in French regional presence (only 4 regions out of 18 had a stand in 2025, flagged by the specialist press). The historic departure of the Gendarmerie nationale and Interior oversight in 2023 left a mark that Forward Global is gradually rebuilding, notably via the institutional pavilions (ANSSI, ComCyber, Europol, European Commission).

Unless otherwise stated, all factual data in this listing comes from the organiser's official website (forum-incyber.com).