World Quantum Cannes Festival · 2026

Agoris analysis · updated October 2026

Key facts

• The World Quantum Cannes Festival is a new international event devoted to the industrialisation of quantum technologies: conferences, an exhibition of demonstrators and solutions, business meetings and an investor day. Its website presents it as the meeting point for quantum executives, investors, pioneers and public decision-makers.
• First edition, Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 November 2026, at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, 1 boulevard de la Croisette.
• Organisation: Valuexchange, a Paris-based professional events agency that runs the website and sells stands and partnerships, together with the Institut EuropIA, listed first among the organisers on the website and represented on the festival committee by its president, Marco Landi. The website also lists the City of Cannes, the Alpes-Maritimes Department and Université Côte d'Azur among the organisers.
• Frequency not announced at this stage: the 2026 edition is the first, and no later date has been published.
• Figures announced ahead of the event: 1,200 attendees, 200 speakers, 100 sponsors and partners, 400 industry leaders, 100 investors, more than 25 countries. These are figures announced before the event, not a final tally. The official list shows 90 exhibitors as of 10 October 2026.
• Expo Pass free of charge for the exhibition and networking areas, Business Pass at €990 excl. VAT and Academic Pass at €495 excl. VAT for the conferences.

Who exhibits

Typical profile

The nomenclature published by the organiser covers the whole quantum value chain. On the computing side: quantum computers based on superconducting qubits, trapped ions, photons, neutral atoms or silicon spins, quantum annealing, control electronics, cryogenics, quantum processors and access offers delivered as a service. On the software side: development kits, compilers, languages, and optimisation, simulation or machine-learning algorithms. These are joined by sensors and metrology (atomic clocks, gravimeters, magnetometers, inertial units), communications and networks (quantum key distribution, post-quantum cryptography, random number generators, repeaters), then enabling technologies: materials, integrated photonics, lasers and fibres, radio-frequency controllers, foundries and test equipment.

The outer circle brings together sector applications (finance, chemistry and materials, logistics, cybersecurity, telecoms, aerospace and defence, healthcare) and services: quantum strategy consulting, training, proofs of concept, standardisation, integration.

The organiser presents the exhibition, called the Innovation Showcase, as the heart of the festival: a selection of hardware demonstrators, research projects and solutions ready for end users. The pitch to exhibitors is industrial maturity, to be demonstrated in front of investors and buyers looking for concrete applications.

Notable exhibitors

The official list of sponsors and exhibitors, consulted on 10 October 2026, shows 105 sponsors and exhibitors for the 2026 edition, including 90 exhibitors.

Among the large groups and industrial companies: Thales and Thales Alenia Space, IBM, Coherent, Hamamatsu Photonics, Radiall, S&P Global. Among the quantum specialists: Classiq and SEALSQ, official sponsors, Quandela, Quobly, Horizon Quantum, Qblox, QPerfect, Sparrow Quantum, Swabian Instruments, Qudora Technologies, LuxQuanta, Quside, Single Quantum, VeriQloud, QuNu Labs. Institutions and ecosystems are numerous: the European Innovation Council (EIC), ETSI, Japan's AIST, Munich Quantum Valley, Quantum Valley Lower Saxony, Digital Catapult, the EDHEC Quantum Institute, Université Côte d'Azur and Aix-Marseille Université.

A separate section lists 23 start-ups, including Safran Trusted 4D, and the Austrian Business Agency and the Vienna Business Agency appear among the sponsors.

Visitor quality

The target audience is senior and decision-making. The organiser details six groups: universities and public laboratories, companies (start-ups as well as large groups in technology, aerospace, defence, finance or pharmaceuticals), ministries, innovation agencies and national quantum programmes, investors, associations and industry clusters, and specialist media. The roles targeted range from executives to R&D directors, from heads of quantum technologies to technology-watch or investment officers.

A directory of confirmed participants is published, with a selection of 180 names. It lists roles at Orange, Havas, BNP Paribas CIB, Inetum, Inria, CNRS and Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur, and a strong presence from Université Côte d'Azur and the Riviera ecosystem.

To guarantee the presence of decision-makers, the organiser offers a Top Executive Program: free accreditation, on request via a form, for executives and quantum specialists, with transport, accommodation, access, shuttles and meals covered. The launch press release, picked up by The Quantum Insider in August 2026, put the figure at 100 executives.

Programme & community

Conference programme

The conference programme is published, with a detailed PDF version. It is split between one main room and two other conference rooms, from about 9:00 to 18:00 over the two days, plus the Lérins Room, where the Investor Day is scheduled for Tuesday 17 November.

According to the programme published on 10 October 2026, Tuesday 17 November opens with addresses from the mayor of Cannes, the president of the Alpes-Maritimes Department, the president of Thales Alenia Space and the president of Université Côte d'Azur. The morning covers sovereignty and industrial capacity: European champions, the French national quantum strategy, an overview of public policies worldwide, and growth financing. The afternoon turns to the race for a fault-tolerant quantum computer, with speakers from MIT, ETH Zurich and the University of Innsbruck, followed by the challenges of software and performance benchmarking.

Wednesday 18 November is geared towards users: scaling up in large companies, security in the quantum era, integrating quantum into supercomputers, then training and skills.

Over the two days, the parallel rooms cover sector applications, hardware, instrumentation, communications and post-quantum cryptography, standards, software and sensors. Speakers include representatives of Airbus, EDF, Crédit Agricole and the European Space Agency on Tuesday, and of IBM, Pasqal, Alice & Bob and OVHcloud on Wednesday.

The honorary committee is chaired by the physicist and Nobel laureate Alain Aspect, and the scientific committee by Rainer Blatt, professor at the University of Innsbruck.

Investor Day and business meetings

The Investor Day is held behind closed doors, under the Chatham House Rule, supervised by members of the honorary committee who come from specialist funds. The morning covers strategic vision and capital deployment, the afternoon market adoption and industrial traction. The programme for Tuesday 17 November includes investor round tables, a matchmaking session, a peer lunch and an industrial challenges session.

The rest of the festival relies on pre-scheduled meetings between suppliers, investors, consultants, public decision-makers and users, a networking platform and a participant directory. The organiser also mentions a Quantum Startup Award, available for sponsorship, without publishing its rules.

Quantum Art & Society

For its first edition, the festival opens a space where quantum meets art and culture, accessible with the Expo Pass. The artistic trail brings together works by Julian Voss-Andreae, Libby Heaney, Studio Above&Below, Arotin & Serghei and ZooScan, complemented by a musical performance, a comic book, a documentary and hands-on experiences offered by Qolour. A programme in French, Horizons Quantiques, is aimed at Riviera businesses and the general public. For its part, Université Côte d'Azur announces, on Wednesday 18 November, a presentation of quantum technologies for businesses with the CCI Nice Côte d'Azur in the morning, and another for the general public in the afternoon.

Community & networks

The festival is supported by the City of Cannes and by the Alpes-Maritimes Department, which is shown as the main institutional sponsor. The Institut EuropIA, a not-for-profit organisation chaired by Marco Landi, presents itself as the originator of the World AI Cannes Festival, and today supports its quantum counterpart.

Université Côte d'Azur, co-organiser of this first edition according to its own announcement, holds stand B19, with scientific posters, demonstrations and meetings with its researchers. Its quantum ecosystem has been federated since 2022 by QuantAzur, the Riviera quantum federative institute.

A satellite event extends the festival: the SEALSQ Quantum Days, on Thursday 19 November 2026 at the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic in Cannes, devoted to post-quantum cybersecurity and trust infrastructure, free for festival participants on request.

On the press side, HKA Marketing Communications is the media relations partner, and press accreditation is open online.

On site: what you need to know

The festival takes place at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, on the Croisette. The exhibition opening hours have not been published as of 10 October 2026; the conference programme starts at 9:00 on Tuesday and ends at about 18:00 on both days.

Cannes railway station is a five-minute walk from the Palais. Nice-Côte d'Azur airport is 27 km away, linked by bus routes. From the towns of the surrounding area, the Palm Bus network serves the Palais.

For accommodation, the organiser works with the Revolugo platform, with negotiated rates, and recommends booking as early as possible. Communication is in English: the official website, the conference programme and the nomenclature are written in English; only the Horizons Quantiques page is in French.

How much does it cost to take part

For visitors, the price list is published. The Expo Pass is free: exhibition and networking areas on both days, networking platform and directory, access to the art and society space. The Business Pass, at €990 excl. VAT, adds the conferences, catering and networking events. The Academic Pass includes the same benefits for €495 excl. VAT.

For exhibitors, no price is displayed online. Exhibition and sponsorship offers can be downloaded via a form on the dedicated page, and the Valuexchange team builds tailor-made packages: stand, speaking slot, private event, technical workshop, sponsorship of the Quantum Startup Award.

Beyond the space itself, an exhibitor's budget will include travel to Cannes and accommodation on the Riviera for two days, three with the Thursday SEALSQ Quantum Days.

Planning your visit

For exhibitors

• Bring a demonstrator: the exhibition is presented as a showcase of hardware and ready-to-use solutions, and the organiser's pitch is proof of industrial maturity.
• Aim for the pre-scheduled meetings (360° Market Matchmaking), which the organiser presents as linking suppliers, investors, consultants, public decision-makers and users, and ask the organiser how to get registered.
• Identify in the programme the sessions that concern your customers: sovereignty, post-quantum cybersecurity, integration with supercomputers, sensors.
• Prepare materials in English: the website, the main programme and the target audience are international.

For decision-maker visitors

• The free Expo Pass is enough to walk the exhibition and meet exhibitors; the Business Pass adds the conferences, catering and networking events.
• Consult the participant directory beforehand to plan your meetings.
• For a Riviera company discovering the subject, the Horizons Quantiques programme, in French, is a good entry point.
• If post-quantum security is a topic for you, keep Thursday 19 November free for the SEALSQ Quantum Days.

Sustainability policy & initiatives

The festival website has no page devoted to corporate social responsibility, sustainability or accessibility, and does not mention any ISO 20121 certification for the event. Social responsibility appears there through its content: the Quantum Art & Society space and the public programme open the subject beyond specialists, and the organisers' editorials stress technology placed at the service of collective progress. These are statements of principle, not measurable commitments.

Valuexchange, the organiser, cites in its presentation a circular and sustainable approach to events among the priorities of the industry, with no published programme or quantified target.

The venue provides the best-documented framework. The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes has been ISO 20121 certified since 2022 for the responsible management of the events it hosts, ISO 9001 since 2009 and ISO 18788 since 2019. It has measured its carbon footprint since 2016, has held the Tourisme et Handicap label since 2012 and became a mission-driven company (société à mission) on 12 December 2022.

How the trade show has evolved

Trajectory analysis

The World Quantum Cannes Festival brings to Cannes a proven formula from artificial intelligence: an international technology festival backed by the city, the Department and the Institut EuropIA, set in the Palais des Festivals. Quantum arrives as the sector moves from research to industrialisation, and the event positions itself precisely on this transition: the programme devotes sessions to public policy, investment and industrial users, alongside the scientific sessions.

The first edition shows a high level of content for a launch: 105 sponsors and exhibitors listed on 10 October 2026, ahead of the opening on 17 November, a two-day programme across three rooms, and committees chaired by leading figures of the discipline. The weight of European players is clear, with Austrian and German agencies and clusters (Austrian Business Agency, Vienna Business Agency, Munich Quantum Valley, Quantum Valley Lower Saxony, Hannover Impuls), as is that of the Riviera ecosystem, led by Université Côte d'Azur.

Three unknowns will remain to be resolved after 18 November 2026: actual attendance, against the 1,200 participants announced; the frequency, which no communication specifies; and the balance between the exhibition and the conferences, which only a first review will make it possible to measure.

All data that do not mention a source come from the organiser's website.

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