AI WEEK 2026 closes with a European record: 29,285 in-person participants, 7 in 10 in leadership roles

Eight industries, leaders from Europe and North America and nearly 700 speakers: the numbers confirm AI WEEK as the meeting point of the AI ecosystem.

MILAN – The final count is in, and it is a record: AI WEEK 2026 welcomed 29,285 in-person participants at Rho Fair, a European record for an event dedicated to artificial intelligence. With this edition, the community that has gathered around AI WEEK in Milan has grown beyond 105,000 participants since the first editions.

The people who decide

The profile of the audience is what makes the number matter. 7 in 10 attendees hold a leadership role: 33% are CEOs and founders, 24% CTOs, 13% directors and 2% VPs, while 28% are managers. In other words, AI WEEK is where the people who sign off AI strategies, budgets and partnerships meet the companies that build the technology.

One event, eight industries

AI is crossing every sector, and the audience shows it. Industry and Manufacturing leads with 29% of attendees, followed by Finance and Insurance at 17% and Consulting at 12%. Retail and Energy & Utilities each account for 10%, Healthcare & Pharma for 9% and Education for 8%, alongside the public sector.

An international crowd

58% of the attendees came from Europe, with Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Austria among the most represented countries, while 1 in 3 travelled from North America. Delegations from Asia, including Japan and China, completed a truly global audience.

A programme with nearly 700 speakers

On the stages, nearly 700 speakers shared more than 500 sessions, from European policymakers to the researchers and founders of the world's leading AI companies, supported by the partners and sponsors who made the 2026 edition possible, with Arsenalia as Main Sponsor and Altermaind as Tech Sponsor.

The next appointment is already in the calendar: AI WEEK returns to Milan on May 25 and 26, 2027.

About AI WEEK

AI WEEK is Europe's largest event dedicated to artificial intelligence. Held every year in Milan, it brings together executives, founders, researchers, policymakers, investors and AI enthusiasts for two days of content, knowledge and networking on the concrete applications of AI and their impact on business and society.

AI WEEK 2027 – MAY 25-26, 2027 | Milan, Italy
Press contact: press@aiweek.it