Cvent CONNECT Europe is back for 2026, bringing marketing, event, and hospitality professionals together for two packed days of ideas, inspiration, practical learning and ample opportunities to connect.
Taking place from 20–22 October at the InterContinental London – The O2, this year, our conference will explore disruption and change and what you can do about it. Expect fresh perspectives on everything from brand building to AI, data, venue sourcing, and the future of events.
So, what’s new for 2026? (spoiler, so much!)
- Leanne Joseph (pictured below) takes over as our conference MC, bringing fresh energy to the main stage.
- Paralympic medalist, broadcaster and adventurer Ade Adepitan MBE is our inspirational keynote speaker to kick-start day two.
- Comedian and TV presenter Joel Dommett will take the reins for the Cvent Excellence Awards Europe.
Ready to start planning your agenda? Here’s what to expect from Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026.
Big names. Big conversations. A fresh face on the main stage
After two years with Dermot O’Leary at the helm, Leanne Joseph takes over as our Cvent CONNECT Europe MC for 2026.
A London-born, Amsterdam-based host and moderator, Leanne started her career in the music industry. Today, you’ll find her speaking on conference stages worldwide and working with brands including WeTransfer and Red Bull. Expect warmth, energy, and bucketloads of personality as she guides us through two packed days.
As always, Cvent Founder and CEO Reggie Aggarwal will get Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026 underway with his annual big-picture overview, setting the tone for everything that follows.
Reggie will be followed by the always-anticipated Cvent Product Roadmaps (Wednesday 21 October: 10:15-11:15). Two parallel sessions will cover Event Marketing & Management and Hospitality Professionals, showing you what’s new and what’s next across the Cvent platform.
Then, on Thursday morning, you’ll hear from Ade Adepitan MBE.
Ade is a Paralympic medallist, broadcaster, journalist and campaigner whose career has taken him from winning Paralympic bronze in Athens to presenting major sporting events and making documentaries exploring climate change and the fight to eradicate polio.
Expect an inspiring start to day two from someone who knows more than most about performing under pressure.
What’s in store for marketers?
How do you win attention when everyone is competing for it? And once you have it, how do you turn that attention into action? Our sessions for marketers offer practical ideas you can take back to your own campaigns.
Highlights include:
How modern CMOs use events to power brand
Wednesday 21 October: 11:30–12:15
Cvent CMO Amy Lucia will explore how events bring thought leadership, content and brand strategy together. You’ll discover how to connect long-term brand impact to pipeline, retention and organizational results, helping you make a stronger case for event program investment.
From promotion to partnership: the creator opportunity for events
Wednesday 21 October: 13:30-14:15
Presented in partnership with The Drum, this session looks at how creators can become strategic partners in B2B marketing and events. Discover how bringing creators into campaigns early can add fresh perspective to your story, turn live moments into content, and extend your reach well beyond the room. You’ll hear how to build creator partnerships that feel authentic, support your wider marketing strategy, and deliver impact you can measure.
The GEO playbook: Getting your content found in AI search
Thursday 22 October: 15:15-15:45
We'll spotlight generative engine optimization and what you can do to make your content more visible as AI reshapes search. You’ll learn which formats are most likely to surface in AI-generated answers, how to structure and repurpose event content for stronger discoverability, and how to assess where your brand shows up today.
How modern marketers win mindshare
Thursday 22 October 10:15-11:00
This session argues that demand starts with mindshare, not intent, and that the trust built at events is the one advantage AI can’t replicate. Leave with a playbook for keeping your event alive all year, the content formats earning the highest engagement, and AI prompts you can use today.
What’s in store for event professionals?
These sessions are a chance to get practical about some of the biggest questions facing planners right now, such as how to prove the value of your programs and how to make AI genuinely useful. They include:
Cvent on Cvent: How our events team uses AI to rethink their entire event programme
Wednesday 21 October: 11:45-12:30
See how the team behind Cvent events is putting AI to work across its own program. We’ll take you behind the scenes to explore what’s working, what the team is learning, and how AI is changing the way our team plans and delivers events. Leave with a sharper path to AI adoption, and a stronger foundation for AI-ready data and measurement.
Bridging events and marketing: How to prove business impact together
Wednesday 21 October: 15:30-16:00
Drawing on benchmarking research from ICEN (International Corporate Events Network), this session will explore what measurement and collaboration look like in practice when event and marketing teams work from the same playbook. Learn a common language for talking about the value of events and ideas for strengthening team dynamics.
Busting data silos: Turning event data into intelligence you can act on
Wednesday 21 October: 13:30-14:00
Take a practical look at how to connect your event data to the rest of your tech stack and turn it into actionable intelligence. Leave knowing what to fix first, so you can show what your events deliver and make the strongest possible case for your program.
What’s in store for hospitality professionals?
We’ve also curated sessions to help hospitality professionals explore the trends influencing demand and what they mean for the year ahead. Our handpicked highlights are:
GBTA insights on the future of corporate travel and meetings
Wednesday 21 October: 11:30-12:30
Get the latest perspective on the forces shaping business travel and meetings from the Global Business Travel Association. You’ll see where travel managers are adapting, how AI is supporting smarter sourcing and better traveler experiences, and how to plan with more confidence.
The future of corporate travel: A fireside chat with Accor
Thursday 22 October: 11:30-12:15
Hear directly from Accor about how corporate travel is evolving and what it means for hospitality.Leave with a clearer view of where the market is heading, what opportunities are emerging, and how travel and hospitality leaders can adapt with confidence.
Better together: where planners and hospitality professionals meet
This year, several sessions bring both the planning and hospitality sides of the industry together to tackle shared challenges, swap perspectives, and find practical ways forward. Two hand-picked highlights include:
From friction to flow in venue sourcing: Real stories and co-created solutions
Wednesday 21 October: 15:15-16:00
Where does friction creep into the sourcing process, and what can both sides do about it? Planners, venue teams and destination leaders will come together to share real-world experiences of where sourcing gets stuck. You’ll hear solutions for better communication and for building smoother processes.
The accessibility mistakes events keep making (and how to fix them)
Thursday22 October: 15:00-15:45
This practical session features Mike Duignan, Chair of the Centre for Events & Festivals (CEF); Michelle Weltman MBE, Head of Disability at London Marathon Events; and Adrian Bossey, Chair of AEME (Association for Events Management Education).
Hear them explore the mistakes that continue to create barriers for attendees and what planners and hospitality professionals can do differently. You’ll leave with strategies for designing more accessible, inclusive experiences from the outset.
One for everyone
The human advantage: How to claim the power of your story
Thursday 22 October: 13:15–13:45
Discover a fresh perspective on yourself by stepping away from our sessions for 30 minutes to reflect on your own story, recognize the strengths within it, and consider how you can put them to work.
BAFTA award-winning leadership coach Abi Osho will help you explore how the experiences that have shaped you can become a creative and professional advantage.
Dedicated sessions for associations and life sciences
Some event challenges are specific to your sector. So we’ve added a dedicated agenda for association, nonprofit and life sciences professionals, giving you more time to explore the issues that matter most to your organization.
Rethinking Events: The Nonprofit Experience
Wednesday 21 October: 11:30-15:30
Designed for association and nonprofit teams, this half-day experience explores how events can deliver greater member value, strengthen communities and support wider organizational goals. Expect focused conversations with peers who understand the opportunities and challenges of creating events for member-led organizations.
Life Sciences: From event moments to omnichannel momentum
Wednesday 21 October: 12:15-15:30
This interactive lunch and workshop will bring teams together to explore how individual event moments can contribute to a more connected, ongoing engagement strategy. Leave with practical ideas to solve organizational pitfalls, plus peer perspectives on what’s working now.
Get closer to what’s next from Cvent
Want to dig deeper into the tools you use every day? Alongside the big-picture Product Roadmap sessions (Wednesday 21 October: 10:15-11:15), you’ll find shorter Roadmap Talks across both days, giving you the chance to focus on the solutions most relevant to your role.
Celebrate success with Joel Dommett
Wednesday evening is all about celebrating the people and organizations raising the bar across our industry at the Cvent Excellence Awards Europe.
This year, we’ve got a new host handing out the trophies. Comedian and TV presenter Joel Dommett will bring his trademark energy to the awards stage. Best known for hosting The Masked Singer, Joel has also fronted Survivor, Live at the Apollo and the National Television Awards, so expect plenty of laughs alongside the celebrations.
The awards take place Wednesday 21 October from 18:30–21:00, straight after Happy Hour. Once the winners have been crowned, stick around for an evening reception with food, drinks and live entertainment. It’s your chance to celebrate success, catch up with new connections and round off the first day of CONNECT Europe in style.
More ways to recharge
Two packed days of learning and networking can sap your energy, so this year we’re giving you more opportunities to reset and recharge in fun and interesting ways.
Corporate wellness specialist Sarah Hunt will run short energizers and reset sessions between content, a deeper dive into high performance and wellbeing, and opportunities for one-to-one wellbeing consultations.
Our aim is to help you stay energized, absorb more of what you hear and leave CONNECT Europe feeling supported and inspired.
Prefer to recharge by turning up the volume? SongDivision, led by Sam McNeill, will bring music-led energy to both days, from pre-keynote lifts and energizers to the Cvent Excellence Awards evening. You’ll also see wellbeing and music come together at other points across the agenda.
So, whether your idea of a reset is a moment of calm or a burst of music and energy, you’ll find more opportunities to recharge between sessions this year.
Start early with our Pre-conference day
Tuesday 20 October offers an invite-only half-day of deeper learning and conversations before the main conference begins.
The Partner Summitruns from 12:00–17:00, bringing our partner community together, while the Leadership Summitruns from 14:00–18:00, giving senior marketing and event leaders dedicated time to connect, share ideas, and explore the issues shaping the industry.
You can also roll up your sleeves in our morning Training Camps for customers. These hands-on sessions will offer practical learning and the opportunity to dig deeper before CONNECT Europe gets into full swing.
Think of Tuesday as your chance to go deeper, make connections early and hit the ground running when the main conference opens on Wednesday.
New for 2026: European Leaders Experience
Thinking of joining us from France, Belgium or the Netherlands? New for 2026, our European Leaders Experiencewill bring together a select group of 30 senior event professionals and event-led marketers for a hosted CONNECT Europe experience in London.
If selected, you’ll receive complimentary registration for Cvent CONNECT Europe, round-trip Eurostar travel, two nights at the InterContinental London – The O2, plus hosted networking and curated experiences around the city.
It’s an opportunity to experience CONNECT alongside a small group of peers, exchange ideas and return home with fresh thinking for your own events.
Applications are open now. We’ll notify selected participants by 18 September 2026. If you’re eligible and interested, register here today.
Can’t make it to London? Join us virtually
We’d love to see you at the InterContinental London – The O2, but if you can’t join us in person, you won’t have to miss out completely.
A virtual agenda and CONNECT TV will give you more ways to access Cvent CONNECT Europe and return to content you may have missed, wherever you are. We’ll share more details on virtual attendance and CONNECT TV soon.
Don’t miss Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026
Cvent CONNECT Europe is the place to connect with the people, ideas and technology shaping what’s next for events, marketing and hospitality.
Join us at the InterContinental London – The O2 on 20–22 October to learn from industry leaders, get practical insights on the challenges you’re tackling right now, and connect with peers from across Europe and beyond.
Ready to get inspired? Explore the full agenda and register now for Cvent CONNECT Europe 2026.
