Larger and more international: it-sa sets new records with 630 exhibitors and 12,780 trade visitors

• Double-digit growth in exhibitor and visitor numbers drives growth
• International visitor attendance much higher
• Supporting programme with international participation
• Honorary partners and partners support it-sa
• it-sa India opening up new markets from 2018

it-sa is underscoring its role as one of the world’s most important IT security exhibitions and as the leading event in Europe: With 630* exhibitors (2016: 489) and 12,780 visitors (2016: 10,181), the ninth edition of the dialogue platform for cyber security experts has ended with new records. it-sa has continued on its growth path this year, too, with double-digit growth rates of 28 percent in exhibitor numbers and 25 percent in visitor numbers. International visitor attendance saw particularly robust growth compared with last year: The number of foreign trade visitors was 53 percent higher than in 2016. Exhibitors from 24 countries and three international pavilions also highlighted issues including the international relevance caused by it-sa. Experts learned about the challenges of the EU General Data Protection Regulation at the Congress@it-sa accompanying congress programme.

it-sa 2017 was bigger than ever with a 46 percent growth in exhibition area. In a new combination of Hall 9 and the two-storey Hall 10, four lecture platforms and 320 presentations in open forums offered a wide variety of specialist knowledge and experts’ views on IT security issues. The Startups@it-sa and Campus@it-sa special areas provided information about young companies as well as the research landscape and training opportunities in IT security.

International focus
Israel, France and the Czech Republic were represented at it-sa 2017 with their own pavilions and demonstrated the strengths of their IT security industry. In addition to a large number of companies, associations and institutions, well-known speakers from international stakeholders, such as European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), took part in the lecture programme. For instance, Dr Steve Purser, the head of Core Operations Department, provided an outlook regarding upcoming security requirements in the Internet of Things.

An appeal from Daniel Domscheit-Berg
In his special keynote speech, the former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg called upon the IT security experts in attendance to actively shape digital change. Radical changes during the course of the third industrial revolution meant that it was up to society as a whole, but especially to the IT security sector to demand sensible guidelines for this transformation to be successful.

Knowledge transfer at Congress@it-sa
The congress programme accompanying the exhibition featured a total of 14 lecture series on current topics, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation, IT compliance and data security for digital health applications. These sessions offered participating experts an opportunity for intense exchanges and additional transfer of knowledge.

The heart of IT security beats in Nuremberg
Many representatives from the world of policy-making, authorities and associations met at it-sa and the congress to exchange information about cyber security. For example, the annual meeting of IT security officers in state and local authorities and the IT Basic Protection Day staged by the German Federal Office for Information Security took place under the Congress@it-sa umbrella. “The heart of IT security beats in Nuremberg,” its President Arne Schönbohm said, stressing the importance of it-sa. “From an industry perspective, we can be truly proud that the largest exhibition on this topic is established here.” An official reception in the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance, for Rural Development and Homeland took place on the day before the exhibition to celebrate the opening of it-sa. International delegations from India, Austria and the Netherlands and a delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Alexander M. Makhonov, travelled to Nuremberg especially to learn about the latest developments in IT security. “it-sa has the world’s highest number of exhibitors of any IT security exhibition.” Experts from all over the world come to Nuremberg, making it the central platform for dialogue on cyber security,” summed up Petra Wolf, Member of Management Board of the organizer NürnbergMesse.

Bitkom extends honorary sponsorship
The Federal Association for Information Technology, Bitkom, has reiterated its support for it-sa and will continue providing intense support for the exhibition as honorary sponsor together with the Federal Office for Information Security. “it-sa is the right platform to advance the issue of IT security. That is why Bitkom is continuing to support it-sa in Nuremberg as an honorary sponsor,” said Bitkom Executive Committee member Winfried Holz. He signed the certificate to extend the partnership for another three years in the presence of the Bavarian Deputy Minister-President and State Minister of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology, Ilse Aigner, together with Dr Roland Fleck and Peter Ottmann, the CEOs of NürnbergMesse Group.

it-sa India – a new market in the spotlight
With the premiere of it-sa India on 24 and 25 May 2018 in Mumbai, NürnbergMesse is adding an international IT security exhibition to its portfolio. The new exhibition is also experiencing support from the IT Security Association Germany (TeleTrusT). Its managing director Dr Holger Mühlbauer anticipates significant potential for IT security providers. “We are convinced of it-sa as an industry platform in Nuremberg. So we are really happy to see that companies with an international outlook will be able to count on a proven exhibition format that can serve as a platform for their expansion in India in future, too.”

The next it-sa will take place in Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 9 to 11 October 2018.

For more information, please visit: www.nuernbergmesse.de/en/security

Contact for press and media
Thomas Philipp Haas, Lena Vogl
T +49 9 11 86 06-83 23
F +49 9 11 86 06-12 83 23
lena.vogl@nuernbergmesse.de

All press releases and more detailed information, video impressions and photos are available from: www.it-sa.de/en/news