it-sa 2026: What The Hack! with live sessions and Hack-O-Ween premiere
Three days of it-sa Expo&Congress, numerous specialist discussions, and several program items with What The Hack!: SBG Serious Business Gaming GmbH draws a positive conclusion from the trade fair held from October 27 to 29, 2026, in Nuremberg. Thorben Steenmanns, Marcus Schaper, and What-the-Hexe! Romy were on site from Tuesday to Thursday.
The trade fair offered us the opportunity to contribute experiences from our awareness formats to the cybersecurity community, discover new perspectives, and engage in discussions with decision-makers from companies, associations, and the IT security industry.
Successful Kick-off at the IT-Security Club
Directly on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., our trade fair program kicked off at the IT-Security Club within the Bitkom program. Donald Ortmann and Ron Kneffel hosted the session. We were pleased to give a brief review of the online awareness tournament that took place in September. The tournament victory went to the team from Rohde & Schwarz.
We would like to thank the Bitkom Academy, as well as Donald and Ron, for the invitation and the opportunity to reflect together. The kick-off demonstrated how experiences from a digital team format can be transformed into an open technical exchange about security awareness.
Thursday: Presentation, Live Game, and the Premiere of Hack-O-Ween
On Thursday, two more program highlights followed. At 9:30 a.m., Marcus Schaper delivered his presentation to a well-attended audience. The focus was on how serious gaming can create shared access to security awareness topics.
At 1 p.m., listening turned into active playing: In the officially announced session “Beyond Human Firewall – Experience Serious Gaming LIVE with What The Hack!”, around 50 visitors took part in an awareness game. Thorben Steenmanns and Marcus Schaper guided participants through the format.
A special moment was the world premiere of Hack-O-Ween. The new seasonal campaign was played in front of an audience for the first time at it-sa, accompanied by What-the-Hexe! Romy. For us, this was a great combination of professional exchange, joint decision-making in the game, and the unique atmosphere of the trade fair.
it-sa 2026 Continues Its Growth Trajectory
The official trade fair figures also underline the importance of it-sa for the cybersecurity industry. According to the organizer, 1,005 exhibitors showcased their products and services. More than 33,000 trade visitors from over 70 countries came to Nuremberg. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to an increase in visitors of around 20 percent.
This marked the first time it-sa exceeded the milestone of 1,000 exhibitors. The five exhibition halls were fully booked. For 2027, the organizer has already announced an additional hall as well as a new it-sa Conference. The growth was not only evident in the numbers on site: packed forums, intensive discussions, and an international audience characterized the first two days of the trade fair in particular.
A specialist review by IT-Daily describes AI security as the defining topic of the trade fair. In addition, digital sovereignty, NIS2, and post-quantum cryptography were in focus. The wide range of topics shows that cybersecurity is increasingly touching upon technical, regulatory, and organizational issues simultaneously.
What Particularly Stood Out to Us
In our discussions, the focus was often not just on individual technical solutions. Many decision-makers were concerned with how security requirements can be communicated clearly, decisions discussed collaboratively, and awareness measures effectively integrated into everyday work. This is our impression from discussions on site, not a representative survey.
That is precisely why it was so valuable not just to explain What The Hack!, but to bring it to life in a live session. A shared game replaces neither technical protective measures nor a complete security awareness program. However, it can create a concrete occasion to bring different assessments to light and discuss them professionally.
Our Conclusion
For SBG, it-sa 2026 was an intensive and successful industry gathering. We are taking away numerous conversations, fresh momentum, and a lot of motivation for the next steps. Our thanks go to everyone who participated in the sessions, played along, or took the time to talk with us.
Companies wishing to experience security awareness together in a moderated session can find more information about our Security Awareness Team Event. For recurring deployments and thematic campaigns, the Security Awareness Platform is available.
Sources and Further Information
Your Contact Person
Thorben Steenmanns
Chief Gaming Officer & Head of Sales
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