IDC - AI Leadership Summit

IDC AI Leadership Summit, 2027 series
Reimagining leadership, innovation and value creation in the enterprise.
Partner with IDC's 2027 AI Leadership Summit. Nineteen events across 20 countries, built for the CIOs, CTOs and business leaders who own AI budget and vendor selection.
Every board has approved an AI line item. Far fewer boards agree on who is accountable for the outcome. Governance, ROI and organizational redesign have replaced “which model” as the questions keeping CIOs and CEOs up at night.
That’s the conversation the IDC AI Leadership Summit series is built around: the boardroom priorities set by the leaders who own AI budget, in the rooms where they are the ones in the seats.
IDC FutureScape · By 2028
Every Global 100 firm will spend at least $2 million annually on unified AI governance — a permanent, material line item on the enterprise P&L.
Worldwide AI spending in 2027, confirming AI as a structural enterprise cost.
Of organizations rank AI governance as their #2 investment priority for 2026, second only to data quality.
Of G2000 CEOs without a clear AI strategy will face board replacement pressure by 2029.
Of AI apps will fail to progress beyond proof of concept by 2027, pushing CEOs to centralize through AI Centers of Excellence.
Source: IDC’s AI MaturityScape Benchmark Survey, May 2026 (n = 583 EMEA respondents); IDC FutureScape: Worldwide AI and Automation 2026 Predictions.
Want the full breakdown by seniority, function and industry? Talk to the sponsorship team
Technology Leadership C-Suite – CIO, CTO, Chief Digital Officer, Chief AI Officer, CISO Directors & VPS – VP IT/Engineering, Director of Infrastructure,IT Director, Security Director Managers – IT Managers, Platform Leads, Tech Strategy Leads, IT Security Manager
AI & Data Leadership C-Suite – Chief Data Officer, Chief Analytics Officer, Chief AI Officer Directors & VPS – Head of AI/ML, Head of Data Science, Director of Analytics, Head of AI Architecture Managers – Data Managers, AI/ML Practitioners, AI Programme Manager, AI Governance Officer
Line of Business C-Suite – CFO, CHRO, Chief Legal Officer, CMO, Chief Customer Officer Directors & VPS – VP Finance/Sales/HR/Marketing/Operations, General Counsel, Head of Risk/Compliance Managers – Finance/HR/Legal/Sales/Marketing Leads, Risk & Compliance Manager, CX Manager
Start with the three summits opening the 2027 series
March 2027 – Toronto
22 March 2027 – Riyadh
April 2027 – Frankfurt
Every partnership starts with one question. How can our AI Leadership series help your business? Choose the outcome and we build the format around it.
A brand-new recognition programme presented at select summits across the 2027 series. IDC invites organizations to submit AI project nominations, an analyst panel reviews them against four qualifying criteria, and qualifiers are showcased on stage with a trophy, address and photo — host and strategic partners co-host the ceremony and present the top award.
Sponsorships delivered across regions
Unique sponsors engaged globally
Senior decision-makers worldwide
C-level and senior executives worldwide
Cities where we hosted on-site events
“This was one of the most well-executed events I’ve attended in recent memory. I absolutely, absolutely loved it.”
VP, Product Management, Platform & Technologies
“We got to see so many different customers, across industries we hadn’t really engaged with before. Thanks to IDC for pulling it all together.”
Senior Customer Advisor for Business AI
Every summit is built around defined personas — CXO, IT & Data Leadership, Risk & Governance, HR Leaders and AI Practitioners.
Topics are directly mapped to IDC’s current AI research priorities — not generic AI content.
This isn’t a general tech crowd — it’s the CIOs, CTOs and business leaders who own AI budget and vendor selection.
IDC’s research is the benchmark buyers already use to validate their decisions.
Live peer-to-peer CXO panels and real-world implementation case studies from organizations nominated for the IDC Luminary AI Honours.
Beyond brand exposure, every partnership is structured to generate qualified, sales-ready engagement.
Board-Led AI Strategies — Securing budget & buy-in
Where you add value: Sponsor keynotes securing AI budget & buy-in
Innovation vs Productivity Balancing growth with efficiency Where you add value: Showcase platforms turning pilots into ROI