European AI and Cloud Summit 2026

A three-day Microsoft-community-organised conference held at Confex Cologne from 5 to 7 May 2026, focused on Azure AI, Microsoft Copilot, cloud architecture, and enterprise AI development, co-located with the European Collaboration Summit and European BizApps Summit, with over 3,000 attendees and 250 sessions according to the organiser.

DATES
5–7 May 2026
3 days
VENUE
Confex Cologne
Cologne, Germany
ORGANISER
Community Days
Microsoft community
ATTENDANCE
3,000+
self-reported; 250+ sessions self-reported

Definition

The European AI and Cloud Summit is an annual conference organised within the Community Days network, a global community of Microsoft-focused technology practitioners. The event is described as Europe's largest conference dedicated to artificial intelligence, Microsoft Azure, OpenAI, and cloud computing. The 2026 edition takes place from 5 to 7 May at Confex Cologne. It is co-located with the European Collaboration Summit (Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint) and the European BizApps Summit (Dynamics 365, Power Platform), allowing multi-track access across all three conferences with a single upgraded ticket.

The event features Microsoft executives, Program Managers, Microsoft Regional Directors, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) alongside independent practitioners and enterprise speakers. The Community Days organising model means the event is built by practitioners for practitioners within the Microsoft ecosystem, rather than by a commercial conference company.

The 2026 edition: 5–7 May in Cologne

The 2026 edition ran from 5 to 7 May 2026 at Confex Cologne. This fiche is written with the event already having taken place; registration and call for speakers were closed at time of verification. The event featured 90+ sponsors and exhibitors according to the organiser, and included pre-conference workshops (including Azure AI Foundry development classes) and a CloudStartup Stage with the Microsoft for Startups AI Pitch Competition. The official hashtag was #cloudsummit and the website is at https://cloudsummit.eu.

Note: The source database record lists the duration as 1 day (2026-05-05). The Community Days event listing and the official description confirm three days (5–7 May 2026). This fiche uses the three-day confirmed dates.

Where the European AI and Cloud Summit sits in the AI calendar

The European AI and Cloud Summit runs in the first week of May, a period that also sees other European enterprise technology events. Its co-location with the European Collaboration Summit and BizApps Summit makes it the largest Microsoft-ecosystem practitioner gathering in Europe by session count. It does not position itself against platform-agnostic AI events; its value proposition is explicit Microsoft-stack depth. For organisations running Azure-centric data and AI strategies, it serves as the primary European community reference point.

Who attends the European AI and Cloud Summit

What the European AI and Cloud Summit format includes

What the European AI and Cloud Summit covers

FAQ · Identity and audience

What is the European AI and Cloud Summit?

It is an annual three-day Microsoft-community conference in Europe dedicated to Azure AI, cloud computing, and Microsoft-stack enterprise technology. Organised within the Community Days network and co-located with two other Microsoft-focused summits, it runs in Cologne and features Microsoft executives, MVPs, and independent practitioners. Attendance is reported at 3,000+ by the organiser.

Who is the European AI and Cloud Summit NOT designed for?

Attendees unlikely to get full value include:

  • Practitioners working primarily with non-Microsoft cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud) who are not evaluating Azure
  • AI researchers or academics seeking content outside enterprise AI application on the Microsoft stack
  • Organisations with no Microsoft 365, Azure, or Dynamics 365 footprint seeking platform-agnostic AI guidance
  • Practitioners whose interest is AI governance from a policy or rights-based perspective
  • Attendees seeking content on open-source AI frameworks outside the Azure AI ecosystem
What is Community Days?

Community Days is a global network supporting and listing Microsoft community events. It is not a commercial conference company. Events listed on communitydays.org are typically organised by local and regional practitioner communities within the broader Microsoft MVP and Regional Director network. The European AI and Cloud Summit's parent website is https://cloudsummit.eu; the Community Days listing at communitydays.org provides a secondary directory entry.

Is the European AI and Cloud Summit the same as the European Collaboration Summit?

No. They are three separate co-located events: European AI and Cloud Summit, European Collaboration Summit (Microsoft 365, Teams), and European BizApps Summit (Dynamics 365, Power Platform). They share dates, the Cologne venue, and an option for joint-access tickets, but each has a distinct programme and focus area.

The venue: Confex Cologne

Confex Cologne is located at Messeplatz 1, Cologne 50679, in the Rhine area of the city. It is part of the wider Koelnmesse exhibition and conference campus. The venue is accessible from Cologne main railway station (approximately 3 km) and by tram and bus. Cologne-Bonn Airport is approximately 17 km from the venue. The campus has capacity for large multi-track conference formats with concurrent exhibition space, suitable for the 90+ exhibitor format.

The organiser: Community Days

The European AI and Cloud Summit is organised under the Community Days network. Community Days is a practitioner-led initiative with Microsoft Corporation as a global sponsor. The event's own domain is https://cloudsummit.eu. The Community Days network also globally sponsors Microsoft-community events worldwide. No single named individual organiser is publicly identified for this event on available sources; the event is associated with the broader community organising structure of the Microsoft MVP and Regional Director community in Europe.

Editorial take

Three co-located events on the Microsoft stack under one roof in Cologne is a genuinely efficient configuration for enterprise Microsoft practitioners; the community organiser model keeps vendor capture in check, though the Azure-centric scope is a real boundary for anyone outside the Microsoft ecosystem.

How to register and what it costs

Registration for the 2026 edition is closed (the event concluded on 7 May 2026). For the 2027 edition, monitor https://cloudsummit.eu. The event offers tiered ticket options: a standard ticket covers the European AI and Cloud Summit; an upgraded ticket grants access to all three co-located events. Pricing for past editions is not publicly archived on the website.

FAQ · Access and practicalities

Can I attend sessions from all three co-located events?

Yes, with an upgraded ticket. A standard ticket covers one event; the upgrade provides access across the European AI and Cloud Summit, European Collaboration Summit, and European BizApps Summit.

Are pre-conference workshops included in the ticket price?

The website describes pre-conference workshops as a separate component (Azure AI Foundry development classes mentioned). Whether these are included in standard or upgraded tickets, or priced separately, is not confirmed in available sources.

Is the 2027 edition confirmed?

As of verification on 2026-06-09, no announcement for the 2027 edition has been published on the official website.

Resources

Official website https://cloudsummit.eu
Community Days listing https://www.communitydays.org/event/2026-05-05/european-ai-and-cloud-summit-2026
Register registration closed for 2026; monitor cloudsummit.eu for 2027
Programme not available post-event