How to prepare your participation in VivaTech 2027: the complete guide for exhibitors

Exhibiting at VivaTech means agreeing to play in a league where your neighbors are called Google, Microsoft or LVMH, where startups show up with 400 sqm immersive installations, and where a visitor who walks by without stopping won't come back tomorrow because they're already at the stand next door. VivaTech 2027 takes place June 16-19, 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 7. It's the 11th edition, with floor space expanded by 30% compared to 2025. More than 200,000 visitors, 4,500 exhibitors, 15,000 startups, 165 countries represented. Preparing your participation in VivaTech isn't something you improvise. Here's how to do it properly.

Why VivaTech stands apart in the tech calendar

The world's innovation crossroads, once a year

VivaTech was co-founded in 2016 by Publicis Groupe and Les Échos-Le Parisien Group. Over eleven editions, it has become Europe's leading event dedicated to tech and innovation, with a record audience of more than 200,000 visitors in 2026. The audience is mixed but highly qualified: large-company decision-makers, investors (2,800+ in attendance), startup founders, CIOs, innovation directors. Profiles who come looking for partners, technologies and deals.

A hybrid format with its own commercial logic

VivaTech runs over 4 days: the first three (Wednesday 16, Thursday 17, Friday 18 June) are reserved for professionals (9am-6pm). Saturday 19 June is open to the general public. This distinction matters: the three professional days concentrate the highest-value business conversations, investor meetings and strategic partnerships. The public day radically changes the visitor profile and needs to be anticipated with a suitably adapted welcome setup.

AI, deeptech and sustainability: the three filters for 2027

VivaTech 2027's structuring themes cover enterprise AI, deeptech, robotics, cybersecurity, GreenTech, SpaceTech and industrial transitions. An exhibitor whose positioning doesn't fit at least one of these axes risks seeming out of place in an environment where every stand talks transformation and innovation.

The ideal timeline for exhibiting at VivaTech 2027

12 to 9 months before: scope the project (summer 2026 to September 2026)

The starting question isn't "what will our stand look like". It's "why does VivaTech 2027 belong in our sales plan, and what do we need to get out of it". A large corporation wanting to showcase its AI vision, a scale-up looking for investors, a mid-sized company seeking technology partners: the objective shapes everything else. Large groups take up 300 to 1,500 sqm spaces configured as innovation labs. Mid-sized and small tech companies have standalone stands of 20 to 100 sqm. These format decisions need to be made now, not six weeks before opening.

This is also the moment to contact the organizer via VivaTech's official website to book your space.

6 to 4 months before: design and production (December 2026 to March 2027)

VivaTech imposes specific technical requirements: stands need a strong interactive, demonstrative dimension. A stand showing static visuals in a show where neighbors are running robots and demonstrating real-time AI loses the attention battle before it's even opened. The design brief must answer precise questions: what live demo, what power and connectivity hookups, what pitch area for investors, and how the stand reads from the aisle in under three seconds. This is also the moment to decide between a custom-built stand and a modular stand. Since VivaTech is annual, a modular stand designed to evolve from one edition to the next is often the more rational choice.

2 months before: communication and team training (April to May 2027)

VivaTech attracts visitors from 165 countries. Pre-show communication must be in French and English from the very first LinkedIn post. Eight to twelve weeks ahead, announce your participation with the hall number as soon as it's available, open a meeting schedule for investor and major-account profiles, and prepare talking points by visitor profile type. Team training must cover a point critical to VivaTech specifically: technical demos. If a demonstration freezes or nobody can explain it to a non-technical visitor, the impression left is the opposite of the one you wanted.

During the show (June 16-19, 2027): two shows in one

The three professional days concentrate the decisions. Wednesday often attracts the most senior profiles. A strict rotation every 3 to 4 hours prevents the fatigue that degrades the quality of interactions. Saturday's public day requires a different setup: simplified messaging, a team reconfigured for broad welcome, and contact capture via a QR code to a dedicated page rather than professional badge scanning.

VivaTech budget: what you really need to plan for

The line items specific to a tech show of this scale

Space rental, stand design and production: 60 to 70% of the visible budget. The VivaTech-specific line items that are often underestimated: connectivity (a high-performance internet connection can cost several thousand euros depending on the bandwidth needed), audiovisual equipment and screens (often rented on-site at high rates if not anticipated), and team badges. For the full breakdown: what you're really paying for your stand per square meter.

The modular calculation for an annual show

VivaTech is held every year. A modular stand designed to be reconfigured based on the year's objective (launch, partnerships, visibility) is structurally less costly over 3 to 4 editions than a stand rebuilt from scratch each time.

Generating qualified leads at VivaTech

Capture in a very high-traffic environment

VivaTech generates volume: 200,000 visitors over 4 days, many just passing through. The challenge isn't scanning everyone, it's quickly qualifying the profiles that matter. The 3-question qualification grid adapted for VivaTech: type of organization (large corporation, startup, investment fund, institution), topic of the conversation (tech partnership, investment, solution purchase), and urgency (ongoing project, early-stage thinking). That's the logic behind turning a stand into a lead-generation machine in a very high-throughput environment.

Live demos as a conversation trigger

At VivaTech, technological showmanship is the most effective magnet. A demo scheduled at a fixed time, announced on screen and promoted in advance, creates a gathering point and extends the time visitors spend at the stand.

After the show: the 72-hour window

Most opportunities are won after the show. Within 48 to 72 hours: a personalized follow-up referencing the specific topic discussed, sending the promised resources or demos, a LinkedIn connection. For international contacts, follow up in English without exception. To measure returns over time: how to calculate the ROI of a trade show.

Exhibiting at VivaTech 2027 means entering the most competitive environment on the French events calendar. A stand that doesn't stand out from the aisle, a demo that doesn't work, a team improvising its pitch in front of an investor: mistakes cost you immediately.

The companies that get the most out of VivaTech are the ones that defined a precise objective, built a sales setup calibrated for a tech audience, and trained their team to qualify, in 2 minutes, the profiles worth 20 minutes of conversation.

Your next participation in VivaTech deserves better than a last-minute scramble. Let's talk about it?

FAQ

What are the dates for VivaTech 2027?

VivaTech 2027 takes place June 16-19, 2027 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 7. Wednesday 16, Thursday 17 and Friday 18 June are reserved for professionals (9am-6pm). Saturday 19 June is open to the general public. It's the 11th edition, organized by Publicis Groupe and Les Échos-Le Parisien Group.

How many visitors are expected at VivaTech 2027?

The 2026 edition recorded a record of more than 200,000 visitors from 165 countries, 4,500 exhibitors and 15,000 startups. The 2027 exhibition space is expanded by 30% compared to 2025.

When should you book your stand for VivaTech?

Ideally 6 to 9 months before the event. Strategic spots in Hall 7 fill up quickly. For corporate formats incorporating startups, booking should be planned even further ahead.

What budget should you plan for a stand at VivaTech?

The budget depends on the format and floor area. Line items not to underestimate: high-performance internet connectivity (5 to 15% of the total budget depending on needs), audiovisual equipment, team badges.

Modular or custom-built stand for VivaTech?

Since VivaTech is annual, modular is often the more rational choice from your second participation onward. A stand designed to be reconfigured based on the year's objective costs structurally less over several editions than one rebuilt from scratch each time.

How far ahead of the show should you start preparing your presence?

Strategic scoping starts 9 to 12 months ahead. Stand design starts 4 to 6 months ahead, factoring in specific tech constraints. Communication and team training intensify in the final 2 months.