Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2026, Orlando

Gartner IT Symposium by the numbers

Every figure links to where it came from. Attendance for an event that has not happened is a projection, and each row says so rather than presenting it as a count.

• Dates19 to 22 Oct

  Gartner's own newsroom announcement of 9 July 2026. Four days at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, Orlando. Gartner newsroom

• CIOs and IT executives7,000+

  Gartner's figure for CIOs and senior IT leaders attending. The seniority concentration is what the event sells on rather than raw scale. Gartner newsroom

• Sessions350+

  Across four days, delivered by more than 140 Gartner analysts alongside 180 solution providers. Gartner newsroom

• 2026 themeIgnite Intelligence

  Gartner's stated theme, covering AI, business transformation, cybersecurity, customer experience, data analytics and executive leadership. Gartner newsroom

What is Gartner IT Symposium?

Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo is the research firm's flagship gathering for CIOs and senior IT executives, held at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando each October. The 2026 dates are 19 to 22 October under the theme Ignite Intelligence. Its distinguishing feature is analyst access: more than 140 Gartner analysts deliver over 350 sessions, and the value proposition is research and one-to-one advisory rather than vendor announcements.

Who goes to Gartner IT Symposium?

CIOs, CTOs and senior IT leadership from large enterprises, plus the 180 solution providers selling to them. Gartner puts attendance at more than 7,000 CIOs and senior leaders. It is one of the most seniority-concentrated events in this directory, and the vendor presence is deliberately structured around that audience rather than a general expo floor.

Gartner IT Symposium side events

Solution providers run their own hospitality, dinners and executive briefings across the Disney resort area throughout the week, most of them invitation-only and targeted at specific accounts. Because the audience is so senior and so well defined, the unofficial programme is heavily account-driven rather than open. Aspire does not run any of it.

Gartner IT Symposium tickets and costs

Registration runs through Gartner's conference site. Gartner did not publish a price in the announcement checked for this entry, so none is quoted here; its conferences are historically among the more expensive in this directory, and Gartner clients often have seats included in their contracts, which is worth checking internally first. Orlando in late October is warm and the hurricane season is tailing off.

• RegistrationNot published

  Gartner did not state a price in the newsroom announcement checked on 30 August 2026. Gartner clients may have conference entitlements included in existing contracts. Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo

Getting to Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

Orlando International is roughly 25 to 30 minutes from the Walt Disney World resort area by road. There is no useful rail connection, so a shuttle, taxi or ride-hail is the practical option. The Swan and Dolphin sits inside the Disney complex, which has its own internal transport between properties.

Where to stay for Gartner IT Symposium

The Swan and Dolphin itself, or the neighbouring Disney resorts on the Boardwalk, which are walkable or a short boat ride away. Because the event is contained within a resort, staying on site is worth more here than at a city conference. Rooms in the host block go early.

What to know before booking Gartner IT Symposium

The one-to-one analyst meetings are the highest-value part of the event and they are booked on a first-come basis, so the schedule matters more than the agenda. If your organisation already has a Gartner subscription, check what conference entitlements it includes before paying a public rate. The venue is a resort complex, so the event is self-contained.

Gartner IT Symposium: common questions