Organisers Statement 2026

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Overview

The Pan African DataCentres Exhibition & Conference (PADC) delivered just under 1500 attendees over the course of the two days, a 12% increase in attendance YOY.

The tone of the event was professional, both in the style and quality of people delivered.

The beginning of the morning of Day 1 was slower than expected, possibly due to the fog and accidents making entry into Sandton area longer than normal. However, from 10.00am onwards the event built steadily delivering over 900 quality attendees on the first day alone.

Day 2 was busy from the get go, in the morning with the Free To Attend conference sessions (sponsored by the ADCA) attracting nearly 100 people in each of the first three sessions.

Whilst attendance did drop away in the afternoon of day two, many of the exhibitors stated that they had seen more quality contacts during the morning, and had had the time to engage with them discuss and arrange follow-up conversations and meetings.

PADC once again worked with our Supporting Associations/Organisations; the Africa Data Centres Association, the Uptime Institute, Women in Sustainable STEM Africa (Wissa), South African Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SACCI), and Rising Advisory Africa. These organisations assisted us to identify and deliver relevant content addressing the various aspects involved in site selection, design, build and operations of Data Centres to make them relevant for purpose whilst being effective, efficient, safe and secure and resilient.

The conference sessions and streams were strong this year, as reflected in the number of delegates who attended over the course of the event. The conference featured over 70 individual Speakers, Panellists and Chairs.

The subject matter of individual presentations and panel discussions does change with delegate interest in the subject. However, on the morning of day the panel discussion “Mapping Investment Trends and Opportunities for 2026 and beyond” had over 80 Delegates. Whilst the final session on day two “AI is arriving in Africa before they are ready for it – What does that mean for how we build, and who gets left behind?” achieved over 40 Delegates, finishing just ten minutes before the event closed.

The importance of these sessions to the delivery of quality attendees should be recognised, as many had planned the timing and length of stay to allow them to hear particular talks/sessions.

The networking reception at the end of day 1, in the exhibition hall, which was open to visitors, speakers and exhibitors attracted around 130 people and was a success. With attendees stating that the opportunity to share a drink or two and discuss the day was welcomed.

The Gala Dinner was again a success with the after-dinner speaker, Jonty Rhodes, who is still a cricketing legend, provided good entertainment to go with the food and networking opportunities.

One of the things that seemed to please exhibitors was the focused nature and quality of the audience delivered. Many commented on the quality achieved and the lack of low-level representatives and time wasters, who do attend other events. This meant exhibitors had the time to have meaningful conversations with the actual decision makers.

Hugh Robinson, Exhibition Director

Find out more – Click here to view the full organisers statement