MSP GLOBAL 2026. Impressions and considerations.

Once again, as in the previous two years (here and here you can find the articles covering the 2024 edition, and here and here the articles covering the 2025 edition), I attended the MSP GLOBAL event, THE ONLY INTERNATIONAL EVENT DEDICATED TO MANAGED SERVICE PROVIDERS IN EUROPE (as stated on the organizer's website).

MSP GLOBAL 2026. The third edition on Catalan soil.

The event was organized by WHD Event GmbH, based in Cologne (Germany), and, for the third consecutive year, was held at the Convention Centre of the PortAventura theme park in Salou, Catalonia, near Tarragona.

The same company also organizes the CloudFest Global event, held every year at EuropaPark in Rust (Germany), and the CloudFest USA event, held in Miami (USA). During MSP GLOBAL, the company's leadership announced the organization of a new event called CloudFest Tracks, which will take place in Düsseldorf (Germany).

The event was held primarily at the Convention Centre, where the ground floor featured numerous sponsor stands, while the upper floor hosted the presentation sessions, masterclasses, and training sessions.

According to the organizer, there were more than 2,000 attendees from over 95 countries, of whom more than 88% were decision makers, belonging to various categories — naturally MSPs and MSSPs, but also Distributors, Resellers, Agencies, and many other professionals from the IT sector and beyond.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. The event program.

The event program was extensive and divided into two days open to the public. You can find the full program here.

On October 20, 2026, there were no sessions, but there was the "Welcome Drink" on the Convention Centre terrace from 7 PM to 11 PM.

The event revolved around the main theme Serve your ecosystem and offered six ROI-oriented thematic tracks, plus several learning and networking formats.

These were the six thematic tracks:

• Growth & Efficiency: Skills to make the MSP business economically resilient to market demands. 
• Solution-Focused AI: AI without the hype, with the most useful applications for MSPs in real-world scenarios. 
• Product Education & Platform Building: Turning technology into services and services into trust, moving from simple resellers to technology educators and guides. 
• Cybersecurity: Becoming a "security-first" MSP, leveraging cybersecurity from a baseline requirement to a value-added offering. 
• Compliance and Regulation: Protecting yourself from regulatory, contractual, and personal liability risks in a complex global legislative landscape. 
• Tomorrow's Big Ideas: A space to look beyond daily operations and understand the forces shaping the industry.

The formats were as follows:

• Keynote: Presentation on the main stage based on the day's theme.
• Highlight: Special guest, either from within or outside the cloud world.
• Fireside Chat: Dynamic conversation with a moderator.
• Panel Discussion: Discussion among experts with different perspectives.
• Breakout Session: A more intimate and fast-paced learning environment.
• Masterclass: Practical, hands-on session on new tools and techniques.
• Networking Event: Opportunities to strengthen both existing and new relationships.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. The Exhibitors.

The event partners were among the leading global providers in the fields of cybersecurity, OEM software, storage, artificial intelligence, automation, cloud services, and digital enablement.

They were divided into four collaboration levels, in order of importance:

• Diamond+: The highest tier, with a very select number of partners. 
• Diamond: A small group of premier partners. 
• Platinum: The largest tier, concentrating the majority of providers. 
• Gold: The tier with the broadest list of participating companies.

I'd like to highlight a few companies that caught my attention for various reasons, among which some particularly noteworthy ones:

• Cubbit from Bologna (Italy), which presented its intelligent, sovereign, and natively geo-resilient cloud storage solutions, S3-compatible, multi-region integrated, offering 80% savings compared to hyperscalers. ·
• StartComply from Athens (Greece), a solution developed by TicTab Laboratories, offering an automated compliance platform designed for the most stringent European regulations: NIS2, DORA, and ISO 27001:2022. 
• SquaredUp from Maidenhead (United Kingdom), which has developed a total observability platform that transforms data already present in various tools into operational insights, designed for both humans and AI. 
• Qboxmail from Prato (Italy), which develops a complete cloud suite for professional management of business email and calendars, designed to be managed from a single customizable white-label console. 
• Comet Backup from Christchurch (New Zealand), acquired in June 2025 by WebPros, which develops a scalable and versatile data protection solution designed for IT teams, MSPs, and hosting partners. 
• Vasion from St. George (Utah, USA), which develops a cloud-native platform for intelligent printing and document automation.

There is an opportunity to become a partner and exhibit at the event. For more information and contacts, click here.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. The entry ticket.

To attend the event, an entry ticket was required, and registration was needed beforehand.

Once registration was completed, an account was created to manage your registration (updating ticket type, QR code, visa invitation letter, etc.) and to book accommodation, if needed.

Four types of passes were available for event access: Community Pass and VIP Pass for attendees, and Vendor Pass and Vendor VIP Pass for vendors/exhibitors.

A note regarding the Community Pass (Standard Pass): the official price was €399 + VAT, but there were many ways to attend for free using promotional codes received via email or from vendors.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. The Official App.

The official app for the MSP GLOBAL event is very interesting — free for iOS and Android (available to registered attendees only) and designed for networking and navigating the event before, during, and after the festival.

The app allowed you to plan your agenda, find and connect with attendees, chat privately, schedule meetings (synced with your own calendar), and easily get around the vast event area thanks to the interactive map.

Here you can find more information and download the app.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. The Shuttle Buses.

The organizers provided a free shuttle bus system.

Three services were available:

• Shuttles to and from Barcelona Airport (BCN). Advance booking was mandatory.
• Free shuttles between the hotels and the main entrance
• Shuttles to and from the parties

.

Here you can find more information.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. The Server Throwing.

As has become tradition at both CloudFest and MSP GLOBAL events, the "Server Throwing" challenge was once again on the schedule, taking place on October 21, 2026.

Here you can find more information.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. Catering and Social Events.

The catering was of good quality, although I must be honest and say that this year the quality and choice of food seemed less refined compared to the previous two years.

From time to time there were convivial moments at some sponsors' booths that fostered a general sense of relaxation.

There were evening events, called networking events, which took place at the end of each of the three days of the event.

On October 20, 2026, starting at 7:00 PM, the "Welcome Drink" took place on the terraces of the Convention Centre, where a DJ was present.

On October 21, 2026, the now classic "ConneXion Party" took place in a section of the theme park rebuilt as a "Far West"-style village, where there was live music and a DJ who kept the evening lively.

On the closing evening of October 22, 2026, the "Closing Party" was held at the Bodeguita del Medio bar of the Hotel Caribe, which I did not have the opportunity to attend.

You can find further information here.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. Impressions.

Once again, I must extend my warmest congratulations to the organization for the choice of venue, the services offered (free shuttle bus, dedicated app, parties, etc.), and, I never tire of repeating it, I was to say the least impressed by the scale and quality of the event.

Bringing together all the resources, fitting in appointments, meetings and events, is not such an easy task, especially considering an event of this magnitude.

MSP GLOBAL 2026. Considerations.

As with other events, I had the opportunity to learn new things, meet people I already knew and make new acquaintances, both on a personal and professional level, in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere that fostered the sharing of knowledge and the exchange of opinions.

It gave me great pleasure and surprise, for example, to meet some people from Nethesis, the leading Italian manufacturer of Open Source business solutions, which has a very large community and organizes the "Meeting degli Eroi Digitali" ("the largest gathering of Digital Heroes in Italy"), where I attended a couple of years ago — you can find an article of mine here. They were scouting the event to understand how to expand internationally...

UPCOMING CLOUDFEST EVENTS.

As mentioned above, the company also organizes the following events:

• CloudFest USA 2026: November 11–12 2026 in Miami, FL, USA
• CloudFest Global 2027: March 15–18 2027 at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany
• (new) CloudFest Tracks 2027: September 15–16 2027 in Düsseldorf, Germany
• MSP GLOBAL 2027: October 20–21 2027 at PortAventura, Salou, Spain

If you haven't had the chance to attend the event, you can subscribe to the newsletter  and be notified when registration (free of charge) will be available for the 2027 edition, which will take place on October 20–21, 2027, again at the PortAventura theme park in Spain.

Until November 15, 2026, you are entitled to a 50% discount on accommodation at Hotel ParkAventura.

As could be seen on the various posters, the wording "A CLOUDFEST BRAND" appeared next to "MSP GLOBAL."

Starting from 2027, it will be necessary to create a CloudFest account, which will be the single login for MSP GLOBAL, CloudFest, and everything the organizers will offer.

Click here to register and access your CloudFest account.

If you wish to contact me, you can do so via the form on the Contact page or through the chat by clicking the icon located in the bottom right corner.