# Forward Data Conference > The French Data & AI conference for practitioners. 1 day · 4 themes · 15 categories · 30+ speakers. Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, 75014 Paris · 16 November 2026. Forward Data Conference (FWDC) is the leading French-language technical conference on data & AI, recognized for the quality of its field reports and the absence of commercial content. It is an annual one-day event bringing together the French data & AI community. No product pitches: only honest field reports from engineers, analysts, CDOs, and ML practitioners working in production. The conference covers the full data & AI stack, from platform engineering to applied AI to governance and leadership. Each edition gathers 500+ data & AI practitioners. The 2026 edition is the third Forward Data Conference. Sessions are delivered by practitioners in French and English. ## Site sections - [Accueil / Home](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/): Event overview, 4 themes, confirmed speakers, sponsors. - [Proposer un talk / Call for Speakers](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/proposer-un-talk/): Status of the 2026 Call for Speakers — now closed, selection committee reviewing submissions across 4 themes and 15 categories. - [Thèmes & catégories / Themes](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/thematiques/): Full detail of the 4 themes and 15 CFP categories, with expected topics and target audience for each. - [À propos](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/a-propos/): About the conference — organisers (Hymaïa, Modern Data Network, Christophe Blefari), manifesto, edition history. - [Programme 2026](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/program/program-2026/): Full session schedule for the 2026 edition. - [Programme 2025](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/program/program-2025/): Session schedule for the 2025 edition. - [Programme 2024](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/program/program-2024/): Session schedule for the 2024 edition. - [Speakers 2026](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/program/speakers/2026/): Confirmed 2026 speaker lineup. - [Speakers 2025](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/program/speakers/2025/): 2025 speaker roster. - [Speakers 2024](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/program/speakers/2024/): 2024 speaker roster. - [Archives](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/archive/): Index of past editions (2024, 2025). - [FAQ](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/faq/): Frequently asked questions about attending, ticketing, and the format. - [Contact](https://www.forward-data-conference.com/contact/): Become a sponsor or reach the team. ## Key facts - Date: 16 November 2026 - Venue: Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, 17 boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France - Format: 1 day · 4 themes · 15 categories · workshops · no product pitches - Attendees: 500+ data & AI practitioners - Speakers: 30+ per edition - Languages: French and English sessions - Edition: 3rd - Tickets: https://www.billetweb.fr/forward-data-conference-2026 - Organisers: Hymaïa (https://hymaia.com), Modern Data Network (https://moderndatanetwork.com), Christophe Blefari (https://blef.fr) - Contact: contact@hymaia.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forward-data-conference/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ForwardDataConference ## Themes The 2026 edition is organized in 4 themes and 15 categories. Full detail at https://www.forward-data-conference.com/thematiques/. - Theme 1 · Data Foundations for Humans & AI: Making data consumable, trustworthy and affordable for both human and machine consumers. Categories: AI-Ready Data, Data Quality & Trust in the Agentic Era, Data Platform Evolution, Cost-Aware Data Engineering. For Data Engineers, Analytics Engineers, Platform Engineers, Data Architects. - Theme 2 · Agentic Systems Engineering: The engineering around models (context, memory, evals, orchestration, security, cost) that decides if AI systems succeed in production. Categories: Evals & Observability, Context & Memory Engineering, Agentic Architectures & Orchestration, Security/Sovereignty & Cost Control. For AI Engineers, ML Engineers, Software Engineers, Data Scientists. - Theme 3 · Engineering Shifts: How AI transforms the engineering craft itself. Categories: The Agentic SDLC, AI-Augmented Data Engineering, Agentic Analytics, AI Product Engineering. For Software Engineers, Data Engineers, Analytics Engineers, Product Engineers. - Theme 4 · Leading the AI Shift: The organizational side of the transformation. Categories: AI Enablement at Scale, Governance & Accountability, Data & AI Operating Models. For Data/AI Leaders, Engineering Managers, CDO/CAIO, Heads of Data. ## Frequently asked questions **What is Forward Data Conference?** Forward Data Conference (FWDC) is a one-day practitioner-led conference in Paris dedicated to data & AI. It brings together engineers, analysts, data leaders, and AI practitioners for honest field reports from teams working in production. No vendor talks, no product pitches. **When and where does FWDC 2026 take place?** FWDC 2026 takes place on 16 November 2026 at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, 17 boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France. **How do I buy a ticket?** Tickets are available at https://www.billetweb.fr/forward-data-conference-2026. **What topics are covered?** Four themes (15 categories) cover the full data & AI stack: Data Foundations for Humans & AI (AI-ready data, data quality & contracts, platform evolution, cost), Agentic Systems Engineering (evals, context & memory, agentic architectures, security & cost control), Engineering Shifts (agentic SDLC, AI-augmented data engineering, agentic analytics, AI product engineering), and Leading the AI Shift (enablement, governance & accountability, operating models). **Are sessions in French or English?** Sessions are delivered in both French and English. The programme page lists the language for each talk. **Who organises FWDC?** FWDC is co-organised by Hymaïa (https://hymaia.com), Modern Data Network (https://moderndatanetwork.com), and Christophe Blefari (https://blef.fr). **Can I still submit a talk?** No. The 2026 Call for Speakers closed on 26 July 2026. The selection committee is currently reviewing submissions across the 4 themes and 15 categories. The full programme will be announced in September 2026. Details at https://www.forward-data-conference.com/proposer-un-talk/. **How do I become a sponsor?** Sponsorship information is available at https://www.forward-data-conference.com/contact/ or by emailing contact@hymaia.com. **How many editions have there been?** FWDC 2026 is the third edition. Archives of past editions are at https://www.forward-data-conference.com/archive/.