IEEE ICRA 2026: The congress that made Vienna the world capital of robotics
From 1 to 5 June 2026, Vienna was the world capital of robotics. The IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) - the flagship conference of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society and one of the world's most significant professional event in this field - took place in Austria for the first time. The result exceeded all expectations: more than 9,000 participants from research, industry and the next generation attended the conference at VIECON - Vienna Congress & Convention Center - around 2,000 more than originally anticipated.
It comes as no surprise that the Asian region was particularly strongly represented among exhibiting companies and participants: robotics is one of the key industries of the future there - and interest in Vienna as a host city was correspondingly high. Across approximately 14,000 m² of exhibition and competition space, 196 exhibitors and 20 start-ups showcased their innovations. More than 200 sessions in a variety of formats, 12 keynotes and around 2,000 scientific posters made the conference a comprehensive event for knowledge exchange and networking.
The motivation to bring the IEEE ICRA to Vienna was not only strategic, but also personal. Robotics will be part of everyday life within just a few years - as common as the smartphone or the electric toothbrush - and that is precisely why places are needed where this development can be understood and experienced early on. Markus Vincze, professor and Head or the "Vision for Robotics Lab" at Vienna University of Technology, who brought the ICRA to Vienna as General Chair, therefore pursued a deliberate goal: to strengthen the acceptance of technology among the Viennese population - through an accompanying festival that takes robotics out of the research lab and makes it tangible. His conviction: societal acceptance only emerges when robotics is not perceived as an abstract future technology, but as something people can understand, try out and relate to in their own lives - well beyond the specialist community.
Markus Vincze, General Chair IEEE ICRA 2026, TU Wien
“The potential of robotics is enormous - in just a few years, a robot that tidies up and cleans will be as commonplace for many people as cars are today. The IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) is the ideal platform for connecting cutting-edge research with societal issues and actively shaping the development of these technologies - exactly as we want them to be. With the ‘Festival of Robots,’ we’ve opened the conference to the city and made this future tangible for a broad audience.”
Science, community and imperial splendour
ICRA 2026 deliberately set priorities beyond the purely scientific. A dedicated Community Building Day brought together international initiatives such as Women in Engineering, Queer in Robotics, Black in Robotics and Amigos LatAm - communities working to make robotics a field for everyone. In dedicated sessions, panels and networking formats, the conversation went beyond technology to address who develops it, who has access to it and how science can become more inclusive. A clear statement: the future of robotics is being written together - and Vienna provided the space for that.
A Competition Area with its own race track, a dynamic Tech Talk & Innovation Stage, a spectacular Robot Parade through the exhibition halls - and in between, the ICRA Imperial Night for more than 5,000 guests at the HOFBURG Vienna and the Spanish Riding School.
From bid to World Congress
The successful acquisition of the IEEE ICRA was built on a consistent destination-wide partnership. To bid for Vienna as the host city, the Vienna Convention Bureau joined forces with Prof. Markus Vincze, the AIM Group and VIECON to form an international bid consortium. The close coordination between organizer, destination and venue was not a nice-to-have - it was decisive in winning the bid. Alongside its excellent infrastructure, Vienna also stood out with an innovative event concept under the motto "Robots for all", the city's lived internationalism and its wealth of cultural highlights.
Lisa Stern, Country Manager Austria AIM Group
“Vienna has once again proven that the city offers everything needed to successfully host an international conference. The record numbers of participants and exhibitors are impressive proof of this. In addition, with highlights such as the Imperial Night at the Hofburg and the Spanish Riding School, we were able to create unforgettable experiences and showcase Vienna’s cultural diversity to an international audience.”
Robots captivate 15,000 people at Vienna's Karlsplatz
Two days before the conference opened, Vienna's central Karlsplatz was transformed into an experiential space for future technologies by the Festival of Robots. With free admission, around 15,000 visitors on 30 and 31 May 2026 experienced humanoid robots, interactive hands-on stations, a children’s program including robot programming, stage shows and insights into the latest trends in international robotics research - including forward-looking applications from industry and the world of work.
Organized by TU Wien and AIM Group Austria, with content and organizational concept developed by UIV Urban Innovation Vienna - the City of Vienna's climate and innovation agency - the festival was aimed at families, school groups and curious visitors of all ages. It was also part of the Future Fit Festival run by waff, the largest education festival in Europe, which turns Vienna into the capital of future professions from May through June.
The legacy idea: Knowledge for everyone
The Festival of Robots is no coincidence - it is method. As part of its Optimum Tourism strategy, Vienna Tourist Board pursues the goal of sustainably increasing the social value of meetings through targeted legacy initiatives. With the Legacy Toolbox, the Vienna Convention Bureau connects organizers with Viennese partner organizations and supports them in turning an event into a project with lasting impact.
Health, education and community are at the heart of this approach - accessible, relevant and well-connected, with a focus on social sustainability, diversity and accessibility.
Anita Paic, Director B2B Management, Vienna Tourist Board
“IEEE ICRA 2026 impressively demonstrates what ‘legacy’ means in Vienna: a global professional conference opens up to the city - and 15,000 people at Karlsplatz experience just how close the future already is. For us at the Vienna Convention Bureau, this is no coincidence, but rather the result of close collaboration between the organizer, the academic community, and the destination from the very beginning. That is precisely our mission: to facilitate conferences that have an impact far beyond the conference hall - and create real added value for the city.”
Vienna makes the difference
Vienna offers far more than infrastructure. Here, congress, destination and city are seen as one. This clear advantage for organizers is also reflected in the numbers: the meetings industry generated economic value of 1.7 billion euros in Vienna in 2025 and secured 19,300 full-year jobs.
The IEEE ICRA 2026 is another chapter in a success story that has positioned Vienna as one of the world's leading congress destinations for years.
