AFCEA International

AFCEA International gives you direct access to military, government, industry and academic professionals in defence, security, cyber and intelligence. It runs conferences with exhibitions in the United States and Europe, including WEST, held from 16 to 18 February 2027 at the San Diego Convention Center. AFCEA describes itself as a member-based nonprofit professional association that “connects people, ideas and solutions globally”. Its international office is in Fairfax, Virginia, and it also has a European office.

Shows it runs

• WEST, 16 to 18 February 2027, San Diego Convention Center, co-hosted with the U.S. Naval Institute

The organiser’s own site also lists these events:

• Annual Data Forum, 19 to 20 November 2026, Hilton Alexandria Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia
• TechNet Transatlantic 2026, 1 to 2 December 2026, Kap Europa, Frankfurt, Germany
• Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium 2027, 8 to 11 February 2027, The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colorado
• TechNet Cyber, 11 to 13 May 2027, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland
• TechNet Augusta, 16 to 19 August 2027, Augusta, Georgia
• TechNet Indo-Pacific, 25 to 28 October 2027, Honolulu, Hawaii
• TechNet International (Brussels), TechNet Europe (Berlin), the AFCEA Spring Intelligence Symposium, the Intelligence and National Security Summit and the Cyber Workforce Summit, each held every year

AFCEA’s events catalogue already gives WEST dates for the following year, 22 to 24 February 2028, and TechNet Cyber dates of 2 to 4 May 2028. That lets you plan two show cycles ahead. AFCEA notes that dates and locations can change, so our guide to checking official show dates is worth reading before you commit to travel.

What it organises

If you exhibit, you face buyers from the sea services, cyber commands and defence agencies. AFCEA says WEST is the event that “more than 150,000 professionals in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard” depend on, most of them in the San Diego area. It also calls WEST “The Premier Naval Conference and Exposition on the West Coast”. For TechNet Cyber in Baltimore, AFCEA expects “over 5,000 cybersecurity professionals” to attend. It names DISA and U.S. Cyber Command among the organisations taking part. Our guide to understanding attendance and exhibitor figures explains how to read numbers like these.

You can budget early because stand rates are published. At WEST 2027, space costs $66.00 per square foot for AFCEA corporate members and U.S. Naval Institute corporate donors, and $77.00 for non-members. Small businesses with current AFCEA membership and 49 or fewer employees pay $58.00. Each open corner adds $150. Every 10 by 10 foot booth comes with an identification sign, back wall and side rail drape, one full conference pass, three exhibit hall only passes and a basic online listing. TechNet Cyber 2027 rates are $62.00 for members, $75.00 for non-members and $53.00 for small businesses. Our guides on planning an overseas exhibition budget and shipping exhibition equipment abroad help if you are travelling to the trade shows in the United States.

Exhibit sales, registration, housing and lead retrieval for most events are handled by SPARGO, Inc. on AFCEA’s behalf. AFCEA says SPARGO is the only authorised hotel reservations contact. Neither the co-hosts nor SPARGO sell or distribute attendee lists, so you can ignore third parties claiming otherwise. Beyond events, AFCEA runs SIGNAL Media, training, scholarships and leadership development. You can find related events in our security trade shows hub.

Company facts

• Founded: AFCEA says it was officially organised in 1946, with roots going back to the Signal Corps of the American Civil War
• Names: Armed Forces Communications Association from 1947, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association from 1954, and AFCEA International since a board vote in 2018
• Europe: first European chapters founded from 1952, the Brussels Symposia established in 1981 and a Brussels office opened in 1982
• Headquarters: 4114 Legato Rd., Suite 1000, Fairfax, Virginia 22033
• Membership: about 30,000 individual members, 1,700 corporate members and 140 chapters, organised into 32 regions
• Status: a 501(c)6 nonprofit organisation that celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021

Venues it uses

• San Diego Convention Center, for WEST, among the trade shows in San Diego
• Baltimore Convention Center, for TechNet Cyber
• Kap Europa, Frankfurt, for TechNet Transatlantic
• The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, for the Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium
• Hilton Alexandria Old Town, for the Annual Data Forum

Source: afcea.org (checked 5 November 2026)