Questions we can answer
Every answer below comes from what ISTA has actually published. Where it has not published something, this page says so rather than guessing.
The event
When and where is ISTA 2026?
15 October 2026, at Sofia Event Center, Cherni Vrah Blvd 100, Paradise Center, Floor 3, Sofia. It runs as a single day.
What does a ticket include?
Exactly as ISTA publishes it: Three on-site stages with parallel sessions; Fun expo zone; Breakfast and Lunch; Unlimited Coffee; Goodie Bag; Raffle with amazing gifts. The list is published once for all tiers, not per tier, so every tier includes the same access.
What does a ticket cost?
Early Bird is 120 EUR with VAT. Prices are per person. Checkout is handled by bilet.bg, so you leave this site to pay.
How many parallel streams are there?
The agenda grid for 2026 shows 4 parallel streams. Note that the ticket benefits published beside it say “Three on-site stages with parallel sessions” — the two disagree, and ISTA has not resolved which is right, so both are stated here rather than one being picked. Track names are announced with the full agenda.
Is the agenda published?
Not yet. Speakers are confirmed (14 so far) and the stream structure is set; individual sessions and track names come next. The agenda page shows exactly what is confirmed.
Who is speaking?
14 speakers are confirmed for 2026. Every speaker has a profile covering each edition they have appeared in — 149 people across 8 editions in total.
Are the sessions recorded?
Partly. The 2025, 2024, 2023 archive pages link to the ISTA YouTube channel as their video archive, so material from those editions is public there. No recording is published against an individual session, so whether a particular talk was filmed is not stated — and nothing has been announced about 2026.
Can I see past programmes?
Yes. 7 editions have a full public archive with their programme, speakers, partners and photographs — 162 sessions in total, each with its own page.
Is there anything to read between editions?
ISTA Insights publishes analysis year-round: 41 pieces across four desks — Signals, Decisions, Engineering and ISTA World — with an RSS feed.
I need a group booking or an invoice.
Group and volume enquiries go to office@istacon.com. Invoicing terms are not published, so confirm what you need before paying and keep the reply.
What we cannot answer yet
ISTA has published nothing on these, and inventing an answer to any of them would be worse than leaving it open — particularly the first two, which people plan around.
- Refunds, cancellations, transfers and name changes
- Accessibility provision at the venue, and companion tickets
- Parking, public transport and airport routes
- Age limits, ID requirements and entry conditions
- Whether food covers specific dietary requirements