How to make the most of Elastic{ON} Sydney 2026

The shift in the KPMG survey from 2025 to 2026 isn't just about the volume of interest in AI but also the nature of it. At Elastic{ON} Sydney, our central theme will focus on the transition from passive AI to agentic AI with systems that answer questions and execute tasks autonomously. 

For an AI agent to be effective and safe, it requires more than a large language model (LLM); it also needs context engineering. This is the art of providing AI with the most relevant, real-time proprietary data, so it can act accurately. 

At the event, we’ll cover how we are moving from an era of AI hype to AI help and how context engineering is going to be critical in the year ahead to create operational outcomes by bridging the gap between LLMs and proprietary data.

Join us on 2 March 2026 for Sydney’s Forge the Future hackathon. Shift the narrative from hype to human-centric technology by participating in our tech-for-good hackathon event before the main conference. We’re looking for solutions that solve real community challenges. Find out more about what the judges are looking for from our hackathon judge Nils Thomsen.

To get the most out of the main event, focus on these key areas:

• Keynotes: You’ll have the chance to hear from Ken Exner, global chief product officer, as he shares what’s new and the latest trends on how agentic AI agents are transforming search, observability, and security.

• Customer panels and practical innovation: Learn how agentic AI is being applied today in security, observability, and search, and get advice for navigating AI-driven transformation. Also, explore real-world examples of how to handle modernising data platforms while adopting responsible AI at scale.
• Breakouts: Dive deep into focused sessions across our core pillars: search, security, and observability. These smaller, more technical sessions are your opportunity to explore specific use cases, architecture deep dives, and hands-on best practices for implementing Elastic solutions, particularly around using agentic AI and context engineering to solve real-world problems.

• Set goals: Before you arrive, set two or three clear goals for yourself from the event. These could be things you want to learn, people you want to meet, or challenges that you want to find solutions for. 

• Visit Elastic’s stand: To ensure a high ROI on your time, visit the Elastic stand where you can watch the demos, meet our leaders, and ask the tough questions. 

• Visit sponsors’ stands: Swing by the sponsor stands, including platinum partners AWS and Microsoft, to see their innovative solutions in action and potentially land yourself some swag! 

• Delegate your tasks: If it’s possible to delegate work tasks for the day so that you can fully focus on the content, it will be easier to focus and get more value from the sessions. 

Most importantly … wear comfortable shoes! 

We are excited to see you at the event! Business leaders are often defined by the challenges they overcome, but the solutions are built by our technology community. With AI as the current concern of the C-suite, the task ahead for developers, engineers, and analysts is clear: to move beyond the hype and implement responsible, real-world solutions. It requires more than curiosity. It takes code, context, and a commitment to push the boundaries of what’s possible. 

Not signed up yet? Register for Elastic{ON} Sydney now.