What is Futura?
Futura is Ireland’s premier large-scale innovation gathering — a 2.5-day, city-wide conference and festival of ideas. Taking place 19–21 October 2026 across 15+ walkable venues in Limerick’s city centre, Futura brings together 1,500+ attendees from over 15 countries, featuring 400+ speakers and 200+ sessions spanning cutting-edge industry tracks.
This isn’t just a conference — it’s an immersive experience where technology, culture, and community intersect. From start-up competitions and curated investor meetings to live performances, art showcases, and local culinary highlights, Futura turns Limerick into a living laboratory for innovation.
Why Ireland?
Ireland isn’t just a backdrop for Futura Innovation Conference, it’s one of the world’s most exciting places to spark new ideas.
The island is a global gateway, uniquely connected to the EU, UK, and US. It’s no surprise that over 1,600 multinationals including Google, Apple, and Microsoft have chosen Ireland for their European base, sitting alongside a new wave of fast-scaling start-ups. In 2024 alone, Irish tech companies raised nearly €400 million across sectors like fintech, health, and security.
But it’s not just about business, it’s about brainpower. Ireland’s universities and research centres consistently rank among the best in Europe, spinning out unicorns like Wayflyer and Intercom while drawing major investment into areas like AI, life sciences, and clean tech. With initiatives like a proposed €600 million research and talent fund, the country is doubling down on innovation that shapes the future.
And, of course, Ireland’s culture of creativity fuels it all. Storytelling, music, and artistry give Irish innovation its unique edge AND blending data-driven thinking with a spark of imagination.
Hosting Futura here means plugging into an ecosystem where global markets, cutting-edge research, and cultural creativity collide.
Why Limerick?
If Ireland is the gateway, Limerick is the heartbeat.
Home to the University of Limerick, TUS, and Mary Immaculate College, the city buzzes with talent, research, and entrepreneurial energy. Student programmes like Student Inc. and EMPOWER help the next generation of innovators turn ideas into real businesses, while research hubs push boundaries in robotics, digital engineering, and health sciences.
Limerick is also strategically connected, just 20 minutes from Shannon Airport and linked by road and rail to Dublin, Galway, and Cork. Yet it retains a scale and walkability that make it perfect for a city-wide festival, where delegates can flow easily between historic venues, modern galleries, and buzzing pubs.
And this isn’t just logistics, it’s an experience. Limerick is a city of culture, named Ireland’s first National City of Culture and still thriving with live music, art, and design. Add in its growing food scene and famously warm people, and you have a host city where every Futura moment whether a keynote or a late-night conversation, feels authentically Irish.
In Limerick, the city itself becomes part of the story, turning Futura into more than a conference: a festival of innovation, culture, and community.
About Adeo Interactive
Futura is produced by Adeo InterActive, an international leader in innovation conferences with nearly two decades of experience delivering world-class events. Founded in 2005, Adeo specialises in creating large-scale gatherings that bring together start-ups, corporates, investors, universities, policymakers, and cultural leaders—and translating those connections into measurable economic impact for host cities and regions.
Adeo InterActive has worked with a diverse group of partners, including AARP, Kauffman Foundation, NASA, Rally Indiana Innovation Conference, Inventures (Alberta, Canada), SHE Innovates, Student Startup Madness, Summerfest Tech (Milwaukee, WI), Sloss Tech (Birmingham, AL), Women’s Health Innovation Conference (Edmonton, Canada), BioKansas Innovation Festival, Nano Canada, Louisville Innovation Summit, The Finance and Accounting Technology Expo NYC, Avant South (Atlanta, Georgia), and many more.
Across these productions, Adeo has showcased thousands of start-ups, facilitated billions in investment, and positioned cities and regions on the global stage as innovation leaders. With a proven track record of blending technology, entrepreneurship, culture, and community, Adeo is uniquely positioned to deliver Futura as a high-impact experience that leaves a lasting legacy for Limerick and Ireland.
