The screens go dark, the prototypes go back into their crates, and communications teams count their contacts. Yet after VivaTech, the hardest part begins: turning a few minutes of interest into a story journalists will still want to cover several weeks later. Looking ahead to September 2026, one conviction stands out: the show can open a door, but only a developing story can keep it open. Trends already observed at previous editions shed light on this post-show battle, without presuming the outcomes of the 2026 edition.
The show creates an audience, not a permanent news story
VivaTech brings together all the ingredients of a powerful catalyst for media coverage: accessible executives, investors, major corporations, startups and visual demonstrations. Since its launch in 2016, the Paris event has established itself on the international technology calendar. But that concentration has a downside. Every exhibitor wants to deliver the announcement of the day, while newsrooms have limited time and often need to cover several stories at once.
At the event, a robot handling an object or software responding instantly makes for a good visual. It can provide material for a scene-setting report, a social media video or a roundup. Securing an in-depth article afterwards requires answers to other questions: who actually uses this technology? With what results? At what cost? And what difficulties did the demonstration leave out?
The move from the stand to the field therefore changes the terms of editorial engagement. During the show, novelty may be enough to spark curiosity. Afterwards, it must become a documented fact, an observable transformation or a sufficiently substantiated controversy. Following up with the same superlatives does not create fresh news.
AI has made demonstrations easier and differentiation harder
The spread of generative artificial intelligence, accelerated by the public launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, has multiplied the number of products capable of producing text, an image or a summary in seconds. For communications professionals, that immediate impact is valuable. For journalists, the repetition can become tiresome: behind different interfaces, the promises often sound alike.
In this context, claiming that a solution “saves time” is no longer a sufficient angle. The task, context and measurement conditions need to be specified. A tool may speed up the drafting of a document while requiring more checks. Automation may work in a prepared scenario but run into obstacles as soon as it involves a company’s internal data or procedures.
For the post-show period in 2026, it is reasonable to anticipate greater demand for stories about real-world deployment: integration, reliability, security, resource consumption and accountability. The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, adopted in 2024 with phased implementation, is already making these questions more relevant. Compliance, however, is not a label to claim without evidence: it warrants precise explanations tailored to the system concerned.
Turn meetings into usable reporting material
Leave with questions, not just contact details
A scanned badge does not signal an intention to publish. The most useful information after a meeting is often something the journalist said: they are looking for an independent user, have doubts about the business model or are preparing a sector report. Recording that need makes a relevant follow-up possible. Automatically sending the press kit to every contact, by contrast, erases what made the exchange interesting.
A good follow-up briefly recalls the conversation and adds something new. For example: an opportunity to observe the product in use, an interview with a customer authorised to speak freely, or technical documentation addressing a concern raised. The aim is not to obtain a promise of an article, but to reduce the work needed to establish whether a story holds up.
Build a body of evidence
A useful dossier is less a catalogue than a reporting toolkit. It distinguishes between what exists, what is being tested and what remains merely announced. It sets out known limitations, provides captioned visuals and identifies people available for interview. Figures must come with a scope, a time frame and a methodology. Performance achieved in a controlled environment must not be casually turned into a blanket promise.
- Evidence of use: an observable deployment, rather than a mere letter of intent.
- Evidence of results: a clearly explained comparison, including its limitations.
- An outside perspective: a user, researcher or specialist whose ties to the company are disclosed.
- A verifiable next step: a milestone to revisit, without contrived guarantees of success.
Develop multiple angles without manufacturing news
Sustained coverage does not mean stretching one announcement into five press releases. It relies on developments that interest different audiences. A technology presented at VivaTech can later become a business story if its revenue model becomes clearer, a social affairs story if it changes an occupation, or a regional story if bringing it into industrial production involves a manufacturing site.
Take the hypothetical case of a startup demonstrating a logistics assistance robot. At the show, the machine’s movement draws the camera. Later, a report from a warehouse could examine its interaction with employees. Another story might focus on maintenance or the conditions needed for profitability. These angles are legitimate only if the underlying facts exist and the people concerned can be interviewed.
The schedule must therefore follow progress, not the need for media exposure. A testing phase that reveals a difficulty can, in fact, prove more instructive than a flawless success narrative. Explaining what was corrected, and why, provides substance. That means accepting coverage that is less controlled but potentially more credible.
Measure more than buzz
Counting media mentions immediately after VivaTech provides a snapshot, not a full assessment. A brief mentioning the company’s name and an article analysing its product serve different purposes and offer different levels of depth. Adding up their potential audiences can also create a misleading impression, particularly when those audiences overlap.
A more useful assessment distinguishes between initial visibility, the reporting of factual messages and sustained interest. Do journalists return of their own accord? Do articles refer to documented uses? Is the company approached as a source on its sector, beyond its own product? These signals do not automatically prove a commercial impact, but they indicate that an editorial relationship is taking shape.
Finally, independent coverage, sponsored content and in-house publications must be clearly distinguished. All can serve a communications strategy, but they are not interchangeable. Paying for distribution can extend an announcement’s reach; it does not replace a newsroom’s critical scrutiny.
What now? For teams preparing for the period after VivaTech with September 2026 in mind, the best investment may be less spectacular than a stand: arranging access to real-world deployments, documenting results and making experts available. While demonstrations are becoming ever easier to produce, building evidence will remain costly. That is probably where the battle for lasting media attention will be fought: not in repeating the promise, but in making it possible to check what becomes of it.
