Global Data Festival 2026

The moment

The Global Data Festival brings together governments, multilaterals, academics, the private sector and civil society from a network of more than 700 partner organisations, to exchange ideas and drive action on the world’s most pressing development challenges through data.

After the United Kingdom in 2018 and Uruguay in 2023, the third Festival came to Nairobi in June 2026. It was organised by the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, co-hosted with the Kenya Space Agency and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, run alongside the Kenya Space Expo & Conference, and officially opened by the Deputy President of Kenya, H.E. Prof. Kithure Kindiki.

Many lines of authority, one experience

Few events carry as many lines of authority as a festival organised by an international partnership, co-hosted by two government institutions and opened at the highest level of the Kenyan state. Our job was to make that complexity invisible to the 1,500 people in the room.

We built and ran the operational engine: one project plan that kept every workstream in step, and a single point of coordination for more than ten vendors across AV, hybrid production, interpretation, catering and venue set-up.

A hybrid, multilingual programme

Concurrent sessions ran across the venue, with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and French and a livestreamed virtual programme for delegates following online. Registration ran through dedicated desks for general delegates, media and exhibitors, and VIPs and speakers, alongside accommodation, transport and Deputy Presidential protocol.

Inclusion by design

Inclusion ran through the Festival on two levels. An Inclusion Pavilion, sponsored by Sightsavers International, raised awareness of inclusion in the data sector. The event itself was built for access: a low-stimulation quiet room, ramped access throughout the venue, and sessions delivered with live sign-language interpretation and captioning.

One plan, ten vendors, three languages

From the budget, work plan and event theme through site visits, venue mapping and technical checks to vendor contracting, branding, rehearsals, set-up, registration, guest management, production and post-event reporting, Waridi led delivery, with regular status meetings and progress reports to the client throughout.