Rubrik Forward 2026
Where industry insight met the driver's seat
After three years away from live events, Rubrik Forward needed to make its return count. Identity was the B2B brand experience agency Rubrik brought in to do that, before the doors opened and on the floor.
The challenge
Rubrik Forward was returning to a fully in-person format for the first time in three years, and the brief was clear: rebuild appetite for live participation and put Rubrik at the centre of the industry conversation again.
That meant solving two distinct problems:
Before the event, Identity needed to build anticipation that would sell tickets and get partners and sponsors committing early.
On-site, Rubrik needed a platform that could carry serious industry dialogue while also delivering a brand experience that showed its product innovation working, in front of a technical audience.
The approach
Identity started with the audience. Rubrik Forward’s guests needed technical substance, delivered with energy and in a format they could explore for themselves.
The Rubrik Pavilion became the heart of the event:
A hub built for discovery, where industry insight, expertise and live product demonstrations lived inside distinct, explorable zones rather than a single stage or booth.
From that centre, each of Rubrik’s partners and sponsors had a fully branded space, laid out as one continuous route around the Pavilion rather than a collection of separate stands.
A strategic partner rather than an operational supplier
That role gave Identity the remit to propose experiences as well as deliver them.
A bespoke McLaren F1 partnership
Guests took the driving seat on McLaren F1 simulators across the two-day event, while an AI-powered photo booth let attendees walk away with an image of themselves as an F1 driver.
Collaboration ran through every layer of delivery
Identity worked directly with Rubrik’s stakeholders on day-to-day event management, and ran creative sessions with Rubrik’s CMO to keep the experience aligned to the vision for Forward throughout.
The result
Forward achieved every KPI Rubrik set, including targets for paying attendees and partner and sponsor participation, contributing to a fully connected event.
Rubrik exceeded its targets for executive meetings and sales leads generated on-site
Beyond the numbers, Forward reopened conversation across the cyber resilience industry, between Rubrik, its partners and its customers, both existing and new. Shared challenges found shared solutions, with the industry aligning as a collective around what comes next. For Rubrik, it confirmed that returning to a live format was exactly the right call for Forward, and for the business.
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