Interservice / Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference

What Interservice / Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference does

I/ITSEC (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference) is the world's largest conference dedicated to modeling, simulation, and training (M&S) technologies. Organized annually by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), the event is held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Founded in 1966 and headquartered at 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 700, Arlington, Virginia, I/ITSEC convenes the global defense, academic, and industry communities to advance M&S capabilities supporting military readiness, workforce development, and STEM education.

The conference serves as the primary convening platform for U.S. military branches (Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard), allied nations, federal agencies (NASA, DHS), defense prime contractors and mid-tier vendors (Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, Cybernet Systems), academic researchers, and K-12 educators. Programmatic content spans technical paper presentations, tutorials, workshops, exhibits, and demonstrations, with curated tracks on emerging topics such as generative AI, multi-agent systems, and live-virtual-constructive (LVC) training. Recognition mechanisms include Best Paper, Best Tutorial, and Fellow awards.

I/ITSEC generates revenue through a diversified mix of attendee registration fees, exhibitor booth sales, corporate sponsorships, advertising, and a STEM career fair. The organization also administers a multi-program scholarship portfolio (awards of $5,000–$10,000) targeting STEM students, women in engineering, and K-12 teachers, alongside partnerships with STARBASE and FIRST Robotics for pipeline outreach. Operating with a small staff of approximately 15 employees, I/ITSEC leverages the broader NDIA infrastructure for back-office, policy, and administrative functions.

Name

Interservice / Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference

Legal name

National Defense Industrial Association

Website

https://iitsec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

I/ITSEC is the world's largest modeling, simulation, and training conference, organized annually by NTSA for the defense, academic, and industry communities, with a focus on M&S technologies supporting military readiness and STEM education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Conference & Exhibition Services (Defense Modeling, Simulation and Training)

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Information Technology & Software (EDAAAPAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Custom Corporate IT Training & Upskilling Programs (BPAEANAB), Project, Process & Quality Certification Prep (PMP, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, ITIL) (EDANAIAE)

Keywords

• Modeling and simulation conference
• Defense training technologies
• Military simulation exhibition
• Professional development workshops
• STEM workforce programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration: Registration fees from attendees including government, industry, and academic professionals. Registration tiers include complimentary options for students and certain programs.
2. Exhibitor and Sponsorship Fees: Revenue from organizations exhibiting in the exhibit hall, sponsoring events, and advertising across conference materials including Show Daily publications.
3. Advertising: Advertising opportunities across conference digital and print materials, prospectus available for purchase.
4. Career Fair Participation Fees: Employer organizations pay to participate in the Career Fair: $1,000 for large businesses, $500 for small businesses, $100 for Government.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

I/ITSEC is the world's largest annual conference dedicated to training, modeling, simulation, and education (MS&T) technologies for the defense and national security community, held each year in Orlando, FL. The organization sells attendee registration, exhibit hall booth space, corporate sponsorships, advertising, and paid professional development offerings (tutorials, workshops, career fair participation, and the CMSP certification program), while also running the EcosySTEM of Learning initiative that spans K-12 STEM outreach through workforce scholarships and recognition programs.

Product overview

I/ITSEC (Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference) is an annual conference operated by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA) to advance the modeling, simulation, and training (MS&T) community. The core offering is the annual I/ITSEC conference held in Orlando, FL, which serves as the world's largest showcase of training and simulation technologies. The portfolio includes educational programs (Tutorials, Professional Development Workshops), competitive showcases (Serious Games Showcase & Challenge, Student Hard Problem Challenge), career development services (Career Fair, CMSP Certification Program, Scholarships), and recognition programs (Best Paper & Tutorial Awards, Fellows Program, Top Under 40 Award, Next Generation Leaders). These offerings are unified under the EcosySTEM of Learning initiative, which provides STEM education support from K-12 through professional workforce development. The conference also supports university engagement through research initiatives and collaboration opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NTSA: National Training and Simulation Association - the organization that sponsors and operates I/ITSEC, supporting STEM education and workforce development in the modeling, simulation, and training industry.
• EcosySTEM of Learning

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $8 billion economic impact through Team Orlando defense consortium
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNTSA is the proud sponsor of I/ITSEC and organizing body responsible for conference operations, subcommittees, awards, and EcosySTEM of Learning programs. NTSA is part of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).
• National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDIA is the parent organization of NTSA. NDIA provides organizational oversight and affiliation for the training and simulation industry events.
• U.S. Navy STEM InitiativesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Navy supports K-12 Teacher Workshops at I/ITSEC, providing hands-on STEM training and resources for teachers nationwide.
• STARBASEmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTARBASE partners with I/ITSEC to support K-12 Teacher Workshops, contributing STEM curriculum and educational initiatives.
• NASA STEMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA STEM opportunities are incorporated into I/ITSEC K-12 Teacher Workshops, bringing space-related STEM resources to educators.
• Space Force STEMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpace Force STEM partnerships support I/ITSEC educational programs and teacher workshops with advanced STEM content.
• First RoboticsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Robotics participates in EcosySTEM Pavilion, showcasing robotics programs available to students Grades 5 through high school across the nation.
• Iowa State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Eliot Winer from Iowa State University chairs the Scholarship Committee; university faculty participate in University Cohort events and undergraduate research initiatives.
• Central Florida Tech GrovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTech Grove serves as meeting venue for Program Review and Kickoff meetings in Orlando, supporting I/ITSEC planning activities.
• Team OrlandomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam Orlando is a regional defense consortium bringing $8 billion economic impact and employing 200,000+ professionals; hosts I/ITSEC activities and career fair.
• Orange County Convention Center (OCCC)coreOthersOCCC serves as the primary venue for I/ITSEC annual conference in Orlando, Florida.
• Americaneagle.comminorOthersWebsite design and development partner for iitsec.org official website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Paris Air Show (Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace): The world's largest aerospace and defense trade show, convened by GIFAS, competes for the same aerospace and defense exhibitor and government sponsor base as I/ITSEC at a much larger scale, with aerospace simulation and training as one of many themes.
• SOFIC (Special Operations Forces Industry Conference): NDIA's flagship special operations conference operates with the same parent affiliation as I/ITSEC and competes for the same defense exhibitor and government attendee budget, with a specialized tactical niche rather than the M&S focus of I/ITSEC.
• DSEI (Defence and Security Equipment International): A global biennial defense exhibition held in London that draws the same international defense exhibitor and government delegation base as I/ITSEC, operating at a much larger scale as a broader defense trade show rather than an M&S-focused event.
• AFA Air, Space & Cyber Conference: The Air Force Association's annual conference serves overlapping defense industry and government customers with similar exhibit hall, sponsorship, and professional development revenue mechanics, focused on air and space power rather than M&S specifically.
• Sea Air Space: The Navy League's annual maritime defense exposition attracts overlapping defense contractor, government, and academic audiences with a comparable large-scale exhibit hall, sponsorship, and conference revenue model anchored in Washington DC area defense decision-makers.
• AFCEA TechNet Events: AFCEA's portfolio of defense technology conferences (TechNet conferences) competes for the same defense IT, government, and contractor audience and sponsorship dollars as I/ITSEC, with overlapping themes in defense technology adoption and training.
• AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition: The Association of the United States Army's flagship annual event draws the same defense industry, government, and academic leadership that I/ITSEC serves, with substantial exhibit hall and sponsorship revenue streams, though focused on land power rather than M&S specifically.

Regional players

• CANSEC: Canada's largest defense and security trade show, operated by the Canadian Association of Defense and Security Industries (CADSI), serves a comparable defense industry and government audience with overlapping M&S exhibitor prospects, focused on the Canadian market.
• IT2EC (NATO M&S Conference): The NATO-focused M&S conference held in Europe, formed through the merger of ITEC and IT2EC, directly competes with I/ITSEC for the international M&S attendee and exhibitor base, but operates in a different geographic market.

Direct peers

• ITEC (International Training, Technology and Education Conference): The European/NATO counterpart to I/ITSEC, ITEC has historically been the principal international M&S training conference, serving the same government, industry, and academic audience with overlapping technology themes including simulation, training systems, and defense modeling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iitsec
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NTSAToday
• Facebookfacebook.com/IITSEC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iitsec
• Instagraminstagram.com/iitsec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Interservice / Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference