Marketing conferences can be a pricey investment, whether you’re footing the bill yourself or your firm is sending you. The flight, accommodations and ticket demand money, time and energy, so choose a conference that will be a catalyst for your career. Your goal is to learn about the topics that you want at a level that will help instead of make you bored or confused.
Here are 25 marketing conferences worth attending, spanning business and marketing niches. In the first section, I’ve listed marketing conferences announced for October 2019 or later. In the second section, I list annual conferences that don’t have confirmed details but that you should keep an eye on.
25 Marketing Conferences Worth Attending
Many of these conferences have a range of costs depending on what you want to partake in and how early you book. If pricing isn’t confirmed for the next conference, I’ve included costs from the past year or so.
1. Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, NV, March 29 to April 2, 2020
The Adobe Summit is for any digital marketer, newbie or old hat at marketing. Connect with advertisers, analytics professionals, campaign and content managers, marketers and marketing execs, and publishers. Learn how leading brands create unique experiences and how data and creativity merge to propel businesses. Marketo has now joined the Adobe Summit. Even if you’re not a Marketo user, you can learn about advertising, client services, digital transformation, IT, etc.
Previous Cost: Starting at $1,495 | More Information
2. Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas, NV, January 27-29, 2020
More than 6,000 attendees, including bloggers, global brands, media owners, online publishers and tech firms, attend 70 sessions, listen to 100 presenters and visit 300 exhibitors. All levels are welcome, with sessions specifically for beginners, intermediates and advanced. Experiences include AM Days Workshops, which give you a crash course in affiliate marketing, and the Retail Zone to network with up-and-coming retailers.
Cost: $125 to $550 | More Information
3. B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, AZ, February 24-26, 2020
The B2B Marketing Exchange will gather more than 100 speakers, including some from enormous companies like Google and Oracle. There will be case studies and workshops, and a total of 70 sessions cover six tracks (ABM, channel marketing, content marketing, demand generation, digital strategy, sales enablement). There will also be an awards ceremony for the best B2B campaigns and marketers. If you’re involved in B2B marketing at all – as a CMO, freelancer, strategist, etc. – consider attending.
Previous Cost: Starting at $895 | More Information
4. B2B Marketing Expo in London, England, March 25-26, 2020
The B2B Marketing Expo has 1,000 exhibitors, 500 seminars and 200 masterclasses. The best part is that tickets are free. Yup, free. In 2019, speakers included marketing leads, UX designers and VPs from HubSpot, LinkedIn and Shutterstock. Topics for the interactive masterclasses include LinkedIn sales and marketing, customer retention and marketing automation. While the topics covered sound somewhat basic, there’s no monetary commitment, so if you can get there, get there.
Cost: Free | More Information
5. B2B Marketing Leaders Forum APAC in Sydney, Australia, May 20-21, 2020
This B2B marketing conference is for CMOs and other marketing professionals. Expand your education in branding, career advancement, growth, leadership and revenue. You’ll also learn how to generate more revenue through your marketing department and how to develop a stronger presence in a leadership position. Some sessions will be focused on small businesses, as well as managing teams in Asia.
Previous Cost: Starting at 795 AUD | More Information
6. Confab: The Content Strategy Conference in Minneapolis, MN, May 17-20, 2020
The Confab marketing conference is for anyone who needs to improve their content game, including content librarians and strategists, project managers and UX professionals. Beginner and advanced info range from “101” content to content architecture and design.
Previous Cost: Starting at approx. $1,000 | More Information
7. ContentTECH Summit in San Diego, CA, April 20-22, 2020
You may know the ContentTECH Summit by its previous name, the Intelligent Content Conference (ICC). Learn how to operationalize content for your business, with a focus on using MarTech to manage, measure and optimize content. Content marketing and strategy pros make up most of the speakers. The conference is great for content authors, marketers and strategists of all levels.
Previous Cost: Starting at $1,399 | More Information
8. Digital Growth Unleashed in Las Vegas, NV, June 1-3, 2020
The Digital Growth Unleashed conference is for online business owners and marketing professionals who want to create the best customer experience possible. Learn how to attract your audience and create a business model that delivers a great user experience. You’ll also come away with tips for improving conversion rate and creating lifetime client relationships. Plus, you’ll be introduced to the newest marketing tech. There are four tracks to choose from: Attract, Persuade, Serve and Growth Tech.
Cost: $275 to $2,297 | More Information
9. Incite Group Brand Marketing and Digital Summit in New York, NY, October 21-22, 2019
Contractors and freelancers, sit this one out – the Incite Group’s conference is for in-house marketers. More than 500 digital, marketing and social leaders and seniors from big brands will gather for discussions about how to create interactions that matter by harnessing your brand’s purpose and narrative. Speakers from huge companies like Adidas, Budweiser and Target will be there.
Cost: $1,795 to $2,895 | More Information
10. Library Marketing and Communications Conference in St. Louis, MO, November 13-14, 2019
This annual conference is for professionals at all levels who are involved in library communications, marketing or PR. Pros from academic, public and specialty libraries are welcome. Keynotes and special events are part of this year’s 36 sessions. Attendees are encouraged to network and discuss the challenges that are unique to this type of work.
Cost: $450 | More Information
11. Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference in Cleveland, OH, July 14-16, 2020
Artificial intelligence is a hot topic, but it doesn’t pop up at all in many marketing conference schedules. Marketing AI leaders, including authors, entrepreneurs, execs and researchers, will share their case studies, technologies and strategies to make AI more accessible to marketers. There will also be interactive workshops and breakout sessions. This is best for non-technical marketers – you don’t need to understand analytics, data science or programming – at management-and-above levels.
Cost: Starting at $999 | More Information
12. MarketingProfs B2B Forum in Washington, D.C., October 16-18, 2019
Many marketing conferences cover both B2B and B2C marketing practices, but this one is for the B2B folks only. This year’s keynote and featured speakers include content experts (authors, editors, podcasters, writers), plus creative and marketing professionals. This isn’t a buttoned-up marketing conference. According to the website, attendees share “belly laughs, creative networking, shenanigans, and marketers-off-the-clock antics.”
Cost: $1,095 to $1,696 | More Information
13. MarTech (West) in San Jose, CA, April 15-17, 2020
MarTech’s upcoming conference in San Jose is for senior-level marketers across all industries. Attendees must be well-versed in not just marketing but also tech and management. Real-world marketers will share their best practices and case studies. Extend the two-day conference to three days if you want to participate in the workshop. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of marketing tech and solutions to add to their strategy and operations.
Previous Cost: $490 to $999 and up | More Information
14. MozCon in Seattle, WA, July 6-8, 2020
Unlike many of the other conferences on this list, MozCon has one track only. That means you’ll follow the schedule to participate in everything offered, no decision-making necessary. Speakers include in-house Moz experts as well as marketing industry pros. You’ll learn about analytics, content marketing, the customer experience, SEO and social media. There will also be deep dives into topics like creating memorable content, local market analytics and running SEO tests.
Cost: Starting at $799 | More Information
15. Pubcon Pro in Las Vegas, NV, October 7-10, 2019
Meant for content marketers, SEO specialists and webmasters, Pubcon Pro also has interactive activities and special events for anyone marketing- or business-minded. The first day has limited-attendance, intensive learning in their Masters Training Workshops. The conference also includes keynote and main stage speakers; educational sessions in areas like Amazon, content marketing, email marketing, PPC, SEO, team building, WordPress and more; and an Expo Hall where you’ll find products, services and tools that may help your business. During site clinics, submit your marketing campaigns or websites and have them reviewed by experts. In Pubcon Labs, get personalized advice during a consultation with one of the speakers.
Cost: $399 to $4,999 | More Information
16. SMX West in San Jose, CA, February 19-21, 2020
Search Engine Land hosts the SMX West marketing conference, which includes fast-paced sessions with Q&A slots. They won’t be covering the basics, so this one isn’t for newbies. Take advanced SEO and SEM classes, including AdWords training and an SEO boot camp. This conference is for anyone interested and experienced in SEO, SEM or marketing analytics.
Cost: Starting at approx. $300 | More Information
17. Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, CA, March 1-3, 2020
The Social Media Marketing World conference from Social Media Examiner is a must-attend for anyone who handles social media marketing for their company. (Solo bloggers and vloggers will get a lot out of the conference as well.) Around 5,000 attendees will take more than 120 creative and marketing training sessions to learn about analytics, content marketing, social strategy, video marketing and more. There are also specific sessions to learn about major platforms like Facebook, Snapchat and others. If you’re unable to attend the marketing conference in person, buy a virtual ticket to watch recorded sessions.
Cost: Approx. $400 to $1,700 | More Information
More Marketing Conferences to Watch For
These marketing conferences may be over for 2019, but keep an eye on them in 2020. Conferences are in the U.S. unless otherwise noted.
18. Advertising Week
Advertising Week is rich in thought leadership and 250+ special events. With Google executives in attendance, it’s a killer conference for networking, too. While aimed at advanced marketing pros in creative industries (advertising execs, CMOs, PR specialists), it’s also useful for social media advisors and startup founders. All marketing levels can attend, and with the low-cost virtual attendance option, there’s no reason not to. For the immersive experience that Advertising Week is known for, though, you’ll have to show up in person. More than 1,000 speakers kick off conversations for driving businesses forward. You’ll leave with a better idea of what the future of advertising will look like.
Previous Cost: $239 to $1,869; $99 for digital attendance | More Information
19. Content Marketing World
With more than 4,000 brand content marketers and 120+ hands-on labs, sessions and workshops led by marketers from around the globe, attendees learn about integration, measurement and strategy. Content Marketing World is ideal for content marketers and companies that create marketing tools.
Previous Cost: $749 to $2,499 | More Information
20. Converge 2020
This digital marketing conference is for higher education professionals, including CMOs, deans, enrollment pros, marketing strategists and recruiters. Basically, if you have to market to students, you’ll want to check out Converge 2020. The conference includes keynotes, in-depth workshops and breakout sessions, which is when a large group splits into smaller groups to learn about a topic.
Previous Cost: $500 to $985 | More Information
21. FinCon
FinCon is for content producers (podcasters, vloggers and writers) and content marketers in the finance and tax fields. While sessions are basic and intended for beginners, attendees come back year after year for the networking opportunities, which are especially great if you’re a freelancer in the finance niche. Events cover content marketing, podcasting strategies, SEO and social media tips. You can also learn about financial institutions and web properties.
Previous Cost: Starting at $247 | More Information
22. Inbound
While this is the ultimate HubSpot meetup, connecting more than 24,000 HubSpot users and marketers, even non-HubSpot users will walk away with plenty of relevant insight. There are celebrity keynotes, talks from innovative leaders in marketing and tons of opportunities to network. Any marketer ranging from a specialist to C-suite should consider attending this conference.
Previous Cost: $149 to $2,199 | More Information
23. Learn Inbound, Dublin, Ireland
Learn Inbound is a two-day, single-track digital marketing conference offering the latest strategies for analytics, copywriting, CRO, PPC, PR and SEO, plus content, growth and product marketing. Approximately 20 industry leaders give sales pitch-free talks, and there are around 600 other marketers to network with. Learn Inbound seems geared toward not-so-advanced marketers, but since an assortment of topics will be covered, you may learn something new regardless of how long you’ve been in the business.
Pricing info is hard to find because 2019’s conference is sold out and 2020 isn’t announced yet. According to this website, though, it looks like pricing is around 99 EUR per day or 149 EUR for both days with Super Early Bird discounts.
24. Marketing Festival, Prague, Czech Republic
If you feel like venturing far away for a part-work, part-play marketing festival, consider Prague’s annual event. There’s an impressive roundup of speakers, including data experts, professors, SEO scientists, tech reporters and whistleblowers that represent brands like Moz, Seer Interactive and Yoast.
Pricing info is hard to find – the 2019 conference is sold out and tickets for 2020 aren’t on sale yet. Half-day workshops are around 40 EUR, but pricing for the actual festival (catering, speakers and after-parties) is unclear at the moment.
25. VidCon
If video marketing is your niche or even a branch you want to explore more, check out VidCon. You’ll network with brands, marketers and social influencers. The conference covers a host of video-centric topics ranging from family vlogging to mastering YouTube ads. Honestly, with a price tag this low, VidCon is worth attending if video marketing is on your mind at all.
Previous Cost: $115 to $650 | More Information
Wrapping Up
You may have to choose just one marketing conference to attend over the next year. Determining your main goal – learning or networking – will help you narrow down your options. Keep in mind that the level the conference caters to will be the level of people you’ll connect with. For example, if you’re an advanced social media marketer and you want to attend a conference for networking more than learning, you should still choose a conference at your current level. Otherwise, you’ll only meet beginners. (Of course, if you want to offer consulting services to beginners, they’re your bread and butter.) You should also consider your budget, location and the type of experience you want – self-guided or a predetermined track to stick to.
Which marketing conferences did I miss? Which ones have you attended that you love (or hate)? Let me know in the comments.
Featured image via Ajlan Gusti / shutterstock.com
The post 25 Marketing Conferences Worth Attending appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.
