Editor’s Note: The 2022 version is here so check out the Best Marketing Conferences for 2023.
Is your 2020 calendar already filling up? Don’t forget to block out some time for one or two of the many marketing conferences that are scheduled for next year.
Attending a marketing conference is a great opportunity to learn about up-and-coming trends and new technology in the industry, network with peers, brands, and vendors, and just stir up a bit of new inspiration and enthusiasm for your work.
There are literally dozens of marketing conferences coming up over the next 12 months in the US alone, not to mention the rest of the world (you can see my 2019 list to see how the selection compares with last year’s.)
There’s no way I can recommend “the best” conference to attend if you only have the time and budget to go to one. The best marketing conference for one person may not even make it into the top 10 for someone else. When you’re deciding on which conference to attend you need to consider what your main priorities are for attending the event and weigh this up against the combined cost of the conference, travel, and accommodation as well as the time you have available.
It may well be the case that you’re keen to get insights or meet a particular speaker in person, in which case you can narrow down your list to the events that this person will be speaking at.
I’ll also be speaking at a number of these events. If you’re planning to attend a conference I’ll be speaking at, I’d love the opportunity to meet you and have a chat. And if you’re looking for great keynote speakers for your next business conference or marketing event, feel free to contact me about my availability.
GDS Summits
With 10+ years of expertise in delivering digital events, GDS Group Digital Summits are here to connect business and innovation with collaborative and interactive sessions, thought leadership, cutting edge technology and not forgetting the chance to make real and powerful connections. The B2B summits bring purchaser and provider communities together to find solutions to real-world and current business challenges.
To find out more about participating and how you can join upcoming summits, visit the website here.
Digital Summit
Various dates through 2020 in 23 major cities across the USA
Digital Summit conferences bring thought leaders and speakers from some of the world’s leading brands together at conferences throughout the US. With events running almost every month of the year, you’re sure to find one that fits into your schedule. Sessions and topics on offer cover content, search, email, mobile, UX, social, strategy, and more. As well as the chance to meet new people and share ideas, you’ll take away practical advice that you can take back to use in your business right away.
DigiMarCon Digital Marketing Conference
Various dates through 2020 at locations throughout the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia
DigiMarCon conferences make up the largest digital marketing conference series in the world, bringing together some of the most thought-provoking speakers from all over the world. The events provide attendees with valuable insights, emerging strategies, the latest innovative technologies, and best practices from major brands. Topics covered include content strategy, usability and design, customer engagement, social media, targeting and optimization, marketing automation, and more. Sessions focus on building traffic, increasing brand awareness, improving customer service, and gaining insight into the latest tools and techniques.
SUPERWEEK
January 27 – 31, Budapest, Hungary
SUPERWEEK is an annual five-day conference completely focused on digital analytics. Held in a mountaintop resort, this unique event combines valuable seminars and events during the day with a nightly networking bonfire night. Speakers and workshop leaders will travel from all over Europe and the rest of the world to deliver insights into analytics software, privacy, data visualization, personalization, event-driven analytics, A/B testing and more.
Friends of Search – Amsterdam
February 4, Amsterdam, Netherlands
This one-day European SEO and PPC marketing conference is intended to help digital marketers stay up to date with the latest developments in the industry and learn new ideas from how other companies use SEO and SEM. The program for 2020 has yet to be confirmed, but previous years included topics such as CRO testing, storytelling, voice search optimization, technical SEO, and machine learning for PPC.
3XE Conversion & UX
February 13, Dublin, Ireland
3XE runs three digital marketing conferences each year that are focused on different areas of digital marketing. The first event of the year is based around conversion and UX, followed by social and content in May, and search in October. The agenda features speakers from some of the world’s most successful brands including Facebook, Zalando, Dropbox, Google, and SEMrush, covering topics such as eCommerce, AI, search personalization, B2B marketing, machine learning, analytics, and more.
SMX West & East
February 19-20 2020, San Jose, CA and November 11-12, NYC
Search Marketing Expo or SMX is an annual digital marketing conference specifically for SEO and SEM professionals. Planned by editors from Search Engine Land, the two-day event includes case studies, demos, presentations and workshops led by some of the biggest names in the industry. There are also planned networking events to enable you to meet other attendees, speakers, and exhibitors.
“The Gathering” Marketing Summit
February 19 – 21, Banff, Canada
Not to be confused with a spiritual conference of the same name, The Gathering is an annual marketing summit hosted in Banff, Canada. Attendees visit from all over North America and the world to learn from the world’s most successful cult brands with learning sessions and intimate “Inner Sanctums” designed to celebrate every aspect of building a passionate brand and cult following.
B2B Marketing Exchange
February 24 – 26, Scottsdale AZ
B2BMX is an opportunity for B2B sales and marketing professionals to attend sessions on content marketing, digital strategy, and demand generation. The conference consists of over 100 sessions from leading B2B executives including case studies, labs, workshops, and panels. There’s also a mentorship program designed to connect up-and-coming executives with industry-leading CMOs.
Forward Marketing Summit Sydney
February 27 – 28, Sydney, Australia
Formerly named the Big Data & AI Leaders Summit and Digital Marketing Leaders Summit, Australia’s leading marketing, data, and technology conference brings together over 300 product leaders, digital marketers, data scientists, and technology experts to cover branding, omni-channel marketing, CMO leadership, content marketing, marketing technology, and more.
Social Media Marketing World
March 1 – 3, San Diego, CA
Social Media Marketing World was founded by Social Media Examiner in 2013. It has grown to be one of the biggest social media marketing conferences in the world. The conference speakers include some of the biggest marketing experts and thought leaders in the world of social media. Social Media Marketing World features a number of sessions and workshops covering marketing on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other social media channels, content marketing, video creation, local business marketing, messenger bots, and more.
https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/
B2B Marketing EXPO – London
March 25 – 26, London, UK
The B2B Marketing EXPO is one of Europe’s major B2B marketing events. This year’s event will include over 700 exhibitors, 500 seminars, and 200 masterclasses with keynote speakers representing brands including HubSpot, LinkedIn, Shutterstock, Smart Insights, and the DMA. The event is not only an opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s leading specialists, but also includes a live awards ceremony, CPD-accredited courses, and a dedicated networking area
http://www.b2bmarketingexpo.co.uk
Adobe Marketing Summit
March 29 – April 2, Las Vegas, NV
Adobe Summit brings together leaders in marketing automation, analytics, advertising, digital trends, and personalization for a series of over 400 interactive learning sessions and labs. This year, for the first time, Summit will include Magento Imagine with keynote speakers from the world of eCommerce and 80 sessions focused on digital commerce.
Brighton SEO
April 16 – 17, Brighton, UK
If you’ll be in the UK in mid April and you’re interested in SEO, it’s definitely worth visiting Brighton SEO – a one-day SEO training event followed by a search marketing conference. The hands-on workshops and training courses cover subjects including analytics, PPC, and conversion rate optimization. The conference covers all aspects of SEO from competitor research to technical SEO, machine learning, and managing remote teams.
MarTech
April 15 – 17, San Jose, CA and October 6 – 8, Boston MA
The premier event dedicated to the marketing technology industry, MarTech provides two days of sessions, keynotes, workshops, and networking events aimed at senior-level marketers. There are three core tracks to choose from: Marketing & Leadership, Data & Analytics, and Technology & Operations. You’ll also get the chance to connect with leading marketing technology vendors to find the right technology solutions for your business.
Marketing Festival – Prague
April 23 – 24, Prague, Czech Republic
One of Europe’s major digital marketing conferences, Marketing Festival offers a program of lectures and workshops covering what’s important in the marketing industry today, as well as what we can all look forward to in the future. Speakers include experts in brand building, marketing, copywriting, and SEO from some of the most successful brands in Europe and the world.
SiriusDecisions Summit
May 3 -6, Austin, TX
SiriusDecisions Summit is an annual sales and marketing conference aimed at B2B professionals. The event includes sessions covering new technology and innovations, best practice case studies, hands-on learning opportunities, a marketplace connecting vendors and agencies with delegates, and planned networking opportunities.
ANA Masters of B2B Marketing
May 12 – 14, Scottsdale, AZ
ANA, the Association of National Advertisers, runs several events throughout the year across the US covering influencer marketing, branding, data, advertising, and marketing law. Their B2B marketing conference is a must for professionals in B2B marketing to learn from top brand CMOs. The lineup for 2020 is not yet finalized, but it will include case studies, presentations, and breakout sessions led by representatives from some of the world’s biggest brands. The conference also includes the B2 awards, which recognizes the most successful B2B marketing projects from the previous year.
Future of Branding Week – London
June 22 – 26, London UK
The Future of Branding Week is an immersive five-day program exploring how leading brands are disrupting the marketing industry with the use of new technologies and practices from sonic branding to VR and AR. The program includes talks, round-table discussions, mini workshops and in-depth case studies with an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most influential agencies in London. This intimate experience is limited to 25 participants and is designed for creative and design directors, brand strategists, CMOs, and branding professionals.
MozCon
July 6 – 8, Seattle, WA
MozCon describes itself as “not your typical marketing conference”. This three-day event brings together some of the biggest names in SEO, mobile, conversion optimization, and local search. It’s a well-rounded event for marketers at all levels, including content marketers, SEO experts, and agencies. MozCon doesn’t accept pitches from speakers but seeks out the most well-respected names in the industry.
Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference
July 14 – 16, Cleveland OH
If you’re excited by the possibilities that AI technology brings to marketing, you’ll want to make time to attend MAICON – the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference. The event is designed to help marketing leaders understand the potential of AI and develop a strategy for scaling AI in marketing. Attendees will hear case studies from real businesses that have successfully implemented AI into their marketing strategies.
https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/events/marketing-artificial-intelligence-conference
HubSpot’s INBOUND
August 18 – 21, Boston MA
INBOUND is an annual marketing event organized by HubSpot that sees tens of thousands of attendees from all over the world. The four-day event’s past speakers have included Michelle Obama, Issa Rae, and Gary Vaynerchuk. As well as inspiring speakers, you’ll benefit from breakout sessions led by innovative names in the world of marketing, sales, and customer service, the INBOUND Studio – telling stories of inspiring brands and people, and “not-working” events including parties and exciting entertainment.
B2B Marketing Leaders Forum Asia 2020
August 19 – 20, Singapore
Asia’s largest B2B marketing conference focuses on localized strategies for Asian markets, sales and marketing alignment, marketing leadership, brand transformation, analytics, customer experience, demand generation, content marketing, martech, and more. Speakers include global CMOs and senior directors of global brands including Salesforce, Alibaba, Cisco, HP, Forrester, and more.
https://b2bmarketingleaders.com.au/singapore/
Brand ManageCamp is now virtual
September 15 – 16, Las Vegas, NV
Brand ManageCamp is designed to help companies big and small to grow their brands through fresh thinking. The conference covers topics including strategy, advertising, content, customer behavior, and more, and every session is designed so you can walk away with actionable insights. I’ll be back again at Brand Manage Camp this year talking about the top trends in marketing for 2020.
Check out how this will be different from other virtual events here!
https://brandmanagecamp.com/
Content Marketing World
October 13 – 16, Cleveland OH
Content Marketing World is one of the few events focused around content marketing, and it’s designed to help you build and implement a content marketing strategy that will grow your business. It’s created for anyone who develops content strategy both as a source of inspiration and to give you practical ideas you can take back and implement in your own business. Marketing and PR professionals, company leaders, and content creators and managers will all get valuable insights and education from this conference.
https://www.contentmarketingworld.com
MarketingProfs B2B Forum
November 3 – 6, San Francisco CA
MarketingProfs B2B Forum is a small marketing conference with around 1,000 attendees who come together to learn about the latest in B2B marketing. The event is amazing (just seeing and possibly meeting Ann Handley alone makes this marketing event worth the price!) and includes a carefully curated program of sessions. It’s just intimate enough to promote productive networking between attendees.
http://mpb2b.marketingprofs.com
Dreamforce
November 9 – 12, San Francisco, CA
Dreamforce is a must-attend event for any organization using a Salesforce product. It brings together thought leaders, industry pioneers, and the entire Salesforce community for four days of learning, inspiration, and fun. The 2019 event included sessions in sustainability, customer experience and engagement, AI, demand management, and more. As they aim to make each year’s event bigger and better than the last, we’re sure to be in for a treat in 2020.
https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/
Digital Marketing Leaders Summit – Hong Kong
Date TBA, Hong Kong
The Digital Marketing Leaders Summit is one of Asia’s premier marketing conferences. The event features speakers from several different industries and a mix of sessions targeting both B2C and B2B audiences. The schedule covers digital marketing trends in Asia, branding, content marketing, mobile, eCommerce, influencer marketing, technology, and customer experience.
https://forwardleading.co.uk/summits
Content Marketing Summit
Various dates throughout 2020 in major cities in Asia and Australia
Content Marketing Summit is the largest content marketing event in APAC, and it will be held in Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and New Delhi at various dates through 2020. The event includes speakers from global brands, as well as the CM50 content marketing awards, which celebrate the 50 best content marketing practitioners across the JPAC region.
https://www.contentmarketingsummit.org
Which Marketing Conferences Will You Be Attending in 2020?
Whether you’re based in the US or elsewhere in the world, there’s a great line-up of marketing events to attend next year. Remember, I’ll be speaking at a number of these marketing events. So if you’ll be at one of these great marketing conferences and would like to meet in person, please let me know and I’ll do my best to make it happen!
And remember, if you are looking for an inspiring keynote speaker, please consider booking me to speak. It’s something I really love to do and I would be honored to address your audience.
