18 Marketing Conferences You Shouldn't Miss

The world of marketing is constantly evolving alongside technological advancements and the changing dynamic between consumers and brands. To stay on top of best practices and gain some inspiration from industry leaders, here’s a run-down of the top marketing conferences and symposiums that are coming up. Confluence Conference (Sept 6), held in Oklahoma City, is a place for digital aficionados and creative types to gather and discuss issues in content marketing, branding, SEO and social media. Speakers include Prashant Puri, the CEO and Co-Founder of AdLift.com, which works with Fortune 500 companies including PayPal and eBay. Content Marketing World (Sept 8-11) is the largest content marketing event on the planet, according to its official website. Confirmed speakers for the Cleveland-based event will come from brands including Kraft Foods, Microsoft, Facebook, and attendees can look forward to Kevin Spacey as the closing keynote speaker. SearchLove (Sept 11-12) is an online marketing-focused event held in the beautiful Mission Bay of San Diego. On top of discussions, there will also be experts on-hand to provide feedback on websites. INBOUND (Sept 15-18) has once again enlisted an impressive group of industry leaders to speak at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center this year. Look forward to keynote speakers including Martha Stewart, Malcolm Gladwell and the co-founders of Hubspot. In addition to inspiring discussions, organizers have arranged for Janelle Monae to perform for this year’s INBOUND Rocks concert. Future of Marketing Summit, (Sept 17) hosted by Financial Times, is celebrating its second year in NYC. Attendees can expect discussions and debates with forward-thinking leaders within the marketing landscape, including Mastercard’s VP of Global Digital Marketing Adam Broitman and Joel Lunenfeld, Twitter’s VP of Global Brand Strategy. Topics of discussion range from how to personalize data for customer targeting to de-mystifying Millennials. Brand ManageCamp (Sept 18-19) will take place in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The two-day event consists of back-to-back speakers, all of whom have published books based on their observations and experiences in branding. Search Marketing Expo – SMX East (Sept30-Oct 2) offers search veterans and novices alike the opportunity to stay informed about the ever-changing world of search marketing. Listen and learn from speakers including Yahoo’s Head of Client Services and Buzzfeed’s Founder and CEO. B2B Marketing Forum (Oct 8-10) is a Boston event tailored to those working in B2B. Attendees can sign up for workshops and interactive sessions, which are both limited in space to ensure maximum participation. Pivot (Oct16-17) has been designed to help attendees learn how to take control of consumer interaction in an age where traditional marketing strategies are no longer relevant. The event is invite-only, so email to get on the list. BOLO (Oct19-21), which stands for ‘Be On the Look Out’, is a digital marketing conference based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Organizers will cap the event at 250 attendees to ensure a more personable experience, so make sure to register before it’s too late. Confirmed speakers include Pam Scheideler, Director of DeutschLA and Lincoln Stephens, Executive Director of Marcus Graham Project. DMA 2014 (Oct 25-30), a week-long event for data-driven marketers, will have over 300 companies at their expo, and attendees can choose from more than 150 sessions over the course of six days. Guests can look forward to speakers from Facebook, FedEx, Google and Coca Cola, to name a few. Inbound Marketing Summit (Nov 11-12) will have over 40 speakers discussing all things to do with digital marketing. Registration includes exclusive video features accessible before the event, and a library of sessions, interviews and special features. SMX Social Media Marketing (Nov 19-20) is tailored to companies that want to master the art of engaging consumers in the social media landscape. Guests can also sign up for pre-conference workshops taking place on November 18, which offer best-practices training and industry networking opportunities. ClickZ Live Chicago (Nov 3-6) will feature 10 digital-marketing focused tracks over three days. Topics include data-driven marketing, social innovation, e-commerce tactics and content marketing strategy. Ad-tech New York (Nov 5-6) is composed of 30 breakout sessions under five themes, some fun discussion topics include ‘The Allure of Dirt’ and ‘Video Killed the Radio Star: YouTube Video Blogging vs. Podcast’. The Expo Floor will be made up of 225+ solution providers and technology start-ups. Internet Summit (Nov 11-13), held in Raleigh, North Carolina, is the Southeast’s largest gathering of digital leaders. Organizers have signed on more than 100 speakers, which include Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple and Matt Walleart, Behavioral Scientist at Microsoft/Bing. Dallas Digital Summit (Dec 9-10) has yet to announce this year’s speakers, but if the lineup is on par with the caliber of brands from last year (Apple, Twitter, Advertising Age and American Airlines, to name a few), a trip to Dallas in December should be worth your time. Search Insider Summit (Dec 10-14) is a bi-annual event hosted by MediaPost that aims to dissects the search marketing industry in a think-tank environment. The event is complimentary to select brand marketers, so check out their website to see if you qualify.