8 Top Event Industry Conferences You Need To Know About For 2019 & 2020
With fresh approaches to the entire event planning process every season, each conference or trade show brings something innovative and never-before-seen to the stage year after year.
However, no matter how hard event and meetings planners try to one-up their previous event’s success and brainstorm something bigger and better than the last, it's often difficult to find new ways to make a luncheon or conference stage enliven an event and excite attendees, while still aligning with the event’s key objectives, topics, themes, and event steering committee expectations. Or choose the NBT (next big thing) as the keynote speaker.
Luckily, there are many fantastic and awe-inspiring outlets available for our team to tap into, spark innovation, reinvigorate our creativity, and draw inspiration from to help us to generate new and fresh ideas to carry over into the planning and execution of our client’s biggest events in the coming months.
Our team has compiled a helpful list of the most useful and valuable industry events and meetings based on our team’s experience across the last three decades since our company was founded. Below, we’ve rounded up 8 event planning conferences and trade shows happening in 2019 and 2020. We hope to see you at a few throughout the year!
8 TOP EVENT INDUSTRY CONFERENCES YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FOR 2019 & 2020
Here are a few industry conferences to spark inspiration for your events throughout the rest of 2019, and as we head into 2020:
- Experiential Marketing Summit, Chicago, Illinois, May 11-13, 2020
- PCMA Convening Leaders, San Francisco, CA, January 5, 2020
- ILEA Live, Minneapolis, MN, August 8-10, 2019
- The Event Planner Expo, New York, NY, October 1-3, 2019
- The Special Event, Las Vegas, NV, March 9, 2020
- ESPA Annual Conference, Event Service Professionals Association, Denver, CO, January 10-12, 2020
- Inspire: Leading Authorities' Day of Ideas Event, Washington, DC, March 2020
- International Confex, London, UK, February 2020
Keep reading to find out more about these great events that will make your next events even better!
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING SUMMIT
Save The Date: May 11th, 2020- May 13th, 2020
Event Location: Chicago, Illinois
With the younger generations becoming more enamored with the experiences of life, marketers must learn to deliver and engage accordingly. At Experiential Marketing Summit (EMS), attendees will be discover new trends, best practices, and discuss the industry’s hottest case studies. The world’s leading brands will be there with bells on to show the NBT in experiential marketing. If your company is small, large, or somewhere in-between, this is a can’t miss opportunity.
PCMA CONVENING LEADERS
Save The Date: January 5th, 2020-January 8th, 2020
Event Location: San Francisco, CA
The future of meetings affect a lot of people from meeting professionals, hotel management, and production companies. From budgeting breakouts to event economic impact reports and fantastic main stage speakers, Convening Leaders has the perfect agenda for everyone in the business.
ILEA LIVE
Save The Date: August 8th, 2019- August 10th, 2019
Event Location: Minneapolis, MN
International Live Events Association knows how to throw a party! The Cultivating Creativity theme certainly does not disappoint. With session titles like “Mayhem at Events and How to Prevent (Some of) It” and experts like the Global Strategic Manager at Ford Motor Company, the panels are not to be missed.
THE EVENT PLANNER EXPO
Save The Date: October 1st, 2019-October 3rd, 2019
Event Location: New York, NY
International Live Events Association knows how to throw a party! The Cultivating Creativity theme certainly does not disappoint. With session titles like “Mayhem at Events and How to Prevent (Some of) It” and experts like the Global Strategic Manager at Ford Motor Company, the panels are not to be missed.
THE SPECIAL EVENT
Save The Date: March 9th, 2020
Event Location: Las Vegas, NV
TSE is for and by event specialists who stop at nothing to provide amazing attendee experiences each year. This past event featured an opening night soirée on the USS Midway in San Diego, CA and Michael Cerbelli’s The Hot List for 2019. If 2019 was any indication of how awesome 2020 will be, you better buy tickets now!
ESPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Save The Date: January 10th, 2020- January 12th, 2020
Event Location: Denver, CO
By building a great rapport with the host city, ESPA has built a unique experience for their attendees by taking time to show off what the city has to offer. ESPA highlights the best of the host city and provides quality content at the meeting site for their attendees.
INSPIRE: LEADING AUTHORITIES' DAY OF IDEAS
Save the Date: March 2020
Event Location: Washington, DC
Leading Authorities, Inc. hosts a day-long event featuring some of the hottest keynote speakers on the circuit today. The Inspire Day of Ideas event is designed to give meeting professionals and other key event stakeholders a unique opportunity to preview great speakers on a wide array of topics all in one place, all in one exciting day.
INTERNATIONAL CONFEX
Save The Date: February 2020
Event Location: London, UK
This two-day event is geared toward meeting professionals who are enthusiastic to learn about the biggest trends that are driving the industry. With seven different streams or courses that an attendee can choose, this is truly a fantastic experience to get out of your comfort zone and push the limits!
MORE INDUSTRY EVENT INFORMATION
Event industry professionals will have the opportunity to learn about the latest tech developments and discover new ways to ensure their businesses thrive for many years to come.
These event planning conferences and expos offer numerous opportunities for small and large companies in the event planning industry. Focused on providing insight and fostering continued and advanced education to attendees, these events are a valuable asset in all companies’ toolboxes when it comes to remaining relevant and competitive in an ever-evolving industry.