A much-anticipated part of every developer’s year is attending tech conferences. Countless conventions, expos, seminars, and summits are held across the globe every year to bring professionals together.
These massive gatherings are opportunities to network, learn from peers and industry leaders, and spotlight up-and-coming technology expected to disrupt the tech world.
Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic that sprung up in late 2019, many events have had to be postponed or canceled. The good news is that this is the tech industry. If any industry can adapt and conquer using virtual tools, it’s IT.
Thanks to a bit of ingenuity and the desire to continue meeting with peers, many organizations have chosen to host virtual conferences this year.
If you’re a software developer, digital marketer, HR rep, or startup founder, which virtual tech conferences should be on your calendar in 2021?
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the best virtual tech conferences to be held in 2021:
Virtual Conferences for Developers
Few industries move faster than software development. The way developers create digital products changes from year to year, if not day-to-day. Attending international dev conferences can equip forward-thinking developers at every level to continue to innovate as the digital landscape changes. Check out these upcoming dev conferences:
CES by the Consumer Technology Association
Date: January 11-14, 2021
Cost: Registration info to be announced
About the event:
Held since 1967, CES has become a world-famous launchpad for announcing groundbreaking innovations in the tech world. In the past decade, the annual show has announced technologies such as 3D printers, 4K UHD, and virtual reality.
Tech topics include 5G, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, marketing, digital health, sports technology, and much more.
Key speakers:
- Dr. Lisa Su, President, and CEO, AMD
- Mary Barra, Chairman, and CEO, General Motors
- Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO, Verizon
Who should attend: Developers and anyone in the tech industry
Deep Learning 2.0 Virtual Summit by Re-Work
Date: January 28-29, 2021
Cost: $99-199
About the event:
Learn from pioneers in the artificial intelligence industry and the increasingly important role of AI in business. Gain insight into the current AI landscape, how enterprises are employing AI, and discuss the ethics and social responsibility of artificial intelligence.
Key speakers:
- Peter Grabowski, Austin Site Lead, Enterprise Machine Learning, Google
- Myrna MacGregor, BBC Lead, Responsible AI+ML, BBC
- Joel Lehman, Senior Research Scientist, Uber AI
- Puneet Dokania, Senior Researcher, University of Oxford
- Many more
Who should attend: Developers, data scientists and engineers, and anyone in the tech industry
Red Hat Summit
Date: Three segments presented throughout 2021
Cost: First two segments are free with more registration details to be announced
About the event:
Devs have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with the minds behind the code of premier open source technology. Red Hat also provides innovative coders a chance to be recognized for their contributions to the open-source community. Topics to be explored include cloud-native platforms, automated systems, and IT management.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Developers and anyone in the IT industry
FOSDEM
Date: February 6 & 7, 2021
Cost: Free
About the event:
A non-commercial conference hosted by passionate volunteers, FOSDEM is a free two-day event aimed at promoting the use of free and open-source software. Developers can network, gain valuable information on the latest free and open-source software in the industry, and attend stimulating keynotes and lightning talks on all varieties of dev-relevant topics.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Developers
DeveloperWeek
Date: February 17-19, 2021
Cost: $325-$545 (hurry, rates will increase over time)
About the event:
With 8,000+ attendees every year, DeveloperWeek is one of the biggest conference and event series for developers in the world. DeveloperWeek puts a spotlight on new dev technologies. Devs can gain insight into the industry’s latest tools, languages, and platforms to take their craft to the next level. From introductory to in-depth discussions on technologies like JavaScript frameworks, IoT, AI, VR, and more, developers are sure to deepen their knowledge.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Software developers, engineers and architects, dev teams, project managers, and founders
IoT World Conference and Expo
Date: April 26 – 29, 2021
Cost: Registration info to be announced
About the event:
IT pros can join the discussion with interactive conference sessions on topics such as the Industrial Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, 5G, digital security, and technologies that are transforming the way business is conducted.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Developers and IT pros from all industries
QCon Plus
Date: May 10-28, 2021
Cost: Registration info to be announced
About the event:
QCon Plus is three weeks of live virtual content designed to help software engineers to stay up on software trends, gain insight for problem-solving, and connect with peers. Through keynote addresses, interactive sessions, live Q&A with leaders in the software industry, case studies, and more, QCon is a chance for programmers, developers, founders, project managers, and more to learn and collaborate.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Developers, engineers, programmers, founders, project managers, and anyone in the software development industry
International Conference on Software Engineering
Date: May 23-29, 2021
Cost: Registration info to be announced
About the event:
For its 43rd year, the International Conference of Software Engineering will allow software engineers to connect over the latest innovations in the industry. As one of the world’s largest annual conferences for software engineers, the conference features discussions on emerging trends, best practices, and challenges within the community.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Software engineers
Virtual Conferences for Marketers
As modern marketing strategies continue to develop, digital marketers benefit significantly from regular continuing education. By attending digital marketing conventions, professionals can sharpen their approach to social media, eCommerce, and beyond. Check out these upcoming digital marketing conferences:
Adobe Summit
Date: April 13–15, 2021
Cost: Registration opens in early 2021
About the event:
The Adobe Summit presents an opportunity for digital marketing professionals to network and learn how to reimagine better customer experiences, tailoring your strategies to modern consumers. Summit activities will include keynote addresses, breakouts, and labs.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Digital marketers, content managers, and anyone in the tech industry
Content Marketing Conference
Date: April 27-29, 2021
Cost: $349-999
About the event:
The 7th annual Content Marketing Conference focuses on helping content writers from all industries improve content strategies and reach their company’s growth goals through better content writing. Professionals can network and learn through keynotes, workshops, and even comedy routines.
Key speakers:
- Andrew Tarvin
- Karen X Cheng
- Byron White
- Tamsen Webster
- More
Who should attend: Content marketers and strategists
Confab
Date: May 5-7, 2021
Cost: $895-1,095
About the event:
The three-day Confab conference is all about content strategy. Confab features a live broadcast, small group discussions, and more. Content strategists can learn how to improve their approach to UX, storytelling, accessibility, analytics, and more.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: Content marketers, designers and engineers, and UX writers
Virtual Conferences for Project Managers
Working from home and operating with remote teams is becoming the new norm. The shifting human resources landscape presents unique challenges for HR reps and project managers. At virtual conferences, HR staff can draw inspiration on how to fine-tune company policies, improve strategic frameworks, find the best dev talent, and make a success of working remotely as a team. Check out these upcoming digital marketing conferences:
Virtual Working Summit
Date: To be announced
Cost: Free
About the event:
Since digital advances and the current pandemic have transformed the way we work, the Virtual Working Summit aims to help individuals and teams have the tools and techniques they need to create a better virtual workspace. Attendees have the opportunity to submit questions and learn from virtual leaders about how to improve the online work environment.
Key speakers:
- To be announced
Who should attend: HR reps, project managers, and any team members who want to improve the digital/remote workspace
International Project Management Day
Date: November 6, 2020 – February 7, 2021 (attend on demand any time within these dates)
Cost: $79
About the event:
Through over 26 hours of pre-recorded content, the International Institute for Learning presents a compelling online conference in honor of International Project Management Day. The conference’s aim is to recognize the hard work of project managers everywhere and help promote best practices.
Key speakers:
- Dr. Harold Derzner, Senior Executive Director, IIL
- Otema Yirenkyi, VP, Global Engagement, MD Sub-Saharan Africa, Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Sunil Prashara, President and CEO, Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Maureen Jesuthasan, Senior Manager, West Monroe
- Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, Author, Speaker, 2016 PMI Chair, and Co-founder, Strategy Implementation Institute
- Dominic Price, Work Futurist, Atlassian
- Amy Gershen, Director, Global Learning Solutions, IIL
Who should attend: Project managers
Virtual Conferences for Startups
Entrepreneurs and self-motivated startups can prepare themselves for success by attending upcoming virtual tech conferences. At these summits, founders have the opportunity to explore IT solutions that could help them grow, stay up-to-date on management strategies, and find out how to thrive in a digitized marketplace.
Web Summit
Date: December 2-4, 2020 (Not quite 2021, but there’s still time!)
Cost: €179-999
About the event:
Arguably the most significant conference in the tech industry, the annual Web Summit, brings together big-name speakers and tech innovators to help founders and tech pros upskill and redefine how business is done.
Key speakers:
- Eric Yuan, Founder & CEO, Zoom
- Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission
- Mike Schroepfer, CTO, Facebook
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Founder & CEO, goop
- Reid Hoffman, Co-founder, LinkedIn
- More
Who should attend: Founders, partners, and anyone in the tech industry
The Bottom Line
Diversify your knowledge, get inspired, and stay updated on best tech industry practices by attending the best virtual tech conferences in 2021. Sign up early and mark upcoming events on your calendar so you can get the most out of these conferences.
The developers at Rootstrap love finding out about emerging IT trends, networking with fellow devs, and learning how to stay agile.
Get in touch to collaborate on your company’s next digital product, or leave a comment below to let us know which tech conferences you’ll be attending in 2021.
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