In the age of social media where everyone can share information in a few clicks, some professionals may think they no longer have to attend an industry conference or seminar.
While social media channels, LinkedIn in particular, may have become popular platforms for information sharing and networking, the truth is that it is still a must for professionals to attend conferences, seminars, and meetings.
These events are usually short, typically 2 to 3 days. During that short amount of time, professionals like you can learn from several industry experts. Moreover, you can network with other people in your industry.
There are many reasons why you should attend an industry event, such as:
There is no shortage of business conventions that professionals can participate in. The following is a discussion of particular fields and some of the more notable meetings, conferences, and exhibits that professionals can join in.
The I.T. Industry is constantly evolving, so it is understandable why there are lots of business conventions held for people and organizations in this field. There are lots of technology conferences held all year round. The good news is that most of these events offer live streaming options, which augurs well for IT professionals who are too busy or those who have exhausted their travel budget.
The Google Cloud Next conference is one of the most highly anticipated events among I.T. professionals. This will take place in San Francisco from March 8-10 this year. Google Cloud developers will benefit greatly from taking part in this event, what with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt expected to talk about Google’s initiatives this year. The conference is expected to draw thousands of participants, who will see what the future of cloud development will be like.
Another highly anticipated business convention in the I.T. industry is the Bluetooth World 2017. This yearly, two-day conference is expected to draw more than 1,000 thought leaders to Santa Clara, California. It will showcase how Bluetooth technology is changing the world, and how the Internet of Things is making life easier for everyone.
There are also lots of business conventions that accountants can take part in. Perhaps the most prestigious of these is the MNCPA Tax Conference held yearly in Minnesota. This is also one of the longest-running tax conventions in the United States, with its first staging held more than 60 years ago. CPAs, CPOs, tax practitioners, and financial professionals looking to expand their knowledge of tax-related developments are encouraged to participate in this convention.
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) offers more than 60 conferences all year round. These events cover almost every topic there is in the accounting field. Some events are held simultaneously in multiple cities and most conferences can earn continuing professional education (CPE) credits for its participants.
One of the biggest events that the AICPA is holding is its CFO Conference. It will be held in Phoenix, Arizona this year, with hundreds of CFOs, CEOs, investment bankers, attorneys, chief audit executives, and academics expected to join. The conference will tackle issues such as cybersecurity, strategic planning, risk management, and the current political, tax, and economic landscape in the U.S.
Engineers also have tons of options when it comes to business conventions. Engineering associations are usually at the forefront of these events, providing engineers with the opportunity to hone their skills, earn more certification, and be updated with the latest advancements.
Electrical engineers, for instance, can attend the International Solid-State Circuits Conference organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer. This year’s event held in San Francisco, California tackled developments in the Internet of Everything.
For mechanical engineers, the Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition is a prestigious event to take part in. This is reputed to be the biggest interdisciplinary mechanical engineering convention in the world. It has been going on for more than a century now, with the first meeting in New York held in 1880. For some historical perspective, this is also the same convention when Willis Carrier presented his concepts on air conditioning back in 1911.
This year’s Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition will be held in Tampa, Florida.
Conferences and education events for members of the academy are designed to provide educators with tried and tested strategies in connecting with students, connect with peers, and bolster their practice.
One of the biggest gatherings of educators in the United States is the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference. In 2016, the conference had more than 18,000 participants composed of educators, school leaders, policymakers, tech coordinators, school administrators, and library media specialists. This year, the organizers hope that the event will have more attendees. The event is scheduled to be held in San Antonio, Texas.
The ASCD, meanwhile, organizes its annual conference called Empower. It is designed not just for teachers but also for principals, school superintendents, instructional coaches, and central office staffers. This year’s conference scheduled in Anaheim, California has more than 200 sessions on deck.
There are also certain conferences held onboard cruise ships. The International Interdisciplinary Business-Economics Advancement Conference, for example, will be held at the Navigator of the Sea, a five-star luxury cruise ship. The cruise will depart from Miami, Florida and stop at the Bahamas and Mexico before returning to Miami.
The conference is expected to attract scholar students, scientists, and researchers who will share their insights on business and economics.
With the Internet changing the way people buy products and avail of services, it is not surprising that many business conventions geared towards professionals in the sales and marketing field are focused on e-commerce.
One event, Brand Innovators Summit, is conducted in multiple cities across the US throughout the year. These summits teach sales and marketing professionals and entrepreneurs how the best brands are using digital media to promote their products and services. Topics range from content marketing, monetization, and enhancing customer experience.
Mozcon Local is similar to the said event as it teaches sales and marketing executives how to use digital media, particularly local marketing and search engine optimization. Participants will learn tips and tricks for optimizing their websites and make them rank higher on Google.
Adobe, a popular creative product, also holds its own conference. The Adobe Summit is scheduled in March, with participants converging in Las Vegas to learn how to create engaging content viewable across various devices.
Another event that sales and marketing professionals should consider joining is the Social Media Marketing World set sometime this March in San Diego. The event promises to impart some distinctive social media marketing techniques from industry leaders.
Finally, Ragan’s Social Media conference to be held at Disney World will teach attendees when and how to implement various social media techniques. This event will also impart knowledge like building a social media following, strengthening online communities, and tapping key audiences.
One of the fastest-growing industries in the world, the healthcare sector has hundreds of trade shows and conventions held in various parts of the globe. These conventions are attended by medical professionals, researchers, medical technology suppliers, among others.
Arab Health is one of these events. It is considered to be the biggest healthcare exhibition and medical congress in the Middle East, and the second biggest in the world.
This event attracts more than 4,400 companies that proudly display their latest innovations. The event aims to promote and improve healthcare services in the UAE and nearby territories.
Another event that attracts many healthcare professionals around the world is the Digital Health Summit. This event, which was most recently held in Las Vegas, tackles the substantial role that technology has in advancing medicine.
The Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition, organized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is another big event that attracts thousands of healthcare workers. The event particularly is geared at healthcare IT workers, with the most recent staging focusing on how the new administration will impact the healthcare sector.
Business leaders and entrepreneurs also have lots of choices as far as business conferences and conventions are concerned.
One of the biggest and most prestigious is the CEO Space Forum, which its organizers have dubbed as a business growth accelerator event. Participants can learn many things from the event’s resource speakers like traditional funding, strategic planning, leadership, business finance, among others. This year’s gathering will happen in Orlando, Florida and run for five days.
Young professionals, or those who belong to the Millennial generation, are the target participants of the Next Gen Summit. This event is relatively young, with its first meeting held in 2015. It is backed by partners such as Uber and Verizon.
What’s impressive with this business convention is that it has grown exponentially in the past two years. In 2016, there were more than 500 attendees. More than 10 venture capitals were supported by $1.6 billion in the capital. This year, the organizers hope to bring in a minimum of $3 billion in capital funds.
Aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as bosses of start-up businesses, should also check out the Start-Up Conference 2017. This is one of the biggest entrepreneur events in Silicon Valley, attracting more than 2,000 businessmen.
As the name suggests, this conference caters mainly to entrepreneurs looking to jumpstart their startup enterprises. Topics include pitching venture capitals, finding co-founders, promoting a product, and reaching influencers, among others.
With social media taking over the world, media practitioners will learn a lot from business conventions. Events like the Print and ePublishing Conference slated this June in Chicago, for example, will teach them how to deliver the best content that’s accessible across all platforms. The BlogHer conference, meanwhile, attracts women bloggers and promotes economic empowerment and education. This conference is open to all bloggers and provides a good platform for networking.
A similar event is Blogcademy held in multiple cities. This two-day blogging conference and worship teach participants how to improve their content, so they can earn more from their blogs or websites. It can also teach them how to secure book deals and other publishing agreements.
Web designers, art directors and those in the creative field may also get into courses like Future of Web Design workshop. Scheduled this April in London, said the workshop is expected to be participated in by engineers, web developers, and designers.
There is no denying that there are a lot of business conferences, seminars, workshops, and similar events that professionals can participate in. These events are all geared towards updating the skills and knowledge of participants, provide a venue for networking, and in some instances, allow attendees to earn continuing education credits.
Professionals should be wise enough to attend these events, as this won’t only help in advancing their careers. They can get the chance to travel for free, as they can claim their expenses as deductible in their next tax returns.
