20 Tech Conferences To Have On Your List In 2020
In the tech universe, time never stands still. Choosing which events to attend or not is becoming increasingly important as budgets and focus need to be more aligned than ever. Keeping track of the traditional industry events as well and some promising newcomers can be a tough job, so once again, we embarked on a quest to find you the tech conference(s) that fits your needs the best. And for the second time, we created a comprehensive list of tech and startup conferences that are definitely worth considering. (If you want to know which conferences are especially great for speaking opportunities and media attention depending on different startup stages, let us know.)
February
Mobile World Congress
24-27, in Barcelona, Spain
Good things never change: As one of the world’s most important tech conferences, the Mobile World Congress with more than 100,000 visitors and over 7,700 CEOs attending each year, is an absolute must in the industry. Depending on your budget there’s a ton of things that you can do to attract attention and make a name for yourself.
Bosch Connected World
19-20, in Berlin, Germany
In February, Bosch Connected World takes place at the Stage Berlin. The event is all about Iot and digital transformation and if you are looking for some new business connections, you will not leave disappointed. Prior to the conference, starting at the 17th, there will be a 30 hour hackathon. As the largest ones in Europe, frontend developers as well as students are invited to test their skills with some challenging software and hardware stacks coming straight from Bosch and its partners.
March
TWENTY2X
17-19, in Hannover, Germany
As the World renown Cebit conference announced its end, the TWENTY2X is launching “a brand new, cross-industry trade fair format with intelligent IT solutions for SMEs and startups”. With speakers from crossing from all sectors of the field; from researchers to politicians and bloggers, the event is intended to offer CEO’s, IT-specialists or investors an opportunity to connect and is therefore B2B only. It might not be the same as the Cebit, but you can be excited to see what new organizers have created to follow Cebit’s footsteps.
SXSW Conference
13-22, in Austin, Texas (USA)
SXSW is deemed by many as the best all around experience, combining the world renown tech conference with high value music, film and comedy festivals. It is notably a place known for “Guerilla” launches for several bootstrapped startups. Even though it has evolved over the years, it still continues to be a staple for many startups to connect with potential investors, mentors and a great source of knowledge exchange. In the past, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have been keynote speakers. Make sure to check out this year’s lineup if there’s something for you. An option to consider if you have plans to expand into the U.S. market in the near future!
D3Con
01-04, in Hamburg, Germany
After 10 successful years, the D3Con is now the biggest conference for digital advertising in Germany. In its 10th anniversary this year, everything is about marketing automation and marketing AI. If you want to get the newest insights on the future of marketing, this is the place to be!
April
hub.berlin
01-02, in Berlin, Germany
As one of the most important events accelerating the digital transformation, the hub.berlin happens again this year, together with the Big-Data.AI Summit. More than 10.000 tech experts will gather at the event, providing an ideal platform for networking and information exchange - a core selling point of this conference.
Womenize!
21, in Berlin, Germany
WOMENIZE!, as the name already suggests, strives to empower women in the games and tech industries, providing a platform for the “heroines” of our world. Dedicated to “transform a non-female environment into one with more women”, you will have the opportunity to attend various workshops and get inspired by encouraging speakers from the tech industry.
May
Webinale
25-29, in Berlin, Germany
As a cross-over conference, the Webinale offers the creative community a space to exchange and network. Connecting user experience and coding the event is suitable for all kinds of Product Owner, Webdesigner and Frontend-Coder. You can attend various workshops to improve your knowledge on the newest digital trends.
re:publica
06-09, in Berlin, Germany
Packed with a diverse amount of talks and presentations from 950 artists, entrepreneurs, politicians and scientists, re:publica Berlin is Europe's largest internet and digital society conference with more than 10.000 attendees. The program covers a range of key topics like sustainable cities, education, tech or journalism and is therefore suitable for you if you have an idea for an interesting installation or want to learn something new about trends, expert opinions and politics.
Online Marketing Rockstars
12-13, in Hamburg, Germany
Online Marketing Rockstars is without a doubt the best marketing conference that Germany has to offer. For the first time in 2020, there will be three stages filled with talks and discussions. It’s insightful, fun, inspirational and the team has a knack for attracting the best talent in the industry, from influencer to marketing experts. If you can’t wait to go there in May, you should definitely follow their podcast and blog in the meantime. They are both available in German and English. Pro tip: It’s one of the best resources on anything Online Marketing that you can find on the German web.
June
The Next Web
18-19, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In 2006, two creative minds were looking for a conference that combines all branches they needed to promote their own business. When they couldn’t find one, they simply started their own. More than a decade later, the TNW, established itself as one of the best known in Europe. With speakers like Rebecca Roth, the social media specialist of NASA, you should place this event really high on your agenda.
Viva Technology
11-13, in Paris, France
This year, Viva Technology celebrates its 5th birthday. After coming out of nowhere in 2016 it already attracted over 40.000 visitors from all over the world in its first year thanks to the massive network from Publicis Groupe and Groupe Les Echos, who are organizing the conference. Over the last few years, Viva Tech just became bigger and bigger. More than 124.000 people, 13.000 startups, almost 2.500 journalists and 3.300 investors from all over the world attended the conference last year. But the event doesn’t just attract the biggest names in the tech industry like Mark Zuckerberg, Satya Nadella or Dara Khosrowshahi – the organisers also put a big emphasis on helping startups to launch new products and build meaningful connections with potential business partners. Highly recommended. We know first hand how much of an impact this event can have. Our client ONO had massive awareness and coverage there last year, partly due to personal visits from the Mayor of Paris and other political/ corporate interest groups.
Fifteen Seconds Festival
04-05, in Graz, Austria
Created to combine business, innovation and creativity, this event is a real wonderland for all “curious minds” out there striving to learn from experts from all over the world. The Fifteen Seconds Festival happens for the seventh time this year. With more than 200 speakers you will get to hear about the technological challenges in all kinds of industries, from urban development to arts and music.
Greentech Festival
19-21, in Berlin, Germany
After an impressive start in 2019, the second edition of the Greentech Festival is once again devoted to “Celebrate Change”, combining tech and sustainability. Last year, with more than 1,000 participants at the conference and more than 10,000 visitors at the exhibition, the festival paved the way into a green future within the tech industry. If you want to change the future with them, the festival is your chance to be a part of it and connect yourself with like minded people in wonderful Berlin.
Tech Open Air
23-26, in Berlin, Germany
The Tech Open Air - or TOA how it’s called by everyone - goes beyond the traditional approach of many tech conferences. The team puts a lot of effort into building bridges between tech, music, art, and science, Tech Open Air aims to become one of Europe’s Leading Technology Festivals – and this is clearly evident in their unique format. While it may not as big as many of the other major conferences, it does offer an interesting opportunity for startups that are at an early stage and don’t yet have the resources to conquer the main stages of the bigger conferences.
September
IFA Berlin
06-11, in Berlin, Germany
IFA is a trade show known for showcasing some of the latest innovation in consumer electronics and appliances in Germany and beyond. A European CES so to say. You can expect a lot of media attention from all over the world while some of the largest tech companies on the planet reveal new products.
Bits & Pretzels
27-29, in Munich, Germany
With previous speakers like former President Barack Obama, Jessica Alba or David Limp, expectations are high for this year. Branded as the biggest founders’ festival in Europe, Bits & Pretzels quickly became certainly one of the most popular tech and startup events in Germany in recent years. Across 7 stages, you will be able to get inspired from 150 speakers. 5.000 startups, investors, journalists, and tech enthusiasts are gathering each year while Munich is busy with Oktoberfest, where the third day of the festival is spent making sure that everyone has a blast and can discuss deals and partnerships while enjoying beer and pretzels. What’s not to like about that!
TechCrunch Disrupt
14-16, in San Francisco, USA
You can’t have a startup and tech conference list without TC Disrupt. If there’s one publication that is serious about startups and offers a global stage for them to investors, journalists and early adopters – then it’s TC Disrupt. Previous speakers include Marc Andreessen, Marc Benioff, Jessica Livingston and many others.
November
Web Summit
02-05, in Lisbon, Portugal
“The best technology conference on the planet” as the Forbes Magazine announced, the Web Summit is definitely an event you have to be aware of. The organizers attract the biggest names in science, politics, and tech to talk on stage: Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Al Gore were all there in previous editions. Last year, more than 1,200 speakers gave inspiring speeches on topics ranging from sustainability to cyber security. If there is one event where keeping some of that marketing budget handy to make an impact, this may be it! Many have found creative ways to use the annual gathering to make themselves heard on the international stage!
Slush
19-20, in Helsinki, Finland
Originally started as a small gathering of mind-like entrepreneurs, Slush evolved into one of the world's leading startup events. Happening in Helsinki, Finland the conference now counts more than 25,000 visitors, 4,000 startups and 2,000 investors. The mission remains the same: building a networking platform for founders and startups.