The advertising and marketing world is chock-full of events claiming to be unmissable. As agency owners and professionals know, the buzz alone that surrounds some industry conferences is enough to lead scores of people to flock to them every year. How can you tell which ones are worth not only the hype, but also the expense?
Here, 10 members of Forbes Agency Council share their top picks for can’t-miss conferences in the agency world. These genuinely impactful events provide so much value and networking potential, no serious professional can afford to miss out.
Forbes Agency Council members share their favorite industry conferences.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. 10X Growth Conference
The 10X Growth Conference hosted by Grant Cardone is a must-attend for agency owners and professionals. It’s a great event to attend if you’re looking to stay ahead of the trends, make powerful connections and stay motivated to produce results. – Jonathan Durante, Expandify Marketing Inc
2. Adobe Summit
Adobe Summit is one of my favorite conferences in our industry. Adobe’s emphasis on digital experiences is leading the industry, turning insights into easy-to-understand information that leads to better managerial decision making. – Ahmad Kareh, Twistlab Marketing
3. Build A Better Agency Summit
An important conference is the Build a Better Agency Summit. The entire focus is on helping agency owners and key managers learn how to better manage and plan for the growth trajectory of their business. It covers topics such as financial management, staffing challenges and the sales process specific to advertising agencies. Plus, it creates a safe place for agency owners to collaborate and help one another through challenges. – Korena Keys, KeyMedia Solutions
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4. Consumer Electronics Show
In terms of global trends, the CES is a great show to attend to get a view of the overall landscape of current and emerging products and technologies. This conference facilitates forward-thinking so that agency professionals can be on top of upcoming trends. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne LLC
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5. Content Marketing World
I love Content Marketing World in Cleveland, Ohio. I learned all about the power of positioning yourself as an authority and growing your audience by attending this amazing conference. I am waiting until after the pandemic to go again so that I can network fully without a mask on my face! – Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications
6. INBOUND
INBOUND, HubSpot’s annual conference, is a must-attend event for agency owners and marketing professionals. This conference brings together a wide variety of speakers who provide insights on all things related to marketing, sales, leadership, agency management and more. There are tracks of sessions for everyone, and compared to any other throughout the year, I feel I get the most out of this conference. – Elyse Flynn Meyer, Prism Global Marketing Solutions
7. SMX East
SMX East offers news and exhibits on the latest and greatest in the search industry. There is no shortage of live demos, seminars from well-known search rockstars within the industry or vendors offering new and exciting tools to be discovered. – Larry Gurreri, Sosemo LLC
8. Social Media Marketing World
One of my favorites is Social Media Marketing World because it covers pretty much every kind of social media. In addition to that, it also covers all of the different rules you need to consider as you plan out your strategy for the next year. These are all very critical things to know as you are planning the coming year. – Jon James, Ignited Results
9. South By Southwest
We’ve found the best conference for agencies is SXSW. It can be used as a way to plan bigger events and connect with clients by inviting them to join you. Until last year, we had some pretty incredible events over barbecue with our clients. The content is great, but the city and mindset are what set it apart as a place to build stronger connections with teams, partners and clients. – Jackson Murphy, Pound & Grain
10. Collision
That’s a really tough one. I’ve made some of my best connections and gotten ideas at conferences that have nothing to do with the marketing industry, so I believe in attending conferences in the verticals that you market to. This way, you also know what trends are having an impact on that industry. I also love Collision, which is packed full of intriguing and thought-provoking speakers. – Nancy A Shenker, theONswitch
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
