Every week, we pose a question to our members to shake up the conversation and involve everybody. This is our #TopicOfTheWeek recap.
Conferences. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re a fact of life for many designers.
However you feel about the forced small talk, awkward sales pitches, or free t-shirts that are quickly relegated to gym-use only, conferences can offer incredible value in terms of networking, new perspectives, and immeasurable inspiration.
And whether you’re in the fortunate position to have a conference budget from your employer or make it a priority to send yourself to a big event or two each year, there are a lot of different factors to consider when it comes time to deciding which conference to attend. Is it local or abroad? How diverse is the speaker list? Should I go with a team or fly solo? Should I go for something design-centric or completely different?
As a community of designers, developers, thinkers, and makers, we can always count on our members to keep an eye on the industry and dig up some of the most interesting conferences and events. And despite being busy planning out long weekends and summer holidays, our members didn’t disappoint. Here are a few that we’re really excited about!
Epicurrence
The brainchild of designer extraordinaire Dann Petty, Epicurrence proudly claims to the be most inspiring un-conference out there. The lineup and plan for the upcoming Yosemite event is yet to be announced, but you can count on seeing some of the industry’s most innovative minds leading workshops, discussions, and work sessions to reinvigorate creatives of all ilks.
The unrelated but equally-epic EPIC2018
This epic conference isn’t just another design conference. It’s an opportunity to truly get people. EPIC2018 is the premier gathering focusing on ethnography in business, diving into the unique habits, trends, and characteristics of individuals and communities, helping you develop an understand your users and how to best serve them.
C2 Montreal
Where would you ever expect to get one of the world’s most iconic hip hop stars, and influential global leader, and an ex-military social activist under one roof? Well, look no further than C2 Montreal. At C2, Snoop Dogg, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and Chelsea Manning will take the stage, aiming to help unlock your creativity to cause genuine disruption and shape the world of tomorrow.
C3 NYC
This year’s C3 NYC conference has already passed, but some people are already counting the days until next year’s event. While C3 is a content marketing conference, you shouldn’t overlook them from a design perspective. Their previous speaker list included heavy-hitters from Google, Amazon, Slack, Microsoft, and WeWork, as well as a New York Times Best Selling author. With brilliants minds from incredible companies, you’ll be sure to learn some valuable insights that will add a new level of empathy and user understanding to your designs.
TED2019
And last but not least, one of the most legendary conferences of the past decade: TED Talks. TED2019 will be hosted in Vancouver, and this year, the theme is Bigger than us, so you can only image the endless topics and ideas about changing the world that will inspire you to level-up your work. This event is invite-only (and quite expensive), so apply early and start saving if you want to attend.
Can’t miss or don’t care?
What do you look for in a conference? What factors makes an event stand out for you, or makes you immediately discount its value? What are your go-to tricks for successfully networking at big events? And of course, what conferences are you planning on visiting or hoping to attend this year? Let us know in the comments below, or join the Toronto or NYC DesignX Slack groups and connect with other like-minded creatives and learn about other awesome conferences and events!
Want to discover some new conferences?
We built lists with the speakers, format, and topics for some of the best and biggest events in both Canada and the US. The lists also include prices for tickets, flights, and accommodations, and are in local currency based on flying out of Toronto and NYC:
2018 conference list for Toronto members
2018 conference list for NYC members
Looking for more inspired design discussions? Check out our members’ crowning achievements, read about their plan-B career aspirations.
