The Top Innovation Conferences of 2019

Whip out your calendar, baby! We’ve done the dirty work to make sure your year gets off to a productive start by organizing some of the biggest and best innovation events in the US. This list will continue to grow as more events are announced (most fall/winter events have yet to be included), so check back often!

Innovation Conferences + Events

Ranging from behemoth tech innovation conferences to more intimiate summits in the middle of California’s wine country, there’s something for everyone.

Think

February 12–15, 2019 | San Francisco, CA

Led by IBM, the Think conference focuses on the latest technology and future trends spread across one of the most tech-friendly cities in the world, San Francisco. The event is great for receiving insights on the future of tech innovation from the Seers of Silicon Valley themselves. Passes for the 3-day conference are $2,295 with moderate discounts for groups.

Future Festival

Multiple dates + cities

If you’re looking for demos, workshops, and the wonderfully named “trend safaris,” Trend Hunter’s Future Festival is the place for you. The festival tours globally every year, making it relatively easy to find a date near you. Tickets start at $1399 with various promos throughout the year, including a 2 for 1 early bird discount. Dates and locations for US-based events as follows:

• Future Festival NYC (January 15, 2019 | New York, NY)
• Future Festival Orlando (January 17, 2019 | Orlando, FL)
• Future Festival Cincinnati (March 18, 2019 | Cincinnati, OH)
• Future Festival Atlanta (March 20, 2019 | Atlanta, GA)
• Future Festival Seattle (May 13, 2019 | Seattle, WA)
• Future Festival NYC (May 21, 2019 | New York, NY)
• Future Festival Minneapolis (May 23, 2019 | Minneapolis, MN)
• Future Festival Los Angeles (July 15, 2019 | Los Angeles, CA)
• Future Festival Philadelphia (July 17, 2019 | Philadelphia, PA)
• Future Festival Chicago (July 18, 2019 | Chicago, IL)

Innovation Summit

March 7, 2019 | Chicago, IL

Hosted by The Economist, this yearly innovation event challenges all industries to think like technology companies to compete in the global economy. Passes are $1595 with discounts available for academic, government, public sector, charity, and NGO attendees.

Impact

October 23–24, 2019 | San Francisco, CA

If you’re not into high level presentations and want to dig right in, Impact focuses on off-the-record interactive whiteboard sessions and workshops powered by industry leaders and conference peers over a 2-day period. Impact is a sound choice for corporate innovators who want concrete takeaways like templates and member-contributed tools instead of only notes. Registration starts at $1595 with prices gradually increasing closer to the event date.

Harvest Summit

Date + location TBA

As one of the most exclusive events on our list, Harvest Summit is an invite-only innovation event that brings together a select group of corporate innovators to California’s wine country. If sprawling conventions aren’t your thing, the more intimate Harvest Summit will give you the opportunity to learn and network with the industry’s cream of the crop. While 2019’s event and location is still under wraps, interested parties may apply to attend.

Front End of Innovation

May 14–16, 2019 | Boston, MA

Knect365’s annual front-end innovation conference brings behemoth speakers from some of the nation’s most prized companies, such as Disney, P&G, GE, and more. While the passes may burn a hole through any company credit card — prices start at $3095 for a 2-day pass — you’ll definitely return back with some newfound knowledge from the biggest in the biz.

Innovation Enterprise Summits

Multiple dates + cities

Innovation Enterprise specializes in… well, enterprise innovation, by hosting a variety of innovation-based summits that cater to multiple roles and industries. Tickets range from $600 to $1k+, depending on the event.

• Digital Strategy Innovation Summit (March 1–2, 2019 | New York, NY)
• Digital Marketing Innovation Summit (March 1–2, 2019 | New York, NY)
• Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit (April 29–30, 2019 | San Diego, CA)
• FP&A Innovation Summit (April 29–30, 2019 | San Diego, CA)
• Chief Innovation Officer Summit (May 7–8, 2019 | San Francisco, CA)
• Machine Learning & Big Data Innovation Summit (September 2–3, 2019 | Chicago, IL)
• HR & Workforce Analytics Innovation Summit (December 3–4, 2019 | New York, NY)

Retail Innovation Conference

May 6–8, 2019 | New York, NY

For those in the retail sector, the Retail Innovation Conference is the beacon for the most ambitious, innovative leaders in the industry. This 2-day event focuses on technologies and strategies for retail in a changing world. Day passes start at $395.

Innovation-Adjacent Events

While not totally focused on innovation, the following conferences typically have innovation-based presentations and workshops. Perfect for folks interested in getting their feet wet first, especially if you lean heavily towards tech, music, or design.

CES

January 8–11, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV

Ah, CES, the original innovation conference. Held in Las Vegas, this is one of those legacy tech events that you should experience at least once. Passes start at $700, and with roughly one thousand speakers, you’ll absolutely get some value back.

SXSW

March 8–18, 2019 | Austin, TX

This festival is what happens when the worlds of tech, music, and film combine for one crazy time in Texas. Akin to networking with jaded tech CEOs in the deserts of Burning Man, SXSW at least gives you a normal conference experience in the midst of the party. The Interactive Badge costs $1025, but for those ready to rock, the $1350 platinum badge provides access to the music and film events as well.

99U

May 8–10, 2019 | New York, NY

As with all things Adobe, their 11th annual 99U Conference is sure to be packed with as much creativity, technological prowess, and innovation as their software. If you’re design-minded, this may be the event for you. Badges are priced at $999 until February 12th!

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This post was originally published on December 4, 2018 via the Forest Giant blog. To view the original, visit https://forestgiant.com/articles/innovation-conferences-2019/.