Steve Voith, Director of Marketing & Demand Generation
Every year, it seems like more B2B marketing events pop up, making it increasingly difficult for us to finalize our calendars — and our travel budgets. And it’s clear that 2018 is no exception.
B2B marketing focus areas continue to expand and with each new trend and technology, there comes a new conference with great opportunities to network, expand your knowledge.
But unless you have an endless “conference” or “continuing education” budget, you know it’s not a matter of “if” you’re going to an industry event, but more a decision of “which” event will be most beneficial for you and your business. We know that whittling that list down can feel overwhelming, so we’ve carefully crafted the list below of the top 10 B2B Marketing Events for 2018.
Check out the events (listed chronologically) and let us know if you think we missed anything!
Dates: February 19 – 21
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
A must-attend for performance marketers managing the complex sales cycles and group buying realities common in B2B industries. Addressing the topics that matter most to B2B marketers — Account Strategies, Messaging Frameworks, Demand Acceleration and Sales Enablement — attendees walk away with actionable insights they can apply to their business to drive engagement and revenue.
Dates: March 5 – 7
Location: San Francisco, CA
This three-day event will feature information-packed sessions from marketing leaders, top brands and ON24’s own digital marketing experts. ON24 Webinar World attendees will leave with a wealth of practical knowledge that they can immediately apply to improve their content and the performance of their marketing programs.
Dates: April 9 – 11
Location: Nashville, TN
Three days of inspiring, hands-on sessions from the smartest minds in marketing in a city that’s synonymous with having fun. We can pretty much guarantee you’ll leave with at least one mind-blowing, career-changing, unparalleled moment of your own.
Dates: April 10 – 12
Location: Chicago, IL
Oracle’s Modern Customer Experience moves from Vegas to the Windy City. Join top marketers from across the country for three days of networking, learning and focus on the marketing experience you deliver to your buyers. Featured speakers include Oracle CEO, Mark Hurd; author Jay Baer and more!
Dates: April 29 – May 2
Location: San Francisco, CA
The Marketing Nation Summit brings together the best and brightest in digital transformation, touting titles focused on marketing, advertising, IT, services, and more. Past attendees heard from amazing speakers like Hillary Clinton, Will Smith and Arianna Huffington, so you’ll be sure to have a star-studded experience! While this is definitely a must-attend event for Marketo users and evangelists, it’s valuable for all B2B marketers.
Dates: May 7 – 9
Location: Chicago, IL
This is a bit of a niche event, but is definitely a must-attend for B2B marketers in the manufacturing and distribution sectors. B2B Online is the interactive event for e-commerce, digital and marketing executives from America’s leading manufacturers and distributors. An event laser-focused on getting you the tools you need to power an innovative, future-looking omni-channel experience for your customers.
Dates: May 8 – 10
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Join more than 3,200 of your peers for three full days of data-driven best practices research from the experts at SiriusDecisions, who will also unveil new innovations across the B2B space. The conference is composed of general sessions that spotlight the firm’s latest proprietary B2B research and insights, intimate breakout sessions with SiriusDecisions analysts on niche topics, and customer case study presentations. While you’re not networking with an elite community of sales, marketing and product leaders, get the information you need to operationalize your company’s growth strategy.
Dates: September 4 – 7
Location: Cleveland, OH
An event designed to inspire you to create your own epic content marketing and network with some of the brightest in the business! Over 120 sessions and workshops presented by leading brand marketers from around the world covering strategy, integration, measurement, and more new ideas than you can shake an orange stick at.
Dates: September 4 – 7
Location: Boston, MA
INBOUND is an event that celebrates the human, helpful side of business. INBOUND’s purpose is to provide the inspiration, education and connections you need to grow and transform your business. Through inspiring keynotes, innovative talks, educational breakouts, hands-on lessons, and tons of networking, you will learn why the INBOUND experience is truly remarkable.
Dates: November 13 – 16
Location: San Francisco, CA
MarketingProfs’ B2B Marketing Forum is more than just a quirky (not-so-little) conference. It’s the place where leaders, innovators, and people who make things happen gather to learn about the latest in B2B marketing and share the secrets to success. (Plus creative networking, shenanigans, and marketers-off-the-clock antics.) And for the first time ever, the event is heading to the West Coast.
So, that’s our list. Clearly, there is no shortage of opportunities to enhance your B2B marketing skills and expertise. Our advice for picking the perfect event? Look for the events that offer the right combination of workshops, case studies, compelling keynote speakers and subject matter variety. If you can’t decide between two events — go with the better weather and networking opportunities!
Headed to any of the events we listed? We’d love to see you there. Shoot a note to, Steve Voith, Content4Demand Director of Marketing, and we’ll schedule some time to get our content marketing geek on!
