Influencer Marketing Events in 2020

Influencer marketing is becoming an increasingly popular way of engaging with loyal audiences in an authentic manner. In fact, 63 percent of marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budget, according to the Influencer Marketing Hub. This continued growth is a double-edged sword. While influencer marketing is successful for many companies, the increased competition makes it more difficult to stay visible and relevant.

Influencer marketing events provide opportunities for education and networking, making it possible for you to develop a more robust and competitive influencer marketing strategy. Fortunately, there are many events taking place throughout America every month. Here we discuss some of the most high-profile and interesting events you should consider attending, and the top reasons why.

Why Go to Influencer Marketing Events?

Influencer marketing events bring together companies, brands and content creators. There are usually talks from several important keynote speakers, and opportunities for mingling. This kind of environment provides opportunities for raising awareness of your brand and improving your influencer marketing strategy.

• Education: Successful influencer marketing takes more than asking a popular YouTube star to advertise your product. Like all things, it takes time and dedication to do well. Even if your influencer marketing strategy works, that doesn’t mean it can’t work even better. Events are a fantastic learning opportunity, where it’s possible to pick up new tricks or discuss the successes and failures of your peers.
• Networking: Sixty-one percent of marketers consider finding relevant influencers for their campaigns difficult, according to research by  mediakix. Locating the right influencers usually involves extensive keyword searches and background checks, and the use of additional influencer discovery tools. Attending marketing events is another strategy for meeting the right people.
• Personal engagement: Onboarding influencers is all about building a rapport. Statistics suggest only 24 percent of influencers accept more than half of the offers they receive, according to influence.co. Developing a natural and honest relationship with influencers helps to put you at the front of the queue. Unfortunately, that isn’t always easy when you’re communicating through emails or comment sections on social media. An influencer event is an opportunity for face-to-face interactions with people who matter.
• Distributing content: Whether you’re a keynote speaker or one of the crowd, mingling with your industry peers at an event is a good way to get your content out into a wider market. If you’ve organized meetings, make sure you have your latest white paper or marketing printed out to distribute to attendees. Even if you just hand out business cards with a link to your online subscription-based newsletter, you’re helping to ensure more people see your content while developing new leads.
• Building your reputation: Sharing your thoughts, giving talks and distributing content helps to build your reputation within the industry. If you’re a content creator, this puts you on the radar of companies who may want to partner with you. If you’re a business, a good reputation makes it easier to approach influencers and to successfully negotiate a partnership deal.

Planning Your 2020 Events Calendar

The constantly shifting landscape of modern influencer marketing, and indeed content marketing and social media marketing in general, makes it difficult to keep up. Even just knowing which influencer marketing events are worth attending is a problem. With events happening every month it isn’t necessary, or even practical, to attend them all. You need to spend time figuring out which events are going to be the most useful. When making selections, consider the following:

• Location: It’s obviously easier to attend local events, but for important events it may be worth traveling. You should also consider who is going to attend. If you’re a small business looking for local influencers, it may be better to stick to small, local conferences.
• Cost: Attending events has the potential to be expensive, due to tickets, travel and accommodation. It’s important to make sure what you take away from an event is worth more than what you spend getting there. If you attend lots of events you may blow your budget, making it difficult to put new knowledge into practice.
• Timing: Pay particular attention to dates. You don’t want to take yourself away from your company during your busiest time of the year, or just when you’re closing a major deal.
• Core subjects: Some conferences cover all aspects of social media while others are more focused. Some specialize on specific platforms, or on a particular subject matter, such as health, science or social recruiting. If you work in a niche field and there’s an event tailored to that field, you should strongly consider attending.
• Attendees: Is there a keynote speaker you really admire at the event? Or are there content creators you need to meet? Most events have ample opportunity for meet and greets. If you’ve been in contact with creators and professionals and you know they’re in attendance, it’s a perfect opportunity to get together and exchange ideas.

Top Marketing Events

Social media and influencer marketing are hot topics right now, and they’re at the forefront of everybody’s minds. It’s hardly surprising considering the impact of influencers on purchasing habits. For example, nearly 40 percent of Twitter users make purchases as a direct result of influencer tweets, according to the platform’s own research. That means the influencer marketing world is moving rapidly, and there are plenty of events to help ensure you hold on for the ride. Here are some of the best events you should consider adding to your calendar.

January:

AM Days

January 27-29, Las Vegas, NV

AM Days aims to make the most of affiliate marketing by educating and empowering businesses. Education covers communication, brand and publisher relationships, fraud prevention, analytics and technology. Topics such as affiliate program management, influencer synergies and partner motivation are essential components of a robust influencer marketing strategy.

For 2020, AM Days has partnered with Affiliate Summit West to run a series of affiliate marketing workshops. Each of the three workshops provides valuable tips and advice:

• A crash course in affiliate marketing
• Learning how to find and recruit content partners
• A legal perspective on the risk associated with affiliate marketing

Affiliate Summit West

January 27-29, Las Vegas, NV

Affiliate Summit West is the largest meeting place for affiliate marketers and associated industry professionals. The event boasts over 6,000 attendees, 310 exhibitors and 75 speakers. It also partners with AM Days who are running a series of workshops.

One of the highlights of the event is the Meet Market, where the attendees mingle to break the ice, shake a few hands and perhaps start making some deals. There’s also a host of talented industry thought leaders giving talks throughout the summit. Some of the big attractions include:

• Alex Brown of The Beard Club
• Time Burd, co-founder of Adleaks
• Matt Frary, founder and CEO of SmarterChaos, Inc.
• Jessica Seib, Senior Affiliate Manager at Buzzfeed
• Christina Weaver, Global Senior Affiliate Marketing Executive for Lovehoney

Social Recruiting Strategies Conference

January 28-30, San Francisco, CA

The Talent Acquisition Week at the Mission Bay Conference Center is host to the Social Recruiting Strategies Conference, EBrandCon and the Talent Sources Strategies Summit. This is an essential summit for anyone building a social media team, developing social recruiting strategies or working with different freelancers and content providers.

The event offers practical ideas and takeaways, hands-on workshops and case studies presented by top professionals. In addition to the keynotes and classes, there are networking lunches and an opportunity to mingle on the exhibit floor. Some of the thought leaders available over the three days are:

• Sara Erickson, Senior Recruitment Marketing Specialist for Ecolab
• Arthur Matuszewski, VP, Talent Acquisition at Better Mortgage
• Beth Gottfried, Group Manager Talent Acquisition at Toyota
• Amy Miller, Senior Technical Recruiter at Amazon Lab126
• Shally Steckerl, founder of Sourcing Institute

February:

#BlogHer20 Health

February 1, Los Angeles, CA

Recent years have seen a strong push for diversity and an increased effort to ensure women’s voices are heard in all areas of business. #BlogHer Health is an event that seeks to celebrate and empower the women who use their influence to raise health issues.

2020 marks the event’s third year, and with the 2019 event drawing almost 1,000 LA-based content creators, the scene is set for a good turnout. Some of the speakers for this year include:

• Agatha Achindu, founder and VP of Marketing for Yummy Spoonfuls
• Carly Anderson, founder of #justwearthesuit
• Cara Natterson, New York Times bestselling author and pediatrician
• Erin Cutler, founder and CEO of Neon Rose Agency
• Jenna Finley, a board-certified genetic counselor

Social Media Strategies Summit

February 4-6, San Francisco, CA

If you’re struggling with any aspect of your social media strategy, the SMSsummit is worth visiting. This is the number one social media event for senior-level marketing professionals, and it attracts a range of high-profile speakers. The event spans three days, starting with a one-day pre-summit workshop. Topics include the basics of social media, assessing your existing strategies and using actionable tips from case studies to streamline processes and enhance skills.

For 2020, the event is opening with a keynote on the practical tools necessary to become a skilled storyteller. This is followed by a talk on working with relevant influencers to hit your target demographic, build long-term relationships and improve your return on investment. Some of the guest speakers include:

• Miri Rodriguez, the Head of Global Internship Program at Microsoft
• Marissa Kargas, Director of Digital Strategy and Brand Engagement for Walmart
• Ryan Sweeney, the Director of Analytics at Ignite Social Media
• Aaron Jaufman, Senior Community Strategist for Song
• Amy Bishop, Strategy Director for Epsilon

Pubcon

February 6, Austin, TX

Many events span several days, but Pubcon condenses everything into a single informative day in February. Four educational tracks run each hour, with industry leaders sharing advice and strategies on topics such as SEO, social media, content and digital marketing strategies.

The day kicks off with a keynote from Google’s Gary Illyes. Following this, the schedule diverges into four concurrent tracks:

• Organic SEO
• Spotlight
• Content Marketing & Potpourri
• SEM, PPC and Paid Media

At the end of the day, the tracks converge for a final keynote from Roger Dooley, author of “Brainfluence.” The day culminates with a relaxed cocktail reception and an opportunity to network.

Podcast Movement: Evolutions

February 12-15, Los Angeles, CA

While some events focus on a particular industry, the Podcast Movement: Evolutions summit focuses on a particular content delivery method. This hip event brings together upcoming and professional podcast creators to develop the community and the industry as a whole. To ensure attendees get the most out of their time at the event, there are three tracks running simultaneously, each focusing on a different type of creator:

• Creator: For new and hobby podcasters
• Professional Podcaster: For experienced, full-time podcasters
• Industry Professional: Including radio professionals

In addition to the track-based sessions and keynote presentations, there are combined talks, parties and opportunities to network. Some of the guest speakers include:

• Bob Pittman, of iHeartMedia
• Conal Byrne, or iHeartPodcast Network
• Lory Martinez, of Studio Ochenta
• James Altucher, of the James Altucher Show
• Hernan Lopez, of Wondery

Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo

February 25-26, Los Angeles, CA

The Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo (IMCX) comprises networking and educational events for senior level marketers. That includes decision makers from influencer marketing agencies, brands, marketing platforms and social media influencers and content creators. What makes this event so appealing is it claims to be the only event dedicated to influencer marketing in the United States. It’s the perfect place to meet industry experts, discover trends, showcase your services and make strong connections.

The 2020 expo boasts over 1,700 attendees and more than 60 speakers. This is where the biggest thought leaders and influence professionals gather, with speakers including:

• David Meltzer, the co-founder of Sports 1 Marketing
• Drieke Leenknegt, Global VP, Influencer Marketing and Collaborations for Nike
• Ricky Ray Butler, CEO of Branded Entertainment Network
• David Bloom, a senior contributor at Forbes
• Erik Huberman, CEO at Hawke Media

With such a talented and diverse lineup, there are plenty of opportunities to drill into the details of core influencer subjects. Over the two-day event, topics covered include the state of the influencer economy, targeting millennials, building communities, FTC laws and agency versus in-house influencer marketing. In addition to valuable keynotes, there are workshops on how engagement translates to monetization and organically growing a social media presence.

Dad 2.0

February 27-29, Washington DC

This event is a slightly smaller and more niche affair with a much narrower focus than some others on this list. Never-the-less, it has drawn critical acclaim, with Time saying it’s “at the forefront of an ongoing revolution in how America perceives fatherhood.” The summit focuses on the commercial power of dads online, providing opportunities to develop high-quality content and strong personal brands. If you’re looking for influencers who are dads, or who talk to that particular demographic, this is an event for you. Speakers for the three-day event include:

• Tawfiq Ammari, who studies how fathers use social media
• Creed Anthony, a full-time dad and online content creator
• Jonathan Baxter, a psychotherapist
• Julia Beck, and industry innovator and founder of It’s Working Project
• Taylor Calmus, the brains behind the Dude Dad YouTube channel and brand

March:

Social Media Marketing World

March 1-3, San Diego, CA

While some events cater specifically for influencer marketing, there are many that cover all aspects of social media marketing. Social Media Marketing World, the industry’s largest conference, falls into the latter category. With the people behind Social Media Examiner at the helm, it’s no surprise this event is invaluable for marketing professionals. Regular attendees range from small business owners through to top marketers for Amazon, Microsoft and Cisco. Regardless of their background, attendees are all looking to share ideas, connect with peers and learn from some of the brightest minds in marketing.

One of the most exciting aspects of Social Media Marketing World is the opportunity to hear speeches from industry leaders and take part in workshops. With over 100 professionals sharing tips, and opportunities for one-on-one conversations with many expert speakers, everyone should be able to take away something valuable. For 2020, some of the speakers include:

• Mari Smith, an expert on Facebook
• Jasmine Star, an expert on Instagram
• Tim Schmoyer, an expert on YouTube
• Christopher Penn, an expert on marketing analytics
• Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner

Podfest Expo

March 6-8, Orlando, FL

Podfest Expo is a place for the podcasting community to gather, share their experiences and elevate their art. The event aims to provide world-class education on creating and promoting content, inspiration to encourage growth and creativity and exciting networking opportunities. To ensure a positive experience, the event incorporates multiple tracks, so attendees have the option to customize their daily agenda:

• Creation and launch
• Technology and innovation
• Audience growth
• Monetization and marketing
• YouTube and video
• Networking and social

The event has a vast selection of speakers, ranging from podcast hosts to senior executives and business founders. The lineup includes:

• Carrie Caulfield Arick, CEO of YaYa Podcasting
• Mark Asquith of Rebel Base Media
• Nicholas Ayers, founder of Made You Look Video Marketing
• Trenton Bennett, audiobook narrator
• Keisha Bent of the Oh Hell No podcast

Engage Marketing Conference

March 12-13, Portland, OR

The Engage Marketing Conference advertises as “not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill marketing conference.” This is Portland’s original digital marketing conference, comprising two days of informative learning tracks, panel sessions and networking opportunities. Topics include digital marketing, social media, content, advertising, search engine optimization and paid media, and there are many opportunities for one-on-one interactions.

This is a nonprofit event, so the organizers focus on arranging keynotes that provide the highest value. Some of the speakers for 2020 include:

• Marcus Harvey of Portland Gear
• Merry Morud of Uber
• Chris Murphy of Adidas
• Henry Schuck of Zoominfo
• Meaghan Haire-Gaffney of Pinterest

Super Niche Media Event

March 23-25, San Antonio, TX

The Super Niche Media Event does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s the ultimate event for niche magazine publishers, covering print, digital, events and data, with an aim of maximizing publishing revenue. The event starts with two pre-conference deep dives relating to ad sales and audience revenue in the digital realm. This is followed by two days of the main conference, comprising four tracks:

• Publisher Strategy
• Ad Sales
• Niche EventFest
• Niche Audience Lab

Of course, no event is complete without a mixer or two, and this event incorporates five separate parties. That means there’s plenty of opportunities to break the ice with other industry professionals and build some lasting business connections.

April:

NAB Show

April 18-22, Las Vegas, NV

NAB Show is “where content comes to life.” Spanning four days, the event caters for content professionals from all walks of media, entertainment and technology. It provides insights and predictions on the latest technology and trends and provides excellent networking opportunities. The ultimate aim is to establish innovative ways to create, manage, deliver and monetize content across any platform.

Make no mistake, this isn’t a small, niche event. It attracts over 90,000 attendees from incredibly diverse backgrounds. There are also more than 1,600 exhibitors. Talks are provided by the most powerful thought leaders in the world, and as you might expect, they’re just as diverse as the attendees. Last year speakers included actors, television showrunners, analysts, Oscar-winning movie directors, editors and CEOs.

ContentTECH Summit

April 20-22, San Diego, CA

Marketing is becoming increasingly complex, and there’s more reliance on technology to drive all aspects of business. The ContentTECH Summit focuses less on influencer marketing. Instead, the focus is on using technology to streamline and enhance strategic efforts to manage and scale content delivery and digital experiences.

This is an event at the forefront of content technology and marketing strategy. The attendees and speakers have their fingers on the pulse of technology, and they know how to employ it effectively for all forms of content marketing. The 2020 lineup includes:

• Cleve Gibbon, Chief Technology Officer for Wunderman Thompson
• Alan Zweibel, screenwriter and bestselling author
• Wendy Richardson, SVP, Global Technical Services for Mastercard Worldwide
• Marin Perez, Senior Content Marketing Manager for Microsoft
• Megan Gilhooly, VP Customer Experience at Zoomin Software

Social Media Strategies Summit

April 28-30, Chicago, IL

After hitting Los Angeles in February, the Social Media Strategies Summit moves to Chicago in April. The general summit runs for two days following a one-day pre-summit social media training event on April 28. The venue has changed but the goal is still the same: Teaching the basics of social media marketing, assessing existing systems and learning from the best in the business. A new lineup of speakers is on the cards, including:

• Jon Frederick, Director of Social Media at Nickelodeon
• Nick Myers, Creative Director for RedFox Creative
• Caleb Gardner, Managing Partner of 18 Coffees
• Dean DeLisle, the founder and CEO of SocialJack
• Mary Olivieri, EVP, Executive Creative Director at CBD Marketing

Influencer Marketing Strategies Summit

April 28-30, Chicago, IL

The Influencer Marketing Strategies Summit is running concurrently with the Social Media Marketing Summit over three days in April. As the name suggests, this event offers a lineup of keynotes and workshops tailored for marketers interested in working with influencers. Topics up for discussion include the best practices for influencer discovery, outreach and relationship management, and assessing existing marketing strategies. With plenty of networking opportunities and panels, attendees learn to keep their brand relevant and discover new ways to promote brands through influencers. Thought leaders sharing their knowledge include:

• Jim Tobin, founder and President of Carusele
• Gwen Roney, in charge of influencer marketing at Carhartt
• Joel Beckett, Chief Executive Officer at The Outloud Group
• Crystal Duncan, Vice President, Influencer Marketing for Edelman
• Miri Rodriguez, Head of Global Internship Program at Microsoft

May:

People of Video

May 3, Albany, NY

As the name implies, People of Video is an event that caters specifically for people creating video or using it for their marketing. The event spans two days, and it provides a place for video marketing experts to gather and share their knowledge. It attracts a variety of speakers with interesting perspectives on visual media and marketing. For 2020 the lineup includes:

• Nick Nimmin, a content creator who shares YouTube and video tips
• Judi Fox, a LinkedIn video strategist and human to human marketing guru
• Tim Schmoyer, a content creator and YouTube pioneer
• Brian G. Johnson, an entrepreneur and video evangelist
• Meredith Marsh, creator of the Video Pursuit Podcast and Membership Program
• Denise Alison, a social media strategist

One of the big draws for People of Video is the narrow focus on the art of creating and distributing video. Whether you’re a YouTube creator, TikTok influencer or a marketer looking to develop influencer video marketing strategies, this event is a great choice.

Mom 2.0

May 6-9, Los Angeles, CA

Don’t think the dads at the Dad 2.0 summit are the only ones to get their own event. Mom 2.0 is a similarly empowering event focusing on the role of women online and in marketing. This is the event for women creating content online or on television for parenting, entertainment, food, politics, business or any other popular subject matter. Speakers include:

• Blessing Adesiyan, founder and CEO of Mother Honestly
• Mary Katherine Backstrom, an award-winning blogger and author
• Samantha Barnes, founder and CEO of Raddish Kids
• Imani Bashir, a global media specialist
• Brittany Bright, an influencer marketing specialist

The Social Shake-Up

May 12-14, Atlanta, GE

As the name suggests, the Social Shake-Up is an event all about breaking trends and finding innovative new ways to use social media marketing. The three-day event includes workshops on search engine optimization and search engine marketing, social media measurement, crisis management, video storytelling and budgeting. There’s also a small panel on partnering with micro- and macro-influencers, and talks on how to repurpose content, how to create for Facebook and much more. There are some big names in attendance, including:

• Emmy Berlind, Vice President, Content Strategy for Sephora
• James Gregson, the head of Social Studio
• Amanda Coffee, Senior Manager, Global Communications at PayPal
• Ashley Sasnett, Digital Strategist for Equifax
• Jamie Lieberman, owner and founder of Hashtag Legal

June:

VidCon

June 17-20, Anaheim, CA

When it comes to events relating to online video, VidCon is as big as they get. It’s been running for over 10 years now, with summits in several countries. For 2020, Anaheim is hosting the American event.

VidCon is for anybody who creates video, regardless of platform. It attracts an audience ranging from young TikTok creators miming songs in their spare time to professional filmmakers creating content for YouTube. This diversity has led the event coordinators offering three distinct tracks:

• Community: For fans who want to meet their favorite creators and have a good time. This includes live performances, workshops, Q&As and a lottery offering the chance to meet creators in person
• Creator: For content creators who want to grow their audiences and make connections with other creators. This includes panels and keynotes with famous creators and industry experts
• Industry: For companies and brands who want to develop marketing strategies and build relationships with influencers. Involves deep insights and networking opportunities

For many people attending VidCon, the big draw is the opportunity to meet content creators who have become household names. Many of these creators are celebrities in their own rights. For 2020, the list of featured creators includes:

• Matthew Patrick, creator of the Game Theory and Film Theory YouTube channels
• Cloe Feldman, the creator responsible for CloeCouture
• Dianna Cowern, a science communicator better known as The Physics Girl
• Julia Goolia, one of the hosts of the food channel HellthyJunkFood
• Rosanna Pansino, bestselling author and award-winning creator of the Nerdy Nummies cookery show

July:

MozCon

July 6-8, Seattle, WA

Many events offer a multi-track format. This allows organizers to cover a variety of topics while giving attendees the chance to tailor agendas to meet their personal demands. MozCon does things differently, choosing instead to focus on a single track that drills into search marketing. This kind of laser focus means there may not be much on the agenda regarding influencer marketing, but the event is still a good opportunity for networking. Furthermore, there’s significant value for all attendee in panels and keynotes on subjects such as data-driven decision making, conversion optimization, search engine optimization and local search.

Events that limit the subject matter under review are often a good choice if you only have time for one or two events per year. You know that most of the topics are going to be relevant and add value to your brand. Furthermore, many of the speakers are likely to be people working in your field who you already know and respect. Some of the speakers at MozCon include:

• Alexis Sanders, Senior SEO Account Manager for Merkle
• Andy Crestodina, the co-founder and CMO of Orbit Media Studios
• Oli Gardner, co-founder of Unbounce
• Sarah Bird, CEO of Moz
• Rob Ousby, VP of Product at Moz

Digital Food & Beverage

July 20-22, Austin, TX

The Digital Food & Beverage conference is another event that chooses to focus on a specific subject area. However, rather than focusing on a specific platform or content format, this event focuses on a particular industry. This approach has made Digital Food & Beverage the leading event for eCommerce and digital marketing innovators in the food and beverage industry. Attendance is almost essential for food brands and foodie influencers.

The event lasts for three days, comprising keynotes, panels, workshops and networking lunches. Over 450 digital marketing and eCommerce leaders are in attendance, and the event puts an emphasis on trailblazers and visionaries who shape the industry. Speakers come from retailers, brands and restaurants, with the 2020 lineup including:

• Melody Conner, SVP of Sales for Soylent
• Max Dresse, Director of Retail for Freshly
• Ellen Duncan, Group Director, Digital Platforms for The Coca-Cola Company
• Tim Madigan, VP of eCommerce for Tyson Foods
• Chad Petersen, Senior eCommerce Director for Lowes Foods, LLC

August:

Podcast Movement

August 5-8, Dallas, TX

2020 marks the seventh annual Podcast Movement, which claims to be the world’s largest gathering of podcasters. In August over 3,000 podcasters from all over the world descend on Dallas to enjoy over 200 educational sessions and over 100 exhibitor trade shows. Not surprisingly, attendance is incredibly valuable for anyone interested in podcasts. As of January, organizers are still onboarding speakers and arranging agendas.

INBOUND

August 18-21, Boston, MA

INBOUND is a huge event that attracts tens of thousands of marketers and over 250 speakers including the likes of Michelle Obama and Gary Vaynerchuk. It’s one of the fastest growing business events in the world, thanks to fantastic content, including inspiring talks and educational sessions.

With over 26,000 attendees, it’s easy to strike up the conversations that help companies grow. However, what really sets INBOUND apart is the entertainment, which creates a fun environment for making meaningful connections that ultimately lead to business opportunities. Every evening features celebrity comedy shows, parties and happy hours at the bar, and there are interactive forums to help build a community. Entertainment in previous years has included shows by Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Ali Wong and Trevor Noah.

September:

#FinCon

September 30 – October 3, Long Beach, CA

FinCon is “where money and media meet.” The expo seeks to help financial influencers and brands. Panels, workshops and keynotes inspire and guide attendees to create better content, reach target audience demographics and ultimately generate a better return on marketing. The 2019 event saw a gathering of more than 2,500 finance content creators and 2020 should see similar numbers.

October:

Digital Travel Connect US

October 1-2, San Diego, CA

While most marketing events draw huge number of creators and professionals from all over the world, Digital Travel Connect US takes a different approach. This is an invite-only senior level event for digital travel marketers, open to just 65 attendees in each year. By controlling the number of attendees, the conference hopes to offer a high degree of specialized content. This includes high-level networking and scheduled business meetings between eCommerce and digital marketing executives and solutions providers. Benefits to this approach include:

• The opportunity to build a personal agenda, where you know who you’re meeting in advance
• Keynotes tailored to a small number of highly-focused attendees
• An intimate atmosphere where it’s easier to talk and make connections
• The opportunity to discuss customized solutions based on data you provide on registration
• Fun evening social events with a small group of like-minded professionals

Pre-qualification depends on job function, business development responsibility and budgeting authority. To see if you qualify to add this event to your 2020 calendar, get in touch with Digital Travel Connect as soon as possible.

November:

DC Podfest

November 6-8, Washington DC

There are several events dedicated to podcasting throughout 2020, and that’s no great surprise considering how important podcasting has become. Fifty-one percent of the U.S. population listens to podcasts, according to Podcast Insights, and those listeners are loyal and affluent. This makes them a great target for influencer marketing.

DC Podfest spans three days of sessions and networking. There are workshops that are fun and informative, talks from some of the best podcasters and industry experts, live podcast shows and social events. Don’t worry about your skill level; DC Podfest caters as much for those yet to start a podcast as it does for the professionals.

December:

Digital Summit

December 7-9, Dallas, TX

The festive season is a busy time, and with all industries working round the clock events are thinner on the ground. However, if you find time in your busy schedule, you may want to attend the Digital Summit in Texas. Event organizers pitch this as “the definitive digital marketing gathering,” and it draws a huge crowd in excess of 1,800 people.

Previous speakers include leading experts and brands such as Amazon, Nike, Google and Microsoft; and with over 65 sessions and workshops there’s plenty to learn. Furthermore, attendance grants access to presentation slides and recordings for continued learning after the event. Of course, an important part of any event is the opportunity to network, and here the Digital Summit excels. The event features open bars and exclusive receptions to help you make connections with hundreds of marketers, strategists and influencers.

Final Thought: Dates for Your Diary

There are hundreds of marketing events happening across the world every year. The ones listed here are just the tip of the iceberg, and all happen within the United States. If you want to level up your marketing and ensure you’re always on the cutting edge of new initiatives, it pays to research events happening in your area. It’s not necessary to attend them all, but definitely mark your calendar with ones that are likely to be of significant benefit to you and your brand.

No events happening in your area? Maybe it’s time to organize your own conference. Reach out to local influencers and power players and encourage them to get involved. The more work you put in to making connections, the more chance you have of building the relationships essential for a successful influencer marketing strategy.

Of course, if influencer discovery is your primary goal, it isn’t always necessary to press palms at organized events. With the right tools at your disposal, it’s possible to locate the influencers who are a good fit for your brand online. If you sign up with IZEAx Discovery, you gain access to the largest marketplace of its kind for opt-in content creators. With that kind of talent on tap, you may not need to tap business expenses for a trip to the next influencer conference.