To celebrate the tenth year of Vita Student, we are giving away one huge prize each month until August to set you up for success – including a year’s free rent, around-the-world tickets, and an educational course of your choice.
For this month’s prize, we will send one lucky winner to a global conference related to their dream career field, giving them the chance to learn from leaders in their industry and travel to a new country in the process. You choose the conference, and we’ll get you there; covering tickets, flights and accommodation. All you need to do is submit an entry telling us which conference you want to go to and why by January 14th 2024. You can enter the competition here.
So what conferences would be best for you to attend? Keep reading to see our definitive list of world-famous conferences and the countries they will be hosted in this year.
tech conferences
If you want a tech career, going to conferences is one of the best ways to gain new insights and inspiration, and grow your network. It’s one of the only places you’ll see the brightest minds in Silicon Valley together. Here are some of the conference options for budding tech professionals:
World Summit AI, Amsterdam
World Summit AI launched in 2017 and has since become the most important summit in the world for the development of AI. It brings together world-leading brands, Big Tech, pioneers, and start-ups who are bringing the future into the present.
If you want to be involved in the conversation about AI, Cyber Security, Ethics, and the Metaverse, then this is the place to be.
Better yet, this year’s Summit is being held in Amsterdam – a friendly city full of art, culture and history.
Web Summit, Lisbon
Each year, Web Summit brings together 70,000 people with companies leading the way in the tech industry. Hosted this year in sunny Lisbon, it creates an insightful agenda of over 800 speakers, including voices from Microsoft, CNN, MIT and Pepsi.
Covering topics from data science to development, social media to SAAS, this conference guarantees to be a place to level up your learning.
Collision, Toronto
Collision Conference claims to be the “Olympics of tech conferences”. Pairing thought-provoking guest talks and expert-led workshops, attending the three-day event guarantees that you’ll learn something new to take into your career.
Along with leaders in the tech industry, Collision gathers authors, athletes and actors to discuss how tech affects their industries, and gives you the chance to ask questions to them on stage.
Going to the Collision Conference gives you access to the minds of leading brands like BBC, Wired, the UN, Microsoft and Wall Street Journal.
marketing and advertising conferences
When it comes to marketing, knowing the latest information and insights is key. Going to conferences will help you to stay in tune with the industry’s latest trends, practices and learnings. Luckily for you marketers, there are plenty of conferences to choose from.
BrightonSEO, Brighton
BrightonSEO is famous for being one of the world’s largest marketing conferences – and is attended by marketing leaders worldwide. With guest talks about everything from PPC, to organic content, AI to e-commerce, this conference is the perfect place to go if you want detailed knowledge on specialist areas of marketing.
Social Media Marketing World, San Diego
Not only would attending this conference give you access to the leading strategies in Social Media Marketing, but you’ll also be experiencing the incredible city of San Diego in California.
The three-day event includes inspirational talks from leading voices, workshops, and a VIP networking party to get your name out there. All set on the beautiful San Diego beach.
MAD//Fest, London
MAD Fest is the place to go if you’re a creative marketer looking to step into a brand marketing or advertising career. Hosted in the artistic and cultural city of London, MAD//Fest is for professionals who want to disrupt the industry and make an impact. Expect to hear from brands like Patagonia, Deliveroo, Samsung and Burberry.
start-up business conferences
Have ambitions to launch your own business? If so, learning from other entrepreneurs is essential. Here are some of the best places to do that:
4YFN, Barcelona
4YFN is renowned for providing world-first keynote speakers, panels and workshops with tech giants, investors and entrepreneurs.
Want to know how to secure funding for your new business, or how to choose the right business model? This is the place to be.
Not only that, but you’ll also get the chance to network with investors across the world.
Start-Up Grind, Silicon Valley
There’s no better place for a budding entrepreneur to be than Silicon Valley. It’s home to some of the world’s leading businesses like Apple, Meta, Google and VISA, and is packed with ambition.
Start-Up Grind is the world’s largest community of start-up founders, and every year they come together for the annual Start-Up Grind conference. Attended by thousands of entrepreneurs, it’s the best place to kickstart your career and place yourself on the right foot when launching your business. Hundreds of investors go to the conference looking for the next best business, so make sure to prepare an elevator pitch.
Slush, Helsinki
Slush claims to be the most “founder-focused” event on Earth. It’s a not-for-profit conference and the largest gathering of Venture Captial in the world. It aims to help new Founders change the world, by connecting them with the latest insights and strategies, along with other businesses and investors.
Bringing together the best minds in business, the two-day event is packed with valuable talks and workshops to help make your start-up a success.
politics and sustainability conferences
International Youth Conference, Los Angeles
The International Youth Conference brings young people together with governmental bodies, companies and NGOs to exchange ideas on how to create a sustainable future. Closely aligned with the UN, the annual IYC ensures young people’s voices are heard.
Blue Earth Summit, Bristol
The Blue Earth Summit is a 3-day event where you can learn about sustainability from the world’s top businesses and climate scientists. The summit is designed to build a community of people striving to work together to make a positive impact on the planet.
The event includes a series of inspiring keynote talks, workshops, and outdoor networking sessions where you can easily get talking to experts in sustainability. This is the perfect conference for changemakers, located in the progressive city of Bristol.
other creative conferences
BeautyCon, Los Angeles
If you want to be the next beauty mogul, influencer or artist, BeautyCon will undoubtedly be on your radar. Bringing together the beauty industry’s leading brands, founders and artists, along with a long list of celebrities, BeautyCon is sure to leave you feeling inspired.
Learn the best techniques, business practices, and insider tips in the glamorous city of LA, and meet some of the beauty icons of this generation.
International Music Summit, Ibiza
The International Music Summit might just be one of the most immersive, experiential industry events in the world. A combination of keynote talks and live performances, they say you “come for the big ideas but stay for the music, culture and breathtaking views.”
Focusing on electronic music genres, it’s the perfect conference if you’re a budding producer or songwriter. You can expect to hear from the Founder of Tomorrowland Festival, Defected and Ninja Tune.
The Event Planner Expo, New York City
The Event Planner Expo is hosted in the iconic New York City, and brings together top-tier executives, founders, and marketing experts for three days of keynote talks and seminars.
Gain practice tips on how to deliver the perfect party, charity event, product launch and more, from over 50 speakers and panel discussions. You could even attend VIP networking events and afterparties in the city that never sleeps.
Considering that this event is planned by the industry’s experts, you can guarantee that it isn’t one to miss.
GamesCom, Cologne
If you envision yourself working in the gaming industry, then there’s no better place to go than Europe’s biggest gaming conference, GamesCom.
Hosted in the cultural city of Cologne, Germany, this event brings together passionate professionals in the video and computer games industry for an insightful and immersive five-day event. Expect exclusive releases, tournaments, live presentations, and even festivals. You’ll be the first to test the latest games while meeting in-industry leaders and learning from the best.
Whatever career you’re striving towards, there’s a conference that’s perfect for you. Make sure to submit your entry for the competition before January 14th 2024 to be in with a chance of winning.
