The conference and event business has been turned upside down, so Ruth Stevens’ annual post covering the must-attend events of 2020 is due for a refresh. 

No surprise, some events have been canceled, but I am pleased that some organizers have pivoted quickly to the new normal, creating virtual events that will allow us to learn, keep in touch, and stay up to date in our field of B2B marketing.  Kudos to them!  Let’s show our support by attending.

Converted to virtual

May 3-6, Austin, Sirius Decisions 2020 Summit

A strong event, made even stronger after Sirius’s purchase by Forrester. Now virtual.

May 27-28, Chicago, B2B Marketing Ignite USA 2020

At last, the event we’ve been waiting for.  UK’s B2B Marketing.net brings its successful annual conference to our shores.  If you’re not already a member of their US online community, suggest you sign up.  Now virtual.

May 28, Marketing Leaders Forum APAC,  

For B2B marketers in Asia.  Free to those registered for the October in-person events.  Virtual.

Operating as expected, for now

These organizers are holding out hope that marketers will be able to convene face-to-face sometime later in the year.  As the time approaches, they may make the decision to postpone, cancel or go virtual.  Keep an eye on the websites.

August 10-12, Boston, B2B Sales and Marketing Exchange

A fruitful merger of three smaller B2B conferences, DemandGen Summit,  FlipMyFunnel and REVTalks, launched in 2019.

September 13-16, Cleveland, Content Marketing World

Still growing, still thriving.

September 29-October 1, Chicago, B2BNext

All about B2B ecommerce business and strategy, co-founded by Andy Hoar, formerly Forrester’s top analyst in the category.

October 4-6, Scottsdale, ANA BMA Masters of Marketing Conference

The ANA is moving its reincarnated BMA conference to Scottsdate from Chicago this year. Dates have shifted from May to October.

October 7-8, Singapore, B2B Marketing Leaders Forum Asia 2020

THE Asian event for B2B marketers.  Sydney event postponed to October 26-27.  Melbourne event, November 19.

October 7-8, Chicago, Reach 2020

Launched in 2019 by G2Crowd, this one-day conference is all about getting the most value from B2B ratings and reviews sites.

October 7-9, San Diego, Digital Transformation Connect

For senior execs in B2B companies, a place for meetings and networking with a customized list of peers and vendors.   Attendees must qualify to be invited, by filling out the Contact Us form.

November 3-6, San Francisco. MarketingProfs B2B Forum

Especially hoping that this operates, as I am delivering a one-day workshop on B2B marketing strategy and planning on November 3, with Allen Weiss.

November 5-7, Carlsbad CA, Seismic Shift

All about sales enablement, an important topic.

Canceled

September 16-18, Boston, Connect to Convert

A division of the giant LeadsCon, with a solid B2B marketing track.  Will run again in 2021.

Ruth Stevens

Ruth P. Stevens is a senior advisor for Consultants Collective. She consults on customer acquisition and retention, for both consumer and business-to-business clients. Ruth serves on the boards of directors of the HIMMS Media Group, and the Business Information Industry Association.

She is a trustee of Princeton-In-Asia, past chair of the Business-to-Business Council of the DMA, and past president of the Direct Marketing Club of New York. Ruth was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Marketing by Crain’s BtoB magazine, and one of 20 Women to Watch by the Sales Lead Management Association. She serves as a mentor to fledgling companies at the ERA business accelerator in New York City. Ruth is a guest blogger at AdAge, HBR.org, and Target Marketing Magazine. Her newest book is B2B Data-Driven Marketing: Sources, Uses, Results. She is also the author of Maximizing Lead Generation: The Complete Guide for B2B Marketers, Trade Show and Event Marketing, and co-author of the white paper series “B-to-B Database Marketing.” Ruth is a sought-after speaker and trainer, and has presented to audiences and business schools in Asia, Australia, and Latin America. She has held senior marketing positions at Time Warner, Ziff-Davis, and IBM. She studied marketing management at Harvard Business School, and holds an MBA from Columbia University. Learn more at www.ruthstevens.com.

This article was published on Biznology on May 4th, 2020