Tech conferences, events and shows to attend in 2019

The year 2019 is looking particularly ripe with opportunity when it comes to tech conferences, trade shows and conferences.

In fact, with each passing year, as technologies branch and branch again, and as disruptive new tools find their way into industries far and wide, there are only more opportunities to bump shoulders with movers, shakers and thinkers in modern technology.

Here’s a rundown of 10 of the most interesting tech conferences to watch for in 2019.

1. IBM Think — February 12-15, 2019, San Francisco, CA
IBM has been as celebrated a name in technological progress as any other, and IBM Think is a distillation of everything the company hopes to achieve and inspire in the coming years. The annual conference focuses heavily on artificial intelligence, mobile platforms and security, and the manifold applications of machine learning in a diverse and “consumer-driven” marketplace.

2. Microsoft Ignite — Feb. 4-5, 2019, Washington, D.C.
Microsoft is also no slouch when it comes to harnessing disruptive technologies. Microsoft Ignite maintains a tight focus on emerging cloud technology trends, including IT development and business intelligence tools.

3. Geo Week — Jan. 25-31, 2019, Denver, CO
Geo Week is actually a combination of the International LIDAR Mapping Forum, the Mapps Winter Conference and the ASPRS Conference. The 2019 edition of this threefold event will bring together significant names in the geospatial mapping industry, which has far-reaching implications for education, environmental study, demographic study, commercial data exchanges and a host of other innovative endeavors.

4. Future of Education Technology — Jan. 27-30, 2019, Orlando, FL
The Future of Education Technology Conference in Orlando will feature a colorful roster of forward-thinkers in the realm of education technologies. Aimed squarely at educators and representatives of schools and school districts, the impressive lineup of demonstrations and keynote presentations features a look at educational apps, the state of STEM enrollment, inspiring good digital and global citizenship in students, bringing robotics and programming into the classroom and much more.

5. DesignCon — Jan. 29–31, 2019, Santa Clara, CA
Now celebrating its 24th year, DesignCon is the ultimate in tech conferences for engineers. You can expect attendance on the order of 5000 unique professionals from industries ranging from semiconductors and high-speed digital communication to chip and board designers and operating system programmers. If your interests include electrical components, new connectors and consumer technologies, advanced measurement equipment and exchanging ideas with other ambitious problem solvers, this conference is a can’t-miss experience.

6. Toy Fair — Feb. 16-19, New York, NY
It’s hardly a secret that kids these days are growing up playing with toys orders of magnitude more complex than our parents scraped by with. With that in mind, consider spending some of your limited conference time at Toy Fair in New York City. The kids’ toy market today is a highly lucrative one — and it’s also cutthroat-competitive. Check out the Toy of the Year winners, network with folks who want to make educational opportunities fun, and get the low-down on which high-tech trends will be coming to kids’ toys next!

7. HardwareCon — April 17-18, 2019, San Jose, CA
San Jose’s HardwareCon is, as you might be able to guess, all about every kind of hardware you can imagine. Industrial is the name of the game here, as always, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning, advanced robotics and automation, the Internet of Things, blockchain-enabled tools and equipment and more. Expect to bump shoulders with representatives from leading hardware and software developers and designers, including Dragon, IBM, Google, Intel and Autodesk.

8. Black Hat USA — Aug. 3-8, 2019, Las Vegas, NV
Fresh off the success of its European offshoot in December 2018, Black Hat will follow up with Black Hat Asia in March 2019 and Black Hat USA in August. The event’s sponsors include major names in communication and information security technologies, including Cisco, CrowdStrike, Carbon Black and more. Attendees will be able to experience hands-on training from experts in cutting-edge fields, plus open-source tool demos and Business Hall exhibitions from well-vetted security providers and other vendors.

9. Next Generation Patient Experience — Dec. 3-5, 2019, Palm Springs, CA
Next Generation Patient Experience, or “NGPX,” is all about the implications of higher technologies and civic policies, such as the Affordable Care Act, on health care markets and patient outcomes. If you represent a hospital system, a private practice or a team that delivers general or specialized health care, this is an event well worth considering. You’ll hear speakers address today’s higher expectations from consumers and regulatory bodies, new technologies for exchanging patient data and the tools coming down the pipeline to facilitate a more family- and community-focused administration of care.

10. Global CIO Executive Summit — Sept. 11-13, 2019, Westlake Village, CA
If your focus is on taking your leadership in the technology sector to the next level, you’d do well to attend the Global CIO Executive Summit, which bills itself as a conference experience “by CIOs for CIOs.” Attendance is invitation-only, making it among the most exclusive tech events featured here. That means it’s a singular experience, featuring lively and candid conversations and roundtables on what technology leadership must look like in the modern IT space.

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