10 Virtual Marketing Conferences to Consider in 2021
What’s happening on the internet this year in terms of marketing conferences? A lot.
While the world has yet to open up and begin business-conference gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that won’t stop companies from getting marketers and those responsible for crafting digital customer experiences under one virtual events roof.
2020 saw the Great Events Pivot to digital, and 2021 is shaping up to be much of the same. February is particularly a hot month for marketing conferences, so be alert this month. Here are some virtual marketing conferences to keep an eye on for 2021.
B2B Marketing Exchange, Feb. 22-24
The Demand Gen Report is putting on this virtual event for B2B marketers inspired to get better at demand generation, digital strategy, account-based marketing, channel marketing and sales engagement.
Marketers for multiple verticals will be able to take advantage of the latest B2B marketing strategies, according to conference officials.
eTail, Feb. 23-25
Ecommerce and “omnichannel innovators,” as the conference website says, can attend this virtual summit and expo this month. This conference has been going on for 20 years now, mostly out West in person but now on the virtual level. It is tailored to the retail industry and strategies for customer acquisition and retention, as well as, providing solid digital shopping experiences.
Related Article: Marketing Experts Share Their 2021 Trends
Search Marketing Expo SMX, Feb. 23
Search Engine Land and Marketing Land are planning multiple virtual events on the topic of search marketing, starting this month. Conference officials said they will be focusing on SEO, PPC/SEM, analytics, content marketing, conversion rate marketing, technical SEO and marketing technology.
Digital Summit, Feb. 24
The Digital Summit is planning a series of virtual events mixed in with some in-person and hybrid settings. The digital marketing conferences specialize in the areas of marketing, social media, email marketing, analytics, creative, website strategy and other topics.
Digital Experience Summit, Feb. 25
In the “hey, look at us” category, Simpler Media Group, the company that publishes this website, CMSWire, is hosting its DX Summit 2021. We’re quite proud of what will now be our seventh year producing the DX Summit. We began in 2015 in Chicago then held the yearly conference for customer experience and marketing professionals each year thereafter in the Windy City through 2019.
Last year was our first virtual show, naturally, and we’re planning on four digital events starting Feb. 25 and then continuing on May 27, July 29 and Oct. 28. The four main things around digital CX this year will be how digital CX professionals can design, build, orchestrate and optimize digital customer experiences.
MarTech, March 16-17
MarTech has been going strong since 2014. Traditionally Scott Brinker’s conference on marketing technology platforms and martech strategies takes place twice a year: in a West Coast spot and an East Coast spot, the latter Brinker’s home turf in Boston. Brinker is creator of the Martech Supergraphic.
The virtual show kicks off next month and will last two days. Themes will center around the changes in customer behavior, rapidly-evolving consumer demand and how to implement marketing technologies.
Adobe Summit, April 27-29
The digital experience software provider will hold its annual summit for marketers in April. Adobe’s in-person event, last held in late winter of 2019, drew more than 20,000 attendees coming to learn about Adobe’s software and draw inspiration for marketing strategies.
Adobe’s planning to focus on its Adobe Experience Platform, analytics, B2B marketing, campaign management, collaborative work management (presumably highlighting its Workfront acquisition), digital commerce and personalization among other topics.
Forrester CX, May 11-12
Research firm Forrester rolls out a series of virtual customer experience conferences per global region, starting with its APAC version May 11-12. It is pushing a theme of the “connected experience” and orchestrating a solid customer journey that is enhanced by data and analytics. Forrester moves onto — virtually anyway — to CX North America June 7-9 and then CX EMEA Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo, Aug. 17-19
Gartner will be putting on its annual show that features strategies for CMOs and other marketing leaders and executives in the heart of summer. Gartner plans to focus on helping marketing leaders work within tightening budgets, pivoting to a digital-first strategy and looking at a brand’s role in times of societal change.
HubSpot Inbound, Oct. 12-14
Another vendor conference that feels not so much like a vendor conference. Of course, HubSpot touts product. But the show has drawn thousands of visitors to Boston over the years for strategies on inbound marketing that the Cambridge, Mass.-based company has pioneered.
HubSpot hasn’t put out much detail on its website about the 2021 virtual show — we’re not faulting them; it’s eight months away — but you can expect a mix of HubSpot product innovation along with marketing and content strategies.
