Startup conferences every entrepreneur should attend

No matter your chosen industry, the market changes fast, and the face of your business has to evolve to keep up with the breakneck pace – especially in its early years. You no doubt have pain points and concerns plaguing you already. You’ve heard of new business tactics others are adopting, but how can you apply them to yourself?

A startup conference is a meeting of some of the greatest business minds, and they’re here to offer you the advice, experience, and new action plans needed to thrive in the current market. This could be the difference between a thriving success and a mediocre attempt.

Yet all conferences are not created equal. Here is a list of the best conferences every entrepreneur should attend, so you can make connections, receive customized advice, insights on the latest and most innovative practices, and most importantly, how you can stand apart from the earnest but unsuccessful competition.

1. Small Business Week

When it comes to Small Business Week, you can choose between the National variety in Washington, D.C., or the San Francisco edition hosted in its namesake city. This conference was developed by the Small Business Administration and is specifically designed as a meeting place for startups and the great minds and experts in the community. You can talk with big names and big thinkers on how to get inspired, tackle marketing and networking, and grow your business to your own customized scale. Held annually, this conference is constantly updating to present the most recent and innovative developments to boost your startup.

2. The Launch Festival

The Launch Festival is about more than giving entrepreneurs a chance to sit down and listen to experts pitch their ideas – it gives startups a chance to get on the stage and do some pitching of their own. Comparable to a large-scale Kickstarter, entrepreneurs take to the stage before as many as 15,000 to introduce their ideas for small businesses and projects in need of funding. By rewarding those with a skill in public speaking and presentation, as an entrepreneur, this is a chance to mingle with the experts, get funding, and spread the word about what you have to offer, with prizes for Best Technology, Best Design, and more.

3. Blogworld

In the modern age, you won’t go far without tapping into the internet, and good entrepreneurs know this. Even still, you may be lacking the experience or the techniques to truly take advantage of this fact. Blogworld can equip you with the solution. As the largest of its kind, the Blogworld conference features experts and big names in social media, podcasts, blogging, web TV content, and more, who offer specific advice on how to improve your approach to online marketing – and better yet, how to thrive.

4. 99U

Entrepreneurs considering a startup or small business owners who have already taken the plunge all have one thing in common: getting lost in the planning phase. No doubt, it’s more fun to daydream and brainstorm about the possibilities of your venture than to execute the plans and get down to the sometimes scary work. 99U is centered on inspiring, motivating, and giving some hard truths to those still caught up in the planning stage. Featuring master classes and main-stage talks, you can benefit from both one-on-one connections with experts and broader advice on how to tackle the business world.

5. NYXPO

A great business starts with a great idea, but it certainly doesn’t end there. Most small businesses go under within their first two years, and if they survive past this, crack after five – and this is all credit to poor finance management. NYXPO hosts over 200 exhibitors and is centered on giving entrepreneurs the insights and expertise needed to develop a solid financial structure that will carry them past those dangerous years, and give them a better foundation for the future. In addition, it also features talks on marketing, social media, best business practices, and more, with warnings on certain pitfalls that face new businesses.

6. Lift Conference

The Lift Conference has a reputation as one of the best startup conferences in Europe, and it continues to hold the title. It’s important for entrepreneurs to know about more than their own backyard, and Lift offers insights on the latest practices and products from all over the world, with a diverse cast of speakers and interactive workshops. If you’re looking for first-hand insight on how to grow and stabilize your business, you’ll have the opportunity for one-on-one chats with the big names of the industry with customized advice; hands-on interactive workshops to learn the best techniques, innovative prototypes to serve as inspiration, and a range of exhibitions.

7. Startup Grind

Some conferences cater to a range of business sizes, but the Startup Grind conference delivers the focused perspective on small business management that few others do. Known as the “Global Community for Entrepreneurs,” it focuses on creating a network amongst attendees so you can connect with possible investors, partners, and customers. In addition to that, this is your chance to get one-on-one advice on your business pain points, learn creative practices within the industry, and find inspiration on how to improve your business plan. This conference is about more than listening to a few speeches – it’s about taking to the floor and throwing your hat into the community.

8. Content Marketing Strategies Conference

You may understand how to market on social media, and have a solid grasp on the value of connections for growing your business, but this conference takes a more boots-on-the-ground approach in teaching businesses the value of content marketing. Giving insights on some of the little-known tools available to you, here you can learn not only the importance of content marketing, but the best techniques for SEO, sales, educational marketing, and detecting new trends in social media before they happen. This is designed to do more than inspire; it gives you a roadmap on how to proceed as soon as you walk away.