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Top 15 Conferences 2017

With so many options out there, choosing which conferences to devote your time to can be challenging. For big companies, entrepreneurs, and investors alike, it’s essential to stay ahead of fast-breaking trends. Hear inspiring talks from thought leaders, or network with industry influencers. Whatever your industry or budget, you’re sure to find something in ABCey’s Top 15 Conferences 2017.

Top 15 Conferences 2017

1. World Economic Forum Annual Meeting January 17-20, 2017 Davos-Klosters, Switzerland

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters remains the foremost creative force for engaging the world’s top leaders in collaborative activities to shape the global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of each year. 

Top 15 Conferences 2015 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

2. Wisdom 2.0 February 17-19, 2017 San Francisco, CA

Wired describes it, this gathering for heavy-hitters is: “Where the technology and contemplative communities … hash out the best ways to incorporate these tools into our lives…” The event attracts a good mix of male and female speakers, this past year including spiritual leader Ram Dass and clothing tycoon Eileen Fisher. Later in the year, watch for Wisdom 2.0 Asia, upcoming in Singapore.

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3. Near Future Summit: March 15-17, 2017, La Jolla, CA

Near Future brings together inventors, entrepreneurs, media and investors with a passion for being a metamorphic force, and the tools and insights to tackle crucial challenges! We haven’t been to this one yet, but have heard it’s NOT TO MISS!

Top 15 Conferences 2017 Near Future Summit

4.  SXSW March 10-19, 2017 Austin, TX

South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference & Festivals celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. A major convergence of the tech, media, design, gaming and entertainment fields, this event is a must-attend for any women connected even tangentially to those disciplines. It is also a respected music and film festival with important niche sidebars such as Startup Village.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 SXSW

5. Vanity Fair Founders Fair April 20, 2017 New York City, NY

Vanity Fair will launch its first Founders Fair for entrepreneurial women and their business partners next year in New York City. The Founders Fair will bring together inspiring entrepreneurs, founders, and risk-takers to share their stories of the rewards and challenges of starting and running a business.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 Vanity Fair Founders Fair

6. TED April 24th-28th, 2017 Vancouver, BC

Another important annual conference for international movers and shakers, TED is all about the exchange of new ideas. A week to explore the deepest scientific and psychological insights, the latest medical advances, the coolest inventions, all mixed with a whole lot of ancient wisdom.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 TED2017

7. 2017 Forbes Women’s Summit May 11-13, 2017 New York City, NY

Leaders today recognize that lasting success comes when you align passion and power with a higher purpose. How do organizations infuse their work with a sense of mission and what are the new ways to leverage influence and forge transformative partnerships?  Attend this conference and learn why!

Top 15 Conferences 2017 Forbes Women's Summit

8. WOBI May 31- June 1, 2017 Sydney, Australia

In 2017 the World Business Forum will highlight that in a world where new technologies emerge at pace, those who anticipate change and are quickly able to adapt will flourish. Organizations and individuals alike must reinvent themselves constantly; experiment and learn; identify new opportunities, exploit them fast, and move on.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 WOBI Sydney

9. 99U June 7-9, 2017 New York City, NY

The 99U Conference is a one-of-a-kind live experience that inspires creative professionals to bring their ideas to life and shape the future of the industry. Learn from the world’s top thinkers and doers in a series of main stage talks over two days. 99U speakers offer pragmatic, real-world insights that transcend creative sectors.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 99U

10. Fortune Brainstorm Tech July 17-19, 2017, Aspen, CO

Fortune Brainstorm TECH is an annual by-invitation-only summer retreat for leaders from Fortune 500 companies, the top emerging entrepreneurs of the tech world, and the most important investors who finance them. For many, attending Brainstorm TECH can make the difference between finding a competitive edge or being disrupted into oblivion.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 Fortune Brainstorm Tech

11. Inc 5000 October 10-12, 2017 Palm Springs, CA

The main conference program runs from Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon. It features: Keynote Presentations by founders and CEOs of prominent companies, notable entrepreneur personalities featured in Inc., and business celebrities Concurrent sessions organized by themes, featuring expert speakers and more intimate settings in which to exchange ideas and experiences with other business leaders in the audience.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 Inc 5000

12. Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit  October 18-20, 2017 San Francisco, CA

The V.F. Summit (now in its third year) was inspired by the Vanity Fair New Establishment list, Vanity Fair’s annual must-read ranking of those figures who are setting the global agenda and leading the Age of Innovation.

Top 10 Conferences 2017 Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit

13. TEDWomen October 26-28, 2017 San Francisco, CA

TEDWomen is a three-day conference about the power of women and girls to be creators and change-makers. The program of speakers, workshops, events — and daring discussions — has sparked some of TED’s most iconic moments yet.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 TED Women

14. Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit October 17-19, 2017 Laguna Niguel, CA

Hosted by Fortune, this gathering is driven by its annual list of most powerful women. It attracts a stellar lineup of speakers (including Michelle Obama in 2015) and a diverse mix of the esoteric (linking purpose to profit) and the practical (make-overs). Watch for sister events, MPW Internationals in Hong Kong and London, England.

Top 15 Conferences 2017 Fortune Most Powerful Women

15. Summit 2017 November 3-6, 2017 Los Angeles, CA

Summit 2017 will (sadly) not be on a boat, but it will push the cutting-edge of immersive experiences, interactive programming, lively exhibits, intimate intellectual environments, open-air performances, site-specific artist activations, and so much more. Working within and throughout the existing interplay between the urban and natural environment in downtown LA, they’ll be creating an intimate and walkable campus. 

Top 15 Conferences 2017 Summit 2017

Now that you have our list of Top 15 Conferences 2017, which ones will you be attending? And of course… if you need help planning, we’re here for you! Are there any we missed?! Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook and Twitter!