Sometimes, the best way to expand your career is by attending an educational event – especially if it's one that focuses on a subject as ever-changing as digital marketing. Events give you the chance to not only learn in an engaging environment, but also network with professionals who share your goals and skills. With all of the digital marketing conferences in the industry and a budget that only allows for one or two events a year, how is a marketer to decide which one to attend? Read up on the following top events and decide what's most relevant to you in furthering your digital marketing career.
1. Confluence
When: Sept. 6, 2014
Where: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
If your time and budget are tight, Confluence might be the crash course you need to expand your career, network with like-minded professionals, and just get out of the office, the event's website explained. With entry costing just $49, this one-day event won't be as hard to sell as the others when it comes to getting the approval from your manager. The agenda includes 10 sessions, ranging from a serious keynote discussion from Porch Marketing vice president Joanna Lord to a light-hearted talk from comedian Ryan Drake about the virality of humor.
Topics for these sessions include branding, blogging, social media, design, SEO and content marketing best practices, and the talks are led by digital creatives, experts and other thought leaders. Plus, even though it's just one day long, the agenda also includes ample networking time, which is especially beneficial to those in the creative job industry.
2. Digital Marketing Strategies Summit
When: Oct. 21-23, 2014
Where: San Diego, California
According to the event's website, this conference includes more than 20 case studies from some of the top names in the business. Dell, Comedy Central, and AARP are just some of the well-known companies represented at the event. Leading the keynote address is Restaurant.com President and Chief Marketing Officer Christopher Krohn, who plans to discuss the nature of the digital marketing industry in his lecture "The New C-Suite Power Team- The Yin & Yang of Digital Business."
Tracks include education on strategy, analytics and data, customer relationship management, and social and technology. Each session provides an example of how one marketing executive effectively solved a problem, whether it was an issue of ineffective creative staffing, improving engagement in an online community, or measuring the ROI of social media efforts. Some interesting sessions worth noting include "Market and Technology Factors Driving Pervasive Change" and "Why You Need to Design Experiences for Mobile and Tablet Apps," as they both address the considerable changes that the industry constantly experiences.
3. Internet Summit
When: Nov. 11-13, 2014
Where: Raleigh, North Carolina
Presented by TechMedia, the leading producer of regional digital forums in the United States, this event brings marketing and technology professionals together under one roof for three days, according to the conference's website. While the speakers and sessions are still being finalized for this year's event, past conferences were led by top companies like Reddit, LinkedIn and Bing, and 2014 attendees can expect a similar A-list lineup. With hour-long sessions and panels spanning across all topics related to digital marketing, you're sure to benefit from the event.
Not only can you expect top-notch education from key executives and valuable networking opportunities, but the group also provides you with an ROI justification letter that helps you get approval from your manager. Some professionals shy away from an event just because they're worried that their managers will deny them of the funds needed to attend, but this feature is a tool that helps you get what you need.
Contract and Direct Hire job openings are updated daily. View all job listings here!
