Since the official ending of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an explosion of social media and digital marketing conferences, both by legacy events as well as a slew of newcomers trying to take advantage of the reset that the pandemic did to the industry.

With that in mind, this is my annual review of those events that should be on your radar. As always, I have tried to hand-pick only those events that I believe will be worth your time invested to attend from the speakers, education, and networking.

Why attend a digital marketing conference?

It goes without saying that social and digital media is always changing. There is no better way to tap into the collective wisdom of marketing experts than by attending digital marketing conferences where you can:

• learn from subject matter experts, such as corporate practitioners, well-known bloggers, authors, and speakers in the field
• attend networking sessions with other corporate practitioners and professionals in the digital marketing community to compare notes on best practices for everything from marketing automation to developing evergreen video content
• discover new social and digital media tools that might help you do more with less
• stay ahead of the digital transformation curve!

Which are the 20 best social media and digital marketing conferences to attend in 2024?

Rather than create a comprehensive list of all of the social media and digital marketing conferences that exist, I provide you my list of conferences that are primarily annual events that I have vetted from either presenting at, attending, or knowing first-hand of the experiences from others who have attended. Marketing conferences with a strong track record obviously are featured in this list, but I also went out of my way to add new and promising events to the list as well as some other major conferences that I might have omitted from previous lists.

If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of digital and social media marketing, these are the must-attend social media conferences in 2024! Marketing conferences are presented in chronological order for your convenience with information about the date and events venue city.

January 9-11, 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Traffic and Conversion Summit is designed to be an intensive summit, absolutely filled with actionable content that can readily take your marketing strategies from sub par to consistent, effective, and explosive.

Traffic and Conversion Summit is best for those who are looking for simple, straightforward, and powerful steps to increase marketing leads and take their business to the next level. Networking is also a large feature of Traffic and Conversion Summit, and is valuable for anyone seeking to make connections in marketing.

I attended Traffic and Conversion Summit in 2021 for the first time and was blown away by the quality and quantity of speakers.

January 25-28, 2024, Orlando, Florida

Podfest Expo is a conference focused on podcasts and podcasters. Although podcasts have been around for some time, they may not always be as readily marketable as other information delivery formats, making it essential to learn how to effectively market and promote your podcast. In its tenth year, Podfest is not a dedicated marketing conference, but does offer some marketing advice and know-how to podcasters in attendance. This social media conference can seem like a much tighter-knit group than many other conferences, so attendees can expect to engage with others in their sphere, with a passion for the spoken word and video, in order to disseminate and deliver information in an increasingly technology-focused world. 

Although this event is obviously for podcasters, anyone who is interested in starting a podcast or anyone who has a longstanding podcast can benefit from attending, networking, and gleaning inspiration from others in the industry. 

I attended Podfest 2020 right at the beginning of the pandemic and found it to be an extremely educational but also personable event with lots of networking opportunities. I will also be there at the 2024 event so let me know if you are coming!

February 18-20, 2024 San Diego, California

Having spoken at many Social Media Marketing Worlds, I can personally attest to the amazing speakers from companies you know and recognize and content that you can learn from at this digital summit. Social media marketing world, true to its name, is really the definitive three-day event that will provide you with practical insights to help guide you in improving your social media marketing ROI.

Social Media Marketing World attracts a wide variety of people who have a broad interest in social marketing, from digital executives, senior marketers, marketing managers, marketing agencies, content strategists, mobile strategists, bloggers, influencers, content creators, and more, all coming together to learn how to improve content strategy and reach.

March 6-7, 2024, Berlin, Germany

The MarTech Summit was created to fuse marketing principles and technology, to bring a unique event to content and digital marketers looking to level up their marketing game and experience a convergence of the two without interruption to marketing flow. Boasting a host of round tables, wherein attendees get to glean vital information from industry leaders and professionals, the MarTech Summit is two days of developing solutions for your unique business and marketing issues, learning from successful industry professionals, and watching innovation in action.

There are additional event dates and locations, including: 

• Manila, April 16
• Singapore, April 23-24
• London, May 15

The MarTech Summit is an ideal event for marketing professionals who are looking to infuse their marketing practices and strategies with a hefty dose of technology, to improve reach and drive growth. 

March 13-14, 2024, Las Vegas, NV

The Digital Summit Series bills itself as the most innovative of available digital marketing conferences, in large part because it covers the latest in technology and techniques for digital marketing, and can help marketers from all backgrounds develop key strategies to support their digital marketing success. Digital Summit also boasts a wide range of speakers and representative companies to cover a range of industries and interests. Combining all of these people and companies together means that Digital Summit can cater to all manner of needs and interests, and can help people develop marketing campaigns and strategies that they may not have otherwise considered.

Although I have included the Las Vegas date as a placeholder for this event, far from a one-time, once-yearly event, Digital Summit offers numerous dates and locations, including the following:

• Orlando, February 27-28
• Chicago, April 3-4
• New York, April 25-26
• Denver, June 10-11
• Seattle, July (TBD)
• Minneapolis, August 14-15
• Philadelphia, September (TBD)
• Raleigh, November (TBD)
• Dallas, December 4-5

Because this particular event brings so many different industries and company positions together, most digital marketers will glean something useful or helpful from the conference. 

May 5-7, 2024, Cleveland, Ohio

Founded by Joe Pulizzi, godfather of content marketing and creator of Content Marketing World, this is the first conference dedicated to the creator economy – in fact, it was originally called Creator Economy Expo, an event that I attended at its first instance back in 2022 when it was limited to 500 attendees because of the pandemic.

This event is all about educating and providing a networking environment for bloggers, podcasters, authors, newsletter writers, speakers, coaches and consultants, freelancers, and YouTubers. Speakers will focus on topics serving this audience such as how to generate revenue and build an audience without relying in Big Tech as well as how to use AI to not only survive but to thrive.

If you are a brand serving this audience or are looking for content creators to collaborate with, this will be a perfect venue for you to attend as well. I have already booked my ticket, so I look forward to seeing you there!

June 3-4, 2024, Seattle, Washington

MozCon markets itself using “Not Your Typical Marketing Conference,” and with good reason: sales professionals, project managers, and jacks of all trades alike can learn how to effectively curate a digital experience for new and existing customers. MozCon is designed to offer a more relaxed atmosphere for digital marketers, from social media influencers to project leads, fostering a sense of excitement, community, and connectedness. At MozCon, the goal is to create a camp-like atmosphere, which is effectively accomplished by getting people out of their online communities and out of their digital experience, in order to connect, learn, and grow.

While innovative technologies, up and coming approaches to marketing, and digital marketing advice all abound at MozCon, marketing agencies, brands, and companies will find far more than a list of speakers to passively listen to, instead finding a thriving and bustling community. Of all of the content marketing conferences found on this list, MozCon is likely to be the least formal and most relaxed.

June 3-5, 2024, Denver, Colorado

Self-advertising as the “The World’s Most Important Gathering of CMOs and Marketing Executives™”, this conference is clearly geared towards marketing leaders and executives. The Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo 2023 conference focused on exploring research and insights on artificial intelligence, marketing strategy, multichannel marketing, and brand strategy, and 2024 will probably cover a similar spectrum of topics.

With the Gartner brand behind it, this is the premiere marketing conference that should be of interest to CMOs and marketing executives, customer experience and loyalty leaders, digital marketing leaders, brand marketing leaders, and marketing operations leaders. 

June 19, 2024, Frankfurt, Germany

The Growth Marketing Summit in Frankfurt is another one-day conference with a focus on growing digitally. From audience growth to content strategy, the Growth Marketing Summit places a heavy emphasis on learning how to effectively and consistently grow your user base and develop stronger relationships through your marketing campaigns. Unlike many other conferences offering a host of information in a few short days, Growth Marketing Summit is a true strategic marketing summit and emphasizes actionable items to maximize your optimization practices, and experience the growth your company needs to thrive.

This conference is best for companies or brands that are looking to scale. If you are comfortable where you are, this may not be the right fit for you. If, however, you are looking to grow–and do so in a way that is measurable and sustainable–Growth Marketing Summit could be an excellent fit for your needs.

June 19-20, 2024, Lima, Ohio

Social Media Week Lima is a social media-focused event. The upcoming conference is titled “Roots,” and is designed to help foster a greater sense of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and (ultimately) engagement. While many social media conferences focus on how to present in a certain way aesthetically, Social Media Week Lima seeks to get to the core of social media interactions and communication, in order to foster a more organic and engaging relationship with followers and community. 

Lima is intended for social media content creators and marketers who are looking to invest more time and energy into their audience, including increasing engagement, forging stronger connections, and building brand, customer, or collaborator loyalty. From brand marketers to influencers, Lima can offer social media professionals of all types insights into and information about improving their relationship to customers and followers. 

June 25-26, 2024, London, United Kingdom

Digital Marketing World Forum Global (also called Global DMWF) is an event that brings global leaders together to discuss ongoing developments in the digital marketing industry, with a focus on digital marketing technologies. This event differs from others, because of its focus on technology, and how technology drives marketing, from developing campaigns to developing customer experience habits and practices. Called the “global” DMWF not only because of the people it attracts, but because of the speakers it employs: Global DMWF focuses on bringing together people from around the world, to offer insights into different markets and experiences from around the globe. The event is also designed to be a forum for networking and developing new connections with industry professionals. 

DMWF is a series of events; although the global forum is held in Florida in September, there is also an event held in London in June, and Amsterdam in November. The audience for this particular conference is broad. The general conference is for digital marketers, and encompasses content marketers, influencer marketing professionals, and people working on both the content creation and marketing management sides of marketing. Because DMWF is also designed to function as a networking event, it is an ideal event for anyone looking to build connections in the industry. 

I had the opportunity to speak at DMWF in Silicon Valley in 2022 and felt that both the speakers and audience were of a very high, corporate quality, so these events are highly recommended for those working for medium to larger size companies.

August 19-22, 2024, Washington, D.C.

Podcast Movement is a conference specifically designed for podcasting professionals who are looking to improve their own podcast and network with others in the podcast arena. Podcast Movement is the largest podcasting convention in existence, and each year, strives to bring together people from all backgrounds and interests to improve marketing strategies, podcast content, and podcasting equipment to diversify, expand, and support the global podcasting community.

This event is geared toward podcast creators of all experience levels. If you have not yet started, or have had a podcast for years, you can find a place at Podcast Movement, and benefit from the vast number of industry professionals available to offer panels, networking opportunities, and workshops.

I attended Podcast Movement twice in previous years and highly recommend this event for beginner or advanced podcasters. Noteworthy sessions, great speakers, great people!

Further Reading: 19 Best Podcast Tips for Launching and Growing Your Show

September 10-12, 2024, Cleveland, Ohio

The Marketing AI Conference (MAICON) is a conference dedicated entirely to hearing industry leaders speak on AI in the marketing industry, and how it can and should be used. Although it may seem like a relatively narrow territory to cover in a conference, the advent of more substantial options for AI applications in marketing makes it possible to discuss artificial intelligence in marketing on a much grander scale than would have been the case even a few short years ago. From the marketer with experience using AI to the marketer looking for more information and unsure about where to start, MAICON has plenty to offer. Despite its focus on AI and technology, MAICON is an in person event that encourages marketers to develop a digital strategy focusing on artificial intelligence. 

MAICON is designed for marketers looking to increase their ability to use AI, and do so responsibly; one of the lead panelists heads an organization dedicated entirely to developing and managing ethical AI practices. As a conference designed entirely for AI in marketing, MAICON is ideal for anyone looking to be on the cutting edge of new AI technology as it applies to marketing, whether you are new to AI entirely, or have been using existing tools for some time. 

I interviewed the founder of this conference, Paul Roetzer, on my podcast, and I can honestly say that this is THE conference to attend if you want to raise your knowledge of AI in marketing in the shortest time possible.

Further Reading: 33 Leading AI Marketing Tools to Explore

September 18-20, 2023, Boston, Massachusetts

INBOUND is, as the name suggests, an inbound marketing conference that focuses on growth and marketing technology innovations that can take a brand or business to the next level. From mobile marketing that focuses on multichannel marketing, to influencer marketing, INBOUND has a niche for just about everyone in search of growth and improvement in their marketing efforts and campaigns. With options for networking sessions and interactive sessions that allow conference goers to connect with the business developers and leaders invited to speak, and a plethora of opportunities to get out and mingle with other attendees, INBOUND is less like the informal summer camp experience offered at MozCon, and more like the trendy up-and-comer that offers the latest in key resources as well as in-demand sessions from companies that are able to stay on top of digital marketing trends.

If MozCon is a summer camp, INBOUND is the first week of college, with plenty of offerings in the form of key resources and networking sessions, as well as entertainment, with food trucks and opportunities to connect.

October 3-5, Dallas, Texas

If YouTube is your thing, VidSummit is your conference. This is THE definitive conference to better understand all things YouTube and video marketing. Featuring a speaker lineup that includes popular YouTubers such as MrBeast as well as industry experts and the brightest minds of YouTube marketing, this conference has spawned an impressive community of YouTubers who are both successful in their trade but also helpful to others. I attended VidSummit in 2022 and was blown away by how open and giving the presenters were with their experiences and the valuable insights they provided. I already bought my tickets for VidSummit 2023 – see you there?

VidSummit is clearly for YouTubers, TikTokers, content creators, and digital influencers, but on the flipside this event gives house marketers an unprecedented opportunity to develop relationships with these same influencers to help drive your influencer marketing strategy forward.

I went to VidSummit in 2022 in Los Angeles and 2023 in Dallas and have already secured my ticket for 2024! See you there?

October 21-23, 2024, San Diego, California

The Content Marketing World convention is part convention and part expo, designed to bring the best content marketing professionals together to create a dynamic and informative convention. Convention features include sessions, workshops, and forums tailored to content creators and marketers. Large brands, individual marketers, and everyone in between are expected to attend Content Marketing World’s convention, each of them in search of more effective tools to generate a larger audience and support business growth.

Content Marketing World is an open-call event, created to welcome marketing, public relations, and communications professionals. Attendees will learn how to more effectively communicate with target audiences, deliver compelling content, and create engaging, actionable plans of action.

I spoke at Content Marketing World in 2022 and can attest to the fact that it is an amazing, content-rich and people-rich event that will make you much smarter and help you expand your network with similar-minded content marketers.

Further Reading: TikTok vs. YouTube: Which Is the Best for Content Creators in 2023?

October 22-25, 2024, Orlando, FL

The ANA Masters of Marketing Conference is another change-maker in the advertising industry, in that it focuses on bringing successful companies and campaigns to a conference format, in order to dissect and present what it takes to make those companies and programs successful, so that marketers can implement what those leaders learned, and experience their own improvement and growth. With panels that show ways to improve customer experience, encourage growth, and spark needed change within a company or structure, this is a great conference for those looking to shake things up and make some improvements to an existing infrastructure. 

ANA Masters of Marketing Conference is ideal for marketers who may be struggling to inject new life into their campaigns and strategies, and are looking for some actionable insights and ideas from successful marketers whose footsteps they can follow in. 

October 27-30, 2024, Portland, OR

LavaCon is a content marketer’s conference geared toward the United States, though people from virtually anywhere can benefit from attendance, provided that they are looking for ways to improve their social strategy and improve reach. LavaCon has always focused on content technology, and this year, the event will place a great deal of emphasis on artificial intelligence, how it relates to content strategy, and how virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and other up-and-coming technology will impact content marketers. 

LavaCon is an ideal conference for anyone looking to increase their awareness of or thought processes behind AI and VR. With a close look at both the pros and the cons of using these systems in content marketing, LavaCon can be ideal for anyone looking for actionable insights into integrating AI into existing content marketing practices.

I spoke at LavaCon many years ago and found it to be focused more on the technical and technology side of marketing, attracting a primarily B2B audience from companies of all sizes. If this is you, this is your conference! 

October 28-30, 2024, Las Vegas, NV

Rather than a single event, DigiMarCon is a series of conferences that convene all over the world to deliver information about digital marketing in the advertising industry. Conference topics range from emerging strategies to up and coming technologies to revolutionize marketing, and all are delivered from industry leaders with a track record of proven success. Although the “national” event for the United States is in Las Vegas in October, a DigiMarCon event will take place in 40 cities worldwide across 18 countries in 2024-25.

You can check out the full even list here, which should give you an idea of how prolific this event is, and how many countries and markets it encompasses. 

The prolific nature of DigiMarCon means that it can appeal to a large number of marketing professionals looking to improve their engagement rates, step up their marketing game, or improve lead generation. For those who are unable to travel, there are virtual DigiMarCon events available. 

I was honored to speak at DigiMarCon Los Angeles in 2021 and the events always produce a great list of speakers from a broad variety of digital marketing professions and niches.

November 12-14, 2024, Boston, MA

As its name suggests, this particular event is designed for marketing professionals who work in B2B sales. Many digital marketing insights focus on B2C strategies and outreach, but Marketing Profs B2B veers away from that model and holds a forum for business marketers to come together and learn how to most effectively leverage their business practices to increase B2B sales. The focus of this particular event is on growth: as a B2B marketing event, the focus is not necessarily on deepening connections, but is instead focused on increasing reach, improving ROI, and increasing your reputation among businesses. With speakers ranging from chief marketing officers to VPs of innovation, this event is intended to address business leaders and help them develop strategies to grow and improve their marketing practices. 

Marketing Profs B2B is for B2B marketing professionals looking to increase their reach, and make sure that they are using the best industry strategies and tools to achieve their goals. Marketers will benefit the most from attending this event, rather than business leaders as a whole, and any marketers who are struggling to achieve their growth goals and improve the ROI of any tools or practices that you may be using. 

I did a joint speech with Jason Miller when he worked at LinkedIn many years ago at this conference, and I can attest to the fact that it really is the definitive B2B marketing conference on this list.

Further Reading: 10 Types of B2B Marketing Videos to Choose From to Create Your Next Project

Are there any must attend 2024 social media and digital marketing conferences which are missing from the list? Please contact me and let me know!

Further Reading: Social Media for Professional Associations

Digital Marketing Conferences FAQs