by 
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has changed life as we know it.
Organizations, communities, and businesses around the world are in a race against time to find collaborative, innovative ways to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and minimize its impact on human health and the economy.
The tech community’s response to the pandemic was fast, and some companies became key players in fighting the current crisis. One example is the recently announced enrollment of Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium—a project that brings industry and academic leaders together with the Federal government to support advanced research.
Unprecedented global actions and restrictions have been taken. International travel has been banned in most countries, and large events and mass gatherings of over 50 people have been suspended in the U.S. for at least eight weeks due to recent recommendations from CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
As expected, upcoming marketing, design, and tech conferences are also canceled, postponed, or converted to virtual events.
Since we’re currently working from home and going through a mandatory lockdown, we noticed that staying virtually connected helps us in battling the side effects of social distancing.
If you’re looking to expand your circle and engage with other industry experts, we put together a list of marketing, design, and tech conferences that transitioned into digital events.
Without further ado, here are 21 events that you can still attend online, some even for free, from the comfort of your home:
| Conference Name | Date | Fee |
| eCommerce Growth Summit 2020 | March 26–27 | free |
| UX Copenhagen | March 30–31 | $716 |
| Advancing Research 2020 | March 30–31 | $995 |
| Adobe Summit | March 31 | free |
| Digital Sales & Marketing Day | April 6 | $199 |
| The Information Architecture Conference 2020 | April 16–18 | $850 |
| Content Marketing Conference 2020 | April 21 | free |
| 2020 AMA Virtual Conference | April 21–22 | free |
| People of Video | May 2–3 | $99 |
| IBM Think Digital Event Experience | May 5–7 | free |
| Social Media Week | May 5 | TBA |
| Sellers Summit 2020 | May 6–8 | from $349 |
| C3 2020 | May 12 | free |
| Confab 2020 | May 18–20 | TBA |
| Microsoft Build for developers | May 19–21 | TBA |
| The Midwest Digital Marketing Conference | May 20–21 | $99 |
| DesignOps Global Conference | May 28-30 | £780 |
| Apple WWDC 2020 | June | TBA |
| Adobe 99U Conference | June 3–5 | free |
| Innovation Week Online | June 8–12 | $399 |
| Collision from Home | June 22–25 | from $79 |
1. eCommerce Growth Summit 2020
📅 March 26–27
🎫 Free
eCommerceGrowthSummit is a two-day online conference that is mostly addressed to digital marketers. This year’s virtual edition boasts +27 speakers, coming on strong with big industry names like Andy Crestodina, Dennis Yu, and Nir Eyal. Speakers are to discuss several eCommerce hot topics, including strategy, acquisition, conversion, and customer retention.
eCommerceGrowthSummit starts on March 26, and you can register for free here.
2. UX Copenhagen
📅 March 30–31
🎫 $716
“What is influence in UX?” is the topic of discussion of this year’s UX Copenhagen virtual conference. Whether you’re interested in learning more about DesignOps and ethical O.S. or simply looking to step out of your comfort zone and find out how tech can be used for social good, this online event is up for the task.
For two days, you can engage in extended conversations with 20+ speakers, such as American researcher Don Norman, bestselling author Pete Trainor, and Danish painter Nadia Plesner.
You can find general access, live-stream tickets here.
3. Advancing Research 2020
📅 March 30–31
🎫 $995
Brought to you by Rosenfeld Media, the first-ever Advancing Research conference is dedicated to researchers, leaders, innovators, and strategists that are in a quest to design better user experiences. The event has a research-driven approach, showcasing the latest community studies and examining the findings of over a dozen of highly-experienced researchers.
Advancing Research will be live-streamed via Zoom on March 30 and 31, and the cost of a ticket is $995. For the price of a ticket, organizers allow up to five attendants per location.
Register by following this link.
4. Adobe Summit
📅 March 31
🎫 Free
If attending one of the most sought-after digital experience conferences is on your 2020 bucket list, we have some great news—Adobe Summit is going digital. No less than 100+ summit sessions, in which you can pick the brains of leaders like Shantanu Narayen and Anil Chakravarthy, will be available starting from March 31.
Sign up for free access here.
5. Digital Sales & Marketing Day
📅 April 6
🎫 $199
Digital Sales & Marketing Day is a virtual event that aims to offer marketers, salespeople, and leaders practical advice on how to use marketing for keeping businesses thriving in uncertain times. From interactive workshops and real-life case studies to industry insights from leading industry experts such as Marcus Sheridan and Ramon Ray, the online conference is every marketer’s cup of tea.
Get your digital pass here.
6. The Information Architecture Conference 2020
📅 April 16–18
🎫 $850
This year, the IAC (Information Architecture Conference) becomes a digital meeting point for information architects, UX designers, content strategists, and other design professionals. Discussing the best design practices for digital products and services, the two-day event will feature talks and masterclasses on topics such as information and content architecture, design, research, operations, experience strategy, and planning.
Here you can find the registration form.
7. Content Marketing Conference 2020
📅 April 21
🎫 Free
It’s no secret that creating an effective content marketing strategy is a thorough process. If you’re interested in learning new techniques to plan, create, and optimize content, the CMC free resources can help. In this respect, they are making available 40 keynotes, 117 sessions, and 12 workshop recordings from previous conference editions. Additionally, people at CMC are bringing out a wide range of content marketing books, guides, maps, templates, and certification programs.
Sign up for the CMC Academy for free here.
8. AMA Experience Design Conference
📅 April 21-22
🎫 Free
The American Marketing Association (AMA) is a community for marketers that dates back to 1937 and has over 30,000 members. Part of an industry where change is the only constant, AMA is frequently adjusting to the latest trends, and this year’s Experience Design Conference proves it.
The AMA virtual conference will raise subjects such as the importance of experience design, research, and strategy, and also ways to improve the collaboration between marketing, design, and customer experience teams.
Register to get the AMA’s Experience Design virtual conference live on April 21-22, or to receive a link to watch it later here.
9. People of Video
📅 May 2-3
🎫 $99
People of Video is an interactive, virtual conference that suggests taking a mental break from social distancing by joining an online community interested in building brands and growing businesses with quality videos.
During the two-day conference, 20+ industry experts will share their best tips, tricks, and strategies on how to create video content that stands out from the social media crowd on popular platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Learn more about the event or get tickets here.
10. IBM Think Digital Event Experience
📅 May 5–7
🎫 Free
It’s safe to say that IBM is going the extra mile to stop the spread of the COVID-19. Besides partnering with the White House and to make supercomputing power available for research, they also announced organizational changes in record time regarding their signature event Think.
The three-day technology and business conference is now a digital-first, virtual happening that brings leaders, inventors, and change-makers in the same (video conference) room.
Speakers will discuss how the latest tech innovations can be used to transform our lives, and also spotlight the latest advancements across various industries. An outstanding number of sessions, 350+ respectively, will broadcast over 10+ channels, and experts will also participate in real-time Q&As during live-stream sessions.
If you’re looking for ways to get thinking, make sure to get your free pass from here.
11. Social Media Week
📅 May 5
🎫 TBA
With the mission of providing media, marketing, and technology professionals with the latest insights and best practices, Social Media Week (SMW) is a global conference that was previously hosted in 25+ cities. This year, organizers have announced their decision to combine the NYC and L.A. flagship events into a virtual event—SMWONE (Social Media Week One).
The Social Media Week digital conference starts on May 5 and features 150 sessions of live talks, interviews, panels, and workshops, but more details will be announced soon.
Register your interest in SMWONE here.
12. Sellers Summit 2020
📅 May 6–8
🎫 From $349
Sellers Summit is another event that is going digital for its 2020 edition, streaming all of their live sessions and workshops, and also makes them available for later watch. Their main selling point is a virtual mastermind meeting with entrepreneurs making over $1M in revenue from sales.
For a chance to see how other experienced sellers are implementing successful campaigns and ask them practical questions, you can reserve your spot here.
13. C3 2020
📅 May 12
🎫 Free
Expertise is a marketer’s strongest asset, therefore if you’re interested in joining hundreds of global marketers as they share their digital marketing success stories, C3 is a free online experience you can’t miss.
Allowing you to get in touch with marketers from various backgrounds that are facing similar challenges, C3 promises to provide you with an actionable, straightforward list with the next steps for getting better results from your marketing efforts.
Get your free pass here.
14. Confab 2020
📅 May 18–20
🎫 TBA
As an event dedicated to people who are passionate about creating better content strategies for their users and organizations, Confab 2020 brings leading experts together via an accessible online event that is scheduled to unfold in May.
The conference caters to those who plan, design, build or manage content, addressing hot topics like UX and A.I. design, editorial planning, and creative management.
You can join their mailing list to get notified when they announce more details here.
15. Microsoft Build for developers
📅 May 19–21
🎫 TBA
Microsoft Build is an annual event for software engineers and web developers. Since 2011, Microsoft has gathered its community to navigate around Windows, Microsoft Azure, and other Microsoft technologies. As global COVID-19 health concerns amplify, they have announced that Microsoft Build will be delivered as a digital event for the first time.
Additional information will be coming out soon, and you can sign up for real-time updates here.
16. The Midwest Digital Marketing Conference
📅 May 20–21
🎫 $99
Previously rated by Forbes as a top industry event to check out in 2019, the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference is also going digital. The 2020 edition will feature 90+ speakers from leading brands, including Google, LinkedIn, Johnson & Johnson, Adobe, and Purina.
For $99, you can choose from over 80 sessions on marketing topics like personal branding, SEO, SEM, content marketing, social media, and creativity, but also leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Tickets are available here.
17. DesignOps Global Conference
📅 May 28-30
🎫 £402 – £780
Serving as a platform to share and discuss new ideas in areas like research, design and development operations, the 2020 edition of the DesignOps Global Conference is also on our radar. From researchers, designers, developers, and product owners to business leaders, the event is addressed to those working at the cutting edge of digital transformation.
Tickets start at £402 and are up for grabs here.
18. Apple WWDC 2020
📅 June
🎫 TBA
We can’t leave out one of most talked about tech events of 2020: The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Although at this time we don’t have much information on how the event will unfold, Apple has announced moving the conference online. In June, the tech giant is expected to showcase groundbreaking software and give the latest updates on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS technologies.
Read the official statement here.
19. Adobe 99U Conference
📅 June 3–5
🎫 Free
Creatives, get excited— the annual Adobe 99U Conference is transforming into a free, digital experience!
The Conference is usually hosted in the so-called Capital of the World, NYC, and focuses on helping creatives from all industries and fields make their ideas come to life. Adobe announced that the goal of this year’s conference is to build deeper connections with the creative community, and we just can’t wait to see how the digital event will proceed.
More details about the virtual 99U conference are soon to be announced, so make sure to sign up for their newsletter here.
20. Innovation Week Online
📅 June 8–12
🎫 $399
Innovation Week Online is a five-day online program created by the Future London Academy for experienced innovation professionals, service designers, and business leaders who are looking for new approaches, tools, and fresh case studies.
If you’re aiming to boost your knowledge about innovation processes and strategies by learning from top industry experts, this program is up for the task. Plus, Innovation Week Online focuses on delivering practical lessons and teaching advanced skills, allowing you to spend a week with experienced design professionals from around the world.
Here you can find their registration form.
21. Collision from Home
📅 June 22–25
🎫 From $79
Organized by the Web Summit team, Collision from Home is a conference that focuses on bringing people together to discuss the initiatives that are redefining the global tech industry.
Named as America’s fastest-growing tech conference, this year’s Collision edition will live stream talks with influential figures, including the CTO of Uber Thuan Pham, Brad Smith of Microsoft, and Managing Editor at The New York Times Monica Drake.
Single tickets start at $79 ($98, including taxes), and you can get them here.
Conclusion
We recommend staying busy during these challenging times and hope that we managed to cover at least one digital-first event that piqued your interest. Also, if we missed your favorite online conference, drop us a line at PR@bannersnack.com, and we’ll consider adding it to the list.
Last, but not least, as the World Health Organization advises, please don’t forget to:
- wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub
- cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze
- avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell
- stay home and self-isolate from others in the household if your local authorities recommend it
Stay safe and healthy.
Read more:
