Top B2B Marketing Conferences in 2020

From a marketing director to an ordinary manager, anyone can face the bubble trap of their role. In conditions of an overloaded work schedule and household chores, sometimes there may simply not be time for training, communication or brainstorming.

That's why you need to devote time and money to attending conferences, regardless of niche. And if it comes to marketing, then you should run there at top speed.

That's why you need to devote time and money to attending conferences, regardless of niche. And if it comes to marketing, then you should run there headlong.

So that you do not have to wander in the network for a long time looking for a suitable event, we have compiled a list of the best B2B marketing conferences to be held in 2020.

Why you should attend marketing conferences

As mentioned above, the first goal is training. Approaches in B2B marketing change almost every month. Instead of looking for information on the Internet and trying to put it on the shelves, it is better to spend several days at the conference, get insights and start using them in your business.

Conferences refresh the minds of old practices that can be applied today. In addition, such events not only inform marketers about trends and major technologies, but also inspire new ideas

ITSMA Marketing Leadership Forum 2020

Site: itsma.com

Place: Westin Verasa Hotel in Napa, California, USA

Date: 19-20 May, 2020

Cost: 1695-1995$ (until March 20), 1895-2295 (until April 19), 2095-2595 (until May 19)

ITSMA is one of the most famous and most important organizations in the field of marketing. They are key “suppliers” of the latest trends and hold dozens of forums and conferences throughout the year, as well as 100 seminars. Not so long ago, in October, they held the jubilee 25th Marketing Vision conference, and in the spring they are preparing the next forum.

The main message of the upcoming forum is the transformation of marketing for the next generation. You will learn about new approaches to data analysis and creating new ideas based on them, and you will also be able to familiarize yourself with practices that will be applied in 2020. The forum will discuss issues related to the use of AI and machine learning, interorganizational cooperation and the role of marketing in creating new strategic opportunities.

Key topics:

• marketing transformation with corporate and commercial accounts;
• how marketing has changed the approach to sales;
• creation of a marketing organization;
• attracting and developing future marketing leaders;

If you want to hear key persons in the field of B2B marketing, then you just need to visit this forum. It will feature individuals such as Jonathan Kopulsky (former CCO Deloitte), Steve Cox (vice president of Digital Lifecycle Journeys), Calvin Gee (senior marketing director at Oracle), Susan Kunkel (CMO at Delloite) and many others.

By the way, stay tuned for ITSMA events. They have already announced that there will be the 26th Marketing Vision Conference in early October, but there is still no full information. But such an event must not be missed.

MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum

Site: MPB2B

Place: San Francisco, California, USA

Date: 3-6 November, 2020

Cost: full access - $ 2195 (until March 3), $ 2795 (after March 3); conference only - $ 1395 and $ 1995 respectively; workshop only - $ 1095 (constant price)

Another major forum that has been held since 2007. During this time, it entered the top events related to B2B marketing. According to the organizers themselves on their website - MPB2B is the best conference on the planet. The program of the conference is developed by the organizers together with leading B2B marketers to cover all the issues that interest both novice and niche leaders.

Key topics:

• new marketing rules;
• the truth about personalization;
• how to develop a B2B podcast and gather an audience for it;
• content marketing

The MPB2B team held the previous forum not so long ago, because today lists of speakers are still being formed. But it is already known that one of the key speakers is David Mirman Scott, the author of the famous 8 books on marketing, and also a member of the advisory boards of companies such as HubSpot, Newstex, and Eloqua.

B2B Marketing Exchange

Site: b2bmarketing.exchange

Place: Hyatt Regency, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Date: 24-26 February, 2020

Cost: 1095$ (one day), 1795$ (standard access), 1995$ (VIP access)

B2B Marketing Exchange is a must-have event for B2B sales or marketing professionals: this is what the organizers say on their website. One cannot disagree with them. This team organizes the most extraordinary discussions and interactions, so the conference participants leave with a completely new experience.

Key topics:

• trends in creating a customer-oriented message;
• scaling account-based marketing;
• affiliate marketing strategies;
• implementation of agile methods.

This year, the list of speakers included: Todd Henry (adviser to The Accidental Creative), Pam Didner (owner of the Relentless Pursuit), Kate Cindric-Federhar (marketing director at CenturyLink), Tim White (marketing director at People.ai), Leslie Cozat (senior director of Optum), Rob Leavit (senior vice president of ITSMA) and others.

Get Stacked — The B2B Marketing Technology Conference

Site: Get Stacked

Place: London, Britain

Date: 19 March, 2020

Cost: 500£ (one day), 1110£ (2 days - conference + training)

This conference will be a great way to spend a day among marketing experts. Beginners who will be able to thoroughly understand the techniques of using marketing technologies will benefit especially. As for advanced marketers, they will receive information on how to improve business results and scale the company.

Key topics:

• how to develop a strategy for the use of marketing technologies;
• how to provide the best user experience;
• marketing automation;
• main principles in the work of CMO (Chief Marketing Officer).

Whose speeches will be the main ones? Adam Sharp is CEO at Clevertouch Marketing, Ash Chandler is head of marketing automation at Really B2B, Chris Marjara is at CMO at Access Group, Ben Ries is at CMO at Redgate, and many others. There will be more than 35 speakers at the conference, so do not miss your chance to record their insights.

Adobe Summit

Site: summit.adobe.com

Place: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Date: 29 March – 2 April, 2020

Cost: 1895$ (until January 31), 2095$ (after January 31). There are also additional trainings and certifications (you can familiarize yourself with the prices on the website)

If you are involved in marketing, then at least once you definitely had to use Adobe products. The smallest thing you could turn to was Adobe Color Wheel, the maximum is a full-fledged software product like Adobe Premiere or Adobe Photoshop. The company has existed for many years and its conferences are always a big bag of new knowledge that will be useful in B2B marketing.

Key topics:

• the role of the consumer path in marketing;
• content and asset management;
• Adobe CC for enterprise development;
• multichannel advertising;
• personalization;
• machine learning, AI.

Speakers included personalities such as Shantanu Narayen (Adobe CEO), Michelle De`Lon (COO NCMEC), Ebhei Parasnis (CTO Adobe), Darrell Alfonso (marketing manager for Amazon) and more than 100 others.

SiriusDecisions Summit

Site: siriusdecisionssummit.com

Place: Austin, Texas, USA

Date: 3-6 March, 2020

Cost: 2695-2895$ (price is valid until February 28)

Another must-have event for innovators in sales and marketing. The main message of the conference this year is: “Feel the energy: compare approaches, expand your powers and capabilities.” It appeared in connection with the merger of Sirius Decisions and Forrester, which gave new energy to the products and services of these companies.

Key topics:

• latest innovations in the B2B space;
• ways to introduce new technologies into a marketing strategy;
• the right approach to data analysis.

List of speakers? It has not yet been published on the site and on social networks, although very little remains before the conference. We are ready to assume that this information will be available after registration.

Growth Hackers Conference

Site: growthhackersconference.com

Place: San Francisco, California, USA

Date: 4 June, 2020

Cost: 489-2049$

Growth hacking has completely changed the concept of marketing. The first thing it brought to the world is that you can spend significantly less on promotion. This event is necessary for everyone, from large entrepreneurs to newcomers to the market. By visiting it, you can understand what processes are worth optimizing and how to reduce your own marketing costs. The main message of this year's conference is “The Future of Growth Hacking”.

Key topics:

• a new generation of growth hackers;
• subtleties of viral marketing;
• proper product testing;
• how to lead people by the hand.

Attending a conference, you will listen to speeches by people such as Sean Alice (founder of the grows hacking phenomenon), Nancy Hensley (IBM CDO), Hila Kew (Acorns vice president) and Kevin Ma (PM Wish).

ANA – Masters of B2B Conference

Site: ANA Conference

Place: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Date: 12-14 May, 2020

Cost: 900-1200$

The conference is programmed to inform and empower marketers, as well as create clear links between leaders of industry brands. The Association of National Advertisers in the USA is very popular and advises different brands regarding marketing. They are also responsible for organizing their own conference, because you will have something to learn.

Key topics:

• increasing growth through B2B marketing;
• digital transformation;
• how marketing will change the healthcare sector;
• new account-based marketing insights.

Among the speakers you can see Bob Liodis (CEO ANA), Karen Walker (senior vice president of Intel), Valerie Bellew (CMO Microsoft), Dave Edelman (CMO Aetna) and many others.

Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo

Site: Gartner Marketing Symposium

Place: San Diego, California, USA

Date: 1-3 June, 2020

Cost: 3625$ until April 3, 4075$ - after

Thousands of managers attend events hosted by Gartner. The marketing symposium is dedicated to training specialists, generating ideas and adapting to the political and socio-economic environment. It’s also a chance to get to know Gartner’s leaders directly.

Key topics:

• decision making through data analysis;
• creating exceptional experience for the client;
• demand generation;
• branding trends.

Among the speakers, first of all, you will see many experts (from vice president to analysts) from the Gartner team. In addition, there will be many invited speakers, but so far only one is known - Dr. Steve Robins (consultant in organizations such as NASA, Boeing, Gap Inc. and many others).

B2B Marketing Ignite 2020

Site: Ignite

Place: London, Britain

Date: 23 June, 2020

Cost: tickets are not yet on sale, because prices are unknown

Ignite is recommended by Entrepreneur.com as one of the best conferences in the world that you should definitely attend. In addition, Ignite 2019 is recognized as one of the best by the Marketinginsidergroup. Only two of these facts already indicate that in 2020 it is worth considering the possibility of visiting Ignite.

Key topics: unknown yet. This only fuels interest in the event, as they have already announced that there will be about 80 speakers, 8 streams and 66 sessions. Accordingly, the organizers already know the topics and, moreover, formed a schedule, but so far do not reveal all the cards.

Nevertheless, it is already known that among the speakers are Rory Sutherland (Ogilvy Vice Chairman), Zoe Hominik (O2 Marketing Director), Sanjiw Munjal (Accenture Digital Commerce Director), Andrea Clatworthey (ABM CEO in Fujitsu) and  many others.