By Florin R. Ferrs (Tech writer)
IT Pros and entrepreneurs understand that attending the right IT conference can often mean the difference between moving beyond the startup phase, or not.
Why are IT conferences so crucial for tech startups?
They offer the most direct way to connect with like-minded people, and the opportunity to discover the latest innovations and how the best in your industry are using them to improve their businesses.
Fortunately, there are a lot of tech conferences that may fit your business's needs in 2020.
Unfortunately, because there are so many tech conferences in 2020, deciding which ones to attend can become a challenge in itself.
That's why we've done the initial legwork for you and researched the most relevant tech conferences of 2020 that offer the most opportunities to network, learn the latest tech in your niche, and, most importantly, provide a path to help you find funding for your tech startup.
Before we look at the conferences list, let's examine the three crucial points to consider before you sign up for your next tech conference.
1- Location
Where will the conference be held? Do you need to travel overseas to get there, or is it local? Often a more local conference will provide more opportunities to expand your network.
2-Cost
How much does it cost to register? Can you get a package deal for your entire team to attend, or is it too expensive, and only one person will be able to go given your budget? The reality is that going to conferences is not particularly cheap, so picking local and free ones will go a long way towards alleviating your expenses.
3-Speakers
Who's booked to talk at the conference? It would be best if you made sure there are the right types of subject matter experts speaking at the conference so you can pick them based on gaps in your team's knowledge.
Ready to select your tech conferences for 2020?
We've broken them down into conferences by month. Check out the first half of the year on the list below (January to May).
Let's go!
JANUARY
Micro Focus #DevDay Atlanta
Date:
28th January
Location:
Atlanta, GA. USA
Cost:
Free
Description:
Think COBOL is dead? Think again. Approximately 95% of ATM swipes still use COBOL code. In this conference, MicroFocus is focusing on dragging 60 year old COBOL into the 21st century (I.E. the cloud).
FutureCon Phoenix
Date:
29th January
Location:
Phoenix, AZ. USA
Cost:
$45 (Exhibit Hall Pass). $200 (Full Day Conference Pass)
Description:
FutureCon focuses on high-level Cyber Security Training and the ever-changing threats to cybersecurity. The aim is to educate C-suite executives and CISOs (chief information security officers) on the global cybercrime epidemic, and how to build Cyber Resilient organizations.
FEBRUARY
Micro Focus #DevDay Columbus
Date:
11 February, 2020
Location:
Columbus, OH. USA
Cost:
Free
Description:
This conference will focus on the latest tools available to developers to build and modernize core COBOL apps across mainframes, and cloud platforms.
Pink20
Date:
16 -19 February, 2020
Location:
Las Vegas, NV. USA
Cost:
For standard tickets, you will pay $2,295, for platinum tickets you’ll pay $2,595.
Description:
Pink20's theme is Batman! Why? Because Batman doesn't possess any superpowers. He is successful because of his ability to create clever inventions, and his use of cutting-edge tools and technology. Pink20 will feature several workshops covering a range of topics from IT operations, to ITSM, lean IT, agile best practices, and DevOps.
FutureCon Los Angeles
Date:
19 February, 2020
Location:
Los Angeles, CA. USA
Cost:
$45 (Exhibit Hall Pass). $200 (Full Day Conference Pass)
Description:
Gain the latest knowledge you need to enable applications while keeping your computing environment secure from advanced Cyber Threats.
Share
Date:
23 - 28 February, 2020
Location:
Fort Worth, TX. USA
Cost:
$410 (student) & $3140 (non-member)
Description:
Share is your one-stop-shop for Enterprise IT Education. Attendees will enjoy a longstanding tradition of advancing the enterprise technology industry.
MARCH
Cloud Expo Europe
Date:
11 - 12 March, 2020
Location:
London, UK
Cost:
Free - you just need to register.
Description:
Cloud Expo Europe is the UK's biggest and best-attended technology event. They cover things like Blockchain, smart IoT, DevOps, cloud security and more.
MSP World
Date:
15 - 17 March, 2020
Location:
New Orleans, LA. USA
Cost:
$199 (early registration)
Description:
MSPWorld the World’s Premier Managed Services and Cloud Computing Event. MSPWorld is driven by those that have had actual real-world experiences and successes in the managed services industry.
Data Center World
Date:
16 - 19 March, 2020
Location:
San Antonio, TX. USA
Cost:
$2195 for a standard pass. $2795 for the all-access pass.
Description:
Data Center World delivers expert insight and strategies on the technologies and concepts you need to know to plan, manage, and optimize your data center.
Strata Data & AI Conference
Date:
15 - 18 March, 2020
Location:
San Jose, CA. USA
Cost:
$1345 (Bronze Pass) and $2145 (Gold Pass)
Description:
At Strata Data & AI you'll meet the brightest minds in data and AI. Fast-track career-boosting skills with two-day training courses, tutorials, case studies, technical sessions, and more.
EmTech Digital
Date:
23 - 25 March, 2020
Location:
San Francisco, USA
Cost:
$2995
Description:
Interact with AI leaders defining modern AI from technology, management, start-up, engineering, and academic communities. Top top speakers including people from LinkedIn and MIT.
Gartner Data & Analytics Summit
Date:
March 23 - 26, 2020
Location:
Grapevine, TX. USA
Cost:
$3825 Standard Price - $3250 Public Sector Price
Description:
The Gartner Data & Analytics Summit 2020 is the must-attend conference for data and analytics leaders wanting to gain the skills to rewire IT culture for an AI-augmented future.
InfoSec World
Date:
Mar 30th - 1 April, 2020
Location:
Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA
Cost:
$50 - $4195
Description:
InfoSec World 2020 addresses disruptive technologies and threats on the horizon. The goal is to create a plan for how your organization should react and cope with these intrusive circumstances.
APRIL
Google Cloud Next
Date:
6th - 8th April, 2020
Location:
San Francisco, California, USA
Cost:
$1699 General Registration
Description:
Google Cloud Next brings together the brightest minds in tech, learning, and collaboration. Experience the magic of Google Cloud Next alongside IT professionals, developers, executives, and Google experts.
HDI Support World 2020
Date:
April 19 - 24, 2020
Location:
Las Vegas, NV. USA
Cost:
$2399 (standard) & $2799 (Premium)
Description:
One of the most comprehensive events for the technical support industry, SupportWorld Live unites the world’s most innovative professionals around a singular focus: delivering smarter services that result in better business outcomes.
Dublin Tech Summit
Date:
22 - 23 April, 2020
Location:
Dublin, Ireland
Cost:
€389 (Euros)
Description:
Dublin Tech Summit is a two-day global tech conference that has emerged as “Europe’s fastest-growing tech conference.” DTS brings together some of the most influential tech and business leaders to Dublin for two days of growth & development.
tabGeeks 20
Date:
29 Apr - 1 May, 2020
Location:
Long Beach, CA, USA
Cost:
$849
Description:
tabGeeks is a professional development conference for I.T. people at small-to-midsize businesses that focuses on the many varied challenges Tech Ops are faced with every day. tabGeeks is the only community exclusively for I.T. people, built by I.T. people.
MAY
Dell Technologies World
Date:
4 - 7 May, 2020
Location:
Las Vegas, NV. USA
Cost:
$2195 (early). $2495 (standard)
Description:
Dell Technologies World 2020 is where you’ll see the latest innovations, expand your knowledge, and discover new ways to accelerate your growth and development for the next data decade.
IBM Think 2020
Date:
4 - 7 May, 2020
Location:
San Francisco, CA
Cost:
$995 Discover Pass (early rate) & $2495 (standard rate)
Description:
Acquire hands-on experience with the latest advancements in open technologies from hybrid multicloud to data and AI. IBM Think 2020 isn't a single conference for thousands of people. It's thousands of curated conferences in one.
Google I/O
Date:
May 2020 (Exact date TBD)
Location:
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA. USA
Cost:
$375 to $1150
Description:
Google IO 2020 is a technical conference and exhibition that provides content featuring Android, Google Chrome, Google APIs, GWT, App Engine, open web technologies, and more.
Citrix Synergy 2020
Date:
19 - 21 May, 2020
Location:
Orlando, FL. USA
Cost:
$2045 (early bird) to $2395
Description:
Citrix Synergy hands you the keys to greater productivity, and higher employee engagement by providing the vision, insights, training, connections, and tools you need to work smarter and faster. Experience firsthand how Citrix innovation transforms the way people work.
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