9 Digital Marketing Conferences to Attend in 2016

Digital marketing is hard to master. Why? First of all, because of its complexity. Digital marketing encompasses social media marketing, UX, SEO, conversion rate optimization, content marketing, etc. Each of those is intricate enough to be delivered as a standalone marketing service.

Secondly, the world of digital marketing is changing rapidly. What works today, will probably be obsolete in 6 months. Therefore, you need to keep yourself up-to-date with the latest trends and what better way to do so than by attending conferences and listening to what digital marketing thought leaders have to say? Here are some of the biggest European conferences and events that you really should be attending by the end of 2016.

AllFacebook Marketing Conference Berlin, 6 October 2016

Primary focus: Facebook Marketing

• All about the latest trends and innovations in Facebook Marketing
• Learning hands-on from the industries’ best practice marketing campaigns
• What’s hot in Instagram, WhatsApp or even Snapchat?

30 speakers from Germany, Austria & Switzerland.

Shift London, 24-25 May

Primary focus: The Digital Revolution

• How to build your company’s digital DNA and foster innovation
• Cross-channel marketing in a fragmented digital world
• Why you should put customer first and advertising last
• Which digital channel will offer the biggest opportunities for brands in 2016 and beyond?

42 speakers from international companies including Virgin Media, Vodafone, Airbnb, The Guardian, M&C Saatchi Mobile, etc.

SMX Paris, 1-2 June 2016

Primary focus: Search Marketing (SEA, SEO, SMO)

• How to design a website that’s visible in search engines
• Winning social media strategies
• The future of mobile search
• The new challenges of distributing content and how to overcome them

60 speakers from companies including  Google, SEMRush, Microsoft, Prisma Media, etc.

LavaCon Dublin, 5-8 June

Primary Focus: Content Strategy

• How to adapt content for an omnichannel user experience
• How to create a global content strategy
• Metrics for a continuous improvement process
• The content lifecycle or how to create content that meets business goals and user needs

Speakers include content strategists, user experience designers, documentation managers and other content professionals.

Digital Marketing World Forum, 20-21 June, London

Primary Focus: Digital Marketing

• Managing the explosion of customer data that digital and social provide – analysing this data, using it to personalise communications
• How to create a digital strategy that fits new digital channels and devices
• How to overcome financial constraints and demonstrate ROI
• How to generate content marketing and engage customers
• How to maintain reputation and reach new audiences

Speakers include over 30 digital marketing experts from companies like Brandwatch, FoodPanda, GSK, BBC Worldwide, etc.

Performance Marketing Insights, 4-5 July, Amsterdam

Primary Focus: Performance Marketing

• How to grab local audiences through a programmatic approach (programmatic advertising)
• How to master SEO on all devices
• Future customer acquisition techniques
• The content marketing KPIs for 2017
• The next steps in ad blocking

This year’s speakers are yet to be announced. Previous attendees included companies like Sociomantic, Amazon, AdRoll, HP, AmEx.

Social Media Week London, 12-16 September

Primary Focus: Social Media Marketing

The #SMWLDN 2016 Schedule will be published on July 6. However, we can take a look at some of the key topics discussed during the 2015 conference:

• The evolution of influencers
• How to become data-driven from social media
• How to use social CRM to grow customer value
• The future of social storytelling

Past speakers included social media marketing professionals from companies like Twitter, Facebook, BuzzFeed, etc.

Conversion Conference, 12-13 October, London

Primary Focus: Conversion Rate Optimization

• How to create better A/B tests
• How to collect meaningful data for conversion optimization
• Top optimization mistakes and what to learn from them
• Conversion techniques for omnichannel buyers

Speakers include professionals from companies like Conversion Factory, konversionsKRAFT, 500 Startups, AG Consult, etc.  

Marketing Summit, 7-10 November, Lisbon

Primary Focus: Digital Marketing

The final agenda is not yet available but Marketing Summit promises to bring together marketers from a range of industries to tell their success stories.

• What are the impact and potential evolution of online communities?
• How can agencies stay relevant in an ever faster-changing environment?
• How can marketing teams use video and tap into this popular channel of content marketing?
• What role is big data playing in the evolution of B2B sales?

In 2015, some of the top speakers included Yancey Strickler, Samantha Barry and Michael McAvoy.

Social Media Week Rotterdam, 14-18 November

Primary Focus: Social Media Marketing

The agenda and the speakers are yet to be confirmed. Past featured speakers include professionals from companies like Twitter, BlaBlaCar, YouTube, McDonald’s, etc.

This was our list of important digital marketing conferences that you definitely shouldn’t miss in 2016. So, which one have you picked? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.