A mobile game released at a recent Macworld Expo (Photo by JD Lasica).
Guide to the month’s best conferences & events
You know, for the middle of winter, the conference season is heating up quite a bit. February brings us a slew of noteworthy social media, technology and marketing conferences. I’m kicking off the month by attending Macworld Expo today. Some of the other events I’ll be following include Lift, Social Enterprise, D: Dive Into Media, the Online Marketing Summit, O’Reilly Tools of Change, Media That Matters, SF Music Tech, Social Media Week, Wisdom 2.0, TED, Strata and many more (wish I could be at all of these).
How about you? Which ones will you be attending?
For the full year, see our full Calendar of 2013 social media, tech and marketing conferences. And our sister site Socialbrite has our calendar of nonprofit and social change events for February.
| Conference | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|
| February | ||
| Macworld | iWorld | Jan. 31-Feb. 2 | San Francisco |
| Macworld/iWorld is the world’s ultimate fan event for those who use, create and love Apple products. Attendees will encounter a celebration of Apple technology-infused art, music and film, as well as learning opportunities and a shopping mecca in our exhibit hall filled with products and services for Apple users of all skill levels and interests. From home users, to artistic hobbyists and professionals and the technorati, Macworld/iWorld gives attendees the chance to experience all that the world of Apple-related tools can offer. |  |
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| Free and Open Source Software Developers’ European Meeting | Feb. 2-3 | Brussels |
| The Free and Open Source Software Developers’ European Meeting is a two-day event organized by volunteers to promote the widespread use of free and open source software. FOSDEM is a free event that offers open source communities a place to meet, share ideas and collaborate. |  |
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| Social Media Strategies Summit | Feb. 5-7 | Las Vegas |
| Social Media Strategies Summit, from Global Strategic Management Institute, helps participants learn about effective social media marketing strategies that have been proven to skyrocket marketing ROI and revenue. Whether your organization is a start-up or a large enterprise, the summit aims to elevate your social media marketing efforts to help you reach your business goals. |  |
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| Lift | Feb. 6-8 | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Lift is one of Europe’s leading technology and innovation events exploring the business and social implications of digital technologies. Its unique format allows for a rich experience where participants mingle in a dynamic and informal environment. Lift is about discovering new trends and turning them into opportunities. It is a memorable three-day event packed with inspirational talks, interactive workshops and fun networking activities. |  |
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| Intelligent Content | Feb. 7-8 | San Francisco |
| The fifth annual Intelligent Content Conference focuses on helping organizations better understand the emerging discipline of corporate publishing with an emphasis on teaching you what you need to know about the standards, methods and tools needed to deliver the right information, to the right people, at the right time, in the right format and language, on the device of the customer’s choosing. |  |
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| SoCon13 | Feb. 9 | Kennesaw, Ga. |
| Throughout its life, SoCon has flourished as a must-attend professional networking and unconference event offering an extensive list of breakout sessions to fill a variety of professional needs. Organized into loose-knit tracks, SoCon13 offers learning schedules for everyone – from business owners, marketing professionals and digital strategists to CEOs, journalists and non-profiteers – with the freedom to network and attend working sessions outside your professional path. |  |
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| Social Enterprise | Feb. 9-10 | Boston |
| This year’s Social Enterprise conference theme is Create. Connect. Commit. The gathering’s organizers hope to catalyze a forum to create, to enable individuals and organizations to connect and to inspire one another to commit. |  |
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| D: Dive Into Media | Feb. 11-12 | Dana Point, Calif. |
| D: Dive Into Media delves into the extraordinary changes the media business is undergoing in every sector — from television and film to music and publishing. You’ll hear from media and tech leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators taking an in-depth look at how these changes will reshape the future of the industry. |  |
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| Online Marketing Summit | Feb. 11-13 | San Diego |
| The Online Marketing Summit (OMS) connects marketers with the knowledge, experts and technologies that are transforming digital marketing and business as we know it. This interactive symposium empowers marketing practitioners of all levels with actionable information via expert-led educational sessions and collaborative engagement with peers, thought leaders and providers who are driving the industry forward. |  |
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| O’Reilly Tools of Change | Feb. 12-14 | New York |
| The publishing industry is in the midst of profound change that goes much deeper than simply using new tools and technology to publish in new formats. That’s why over 1,000 of the best minds in publishing gather every year in New York for the O’Reilly Tools of Change Conference. No other publishing conference provides such an intelligent blend of practical experience, technical expertise that you can immediately put to use and strategic insights. |  |
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| Vator Splash | Feb. 13 | San Francisco |
| Vator Splash celebrates entrepreneurship with emerging startups and lessons learned from seasoned entrepreneurs. |  |
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| BlogWell | Feb. 13 | Dallas |
| Learn how big brands use social media and hear eight case studies on the social media programs in place at corporations such as Dell, REI, Coldwell Banker, Texas Instruments and others. Besides Dallas, BlogWells will take place this year in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. | ||
| The Social Conference | Feb. 14 | Amsterdam |
| The Social Conference is the leading conference on the impact and future of social media in the business community. The conference inspires participants to strengthen their business by harnessing the power of the social Web. It offers a look at the strategies of corporate experts and the research of leading academics. |  |
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| Women 2.0 PITCH Conference | Feb. 14 | San Francisco |
| Women 2.0 is a media company offering content, community and conferences for aspiring and current women innovators in technology whose mission is to increase the number of female founders of technology startups with inspiration, information and education through its platform. |  |
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| Media That Matters | Feb. 15 | Washington, DC |
| Media That Matters (not to be confused with the long-running Media That Matters in B.C.) is an annual conference presented by the Center for Social Media at American University. It’s designed for established and aspiring filmmakers, nonprofit communications leaders, funders and students who want to learn and share cutting-edge practices to make their media matter. |  |
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| An Event Apart | Feb. 18-20 | Atlanta |
| An Event Apart Atlanta is an intensely educational learning session for passionate practitioners of standards-based Web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart offers 12 speakers and sessions, plus an optional day-long workshop on multi-device Web design. |  |
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| Social Media Week | Feb. 18-22 | Various |
| Social Media Week is a worldwide event exploring the social, cultural and economic impact of social media. Our mission is to help people and organizations connect through collaboration, learning and the sharing of ideas and information. In just under four years, Social Media Week has become a platform and a community that has grown to more than 100,000 members in 26 cities around the world. |  |
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| SF MusicTech Summit | Feb. 19 | San Francisco |
| The SF MusicTech Summit brings together visionaries in the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem, along with the best and brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. |  |
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| MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit | Feb. 19-22 | Las Vegas |
| MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit 2013 is the largest vendor-neutral, research-based email marketing event. The sessions are aimed at overcoming your top email challenges with case studies, quick win clinics, bonus sessions, expert panels and more. |  |
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| Social Media For Government Communications | Feb. 20-22 | Washington, DC |
| The Social Media for Government Communications is a conference dedicated to the latest advances Web and media technologies to engage citizens and increase transparency. |  |
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| Wisdom 2.0 | Feb. 21-24 | San Francisco |
| Join Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, author Marianne Williamson and others at Wisdom 2.0, and explore the great challenge of our age: to not only live connected to one another through technology, but to do so in ways that are beneficial to our own well-being, effective in our work and useful to the world. This conference brings together people from the worlds of tech, business, spirituality, wellness and more. |  |
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| SearchFest | Feb. 22 | Portland, Ore. |
| SearchFest presents multiple informative learning tracks, workshops and panel sessions designed to provide direct insight into the most up-to-date strategies and technological advancements in online search marketing and social marketing. Industry experts and thought leaders from around the country deliver in-depth presentations ranging from basic SEM and social media fundamentals to specific advanced techniques. |  |
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| ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work | Feb. 23-27 | San Antonio, Texas |
| CSCW is the premier venue for presenting research in the design and use of technologies that affect groups, organizations, communities and networks. Bringing together top researchers and practitioners from academia and industry in the area of social computing, CSCW 2013 will build on this strong history with venues including papers, workshops, panels, a Doctoral Colloquium and more. |  |
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| Cloud Computing for DoD & Government | Feb. 25-27 | Washington, DC |
| This fourth year of IDGA’s Cloud Computing Summit brings together those who have an expertise on the topic of cloud computing with those who are seeking to implement it. This year’s summit will focus on improving the network speed of cloud and implementing the cloud into current government agency infrastructure and much more. |  |
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| Mobile World Congress | Feb. 25-28 | Barcelona, Spain |
| The mobile ecosystem is expanding at lightning speed, with endless innovation and new applications of mobile technology. From contactless payments and augmented reality to embedded devices and connected cities , mobile technology is changing the landscape. The impact mobile will have on the world is limitless. At Mobile World Congress you’ll explore the new mobile horizon. |  |
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| TED | Feb. 25-March 1 | Long Beach, Calif. |
| The best moments at TED have often come from unexpected places. But this year, the organizers are pushing that to a new level, staging a global talent search to bring together the most remarkable lineup in TED’s history. This year’s theme: The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered. |  |
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| TEDActive | Feb.25-March 1 | Palm Springs, Calif. |
| TEDActive is a curated community of 700 curious and energetic leaders who share an immersive week of TEDTalks (mainly through video links) and surprising experiences designed to inspire conversation, exchange and immediate action around ideas worth spreading. TEDActive provides a journey through critical conversation, joyful exchange and deep thought. |  |
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| Strata Conference | Feb 26-28 | Santa Clara, Calif. |
| O’Reilly’s Strata Conference brings together the leading minds in big data: the decision makers using the power of big data to drive business strategy as well as the practitioners who collect, analyze and manipulate the data. Strata delivers the nuts-and-bolts foundation for building a data-driven business — the latest on the skills, tools and technologies you need to make data work — alongside the forward-looking insights and ahead-of-the-curve thinking O’Reilly is known for. |  |
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| WebVisions | Feb. 27-March 1 | New York |
| WebVisions explores the future of design, content creation, user experience and business strategy in an event that inspires learning, collaboration and entrepreneurism. Since 2001, WebVisions has built a loyal audience of designers, developers and industry leaders. |  |
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| Chief Digital Officer Summit | Feb. 28 | New York |
| The Chief Digital Officer Summit gives you the opportunity to interact with – and learn from – some of our planet’s brightest digital leaders. |  |
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| Content Marketing Retreat | Feb. 28-March 1 | Langley, Wash. |
| In 2012, the Langley Center for New Media hosted the second annual Content Marketing Retreat focused on “How To” tools. The focus for this year is strategic video storytelling. |  |
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| WebVisions NYC | Feb. 28-March 1 | New York |
| WebVisions explores the future of design, content creation, user experience and business strategy in an event that inspires learning, collaboration and entrepreneurism. |  |
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| Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference | Feb. 28-March 3 | Louisville, Ky. |
| In this annual conference devoted to computer-assisted reporting, come and learn about tools you need to dig deeper into stories and give readers and viewers the information they want. The CAR conference offers something for everyone, from beginners to those on the cutting edge of digital reporting. Sessions include the basics on using spreadsheets, databases and online mapping as well as the latest technological advances. |  |
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