10 Creative Conferences You Should Attend
Step aside, music festivals: There’s a new festival of conferences in town. Inspiring and full of DIY activities, speakers and networking, creative conferences are popping up all over the country. These aren’t your typical stuffy and boring affairs — these events are guaranteed to get your creativity flowing and help you make a few new friends along the way. Whether you own your own business or are a newbie DIYer, there is a conference for you. Grab your best notebook and handy tech accessories and get ready to be inspired and entertained.
1. Re:Make: Brit + Co’s very own conference in San Fransisco brings together technology and lifestyle communities. The first day includes speakers and a discussion of technology and its impact on the way we make. Day two transforms into a fun marketplace of makers, DIY projects and classes. Last year’s Re:Make was a HUGE success, so be sure to mark September 11 and 12 in your calendar so you can attend this year!
2. The Yellow Conference: This conference is a two-day gathering in Los Angeles for creative women who aspire to be part of something bigger, connect with a like-minded tribe and use their gifts for good. It’s full of speakers, workshops and useful advice and tools for women to live a passionate life, each and every day.
3. Circles Conference: For two days in Grapevine, Texas, you can listen and mingle with some of the country’s most passionate thinkers and innovators. Complete with pre- and post-conference parties, you’re sure to find a circle of friends and new ideas swirling around in your head.
4. Create & Cultivate: This conference is a popular, one-day event held in a different city each year for lovers of fashion, design, beauty, DIYing and blogging. This year’s creative workshops, speaker panels, shopping and beauty stations will be held in Los Angeles, CA.
5. STORY Chicago: If you love storytelling, photography, filmmaking and other creative ways of conveying a story, then you’ll love this two-day conference. Be sure to pack your cowboy boots for this year’s conference — it’s in Nashville, TN.
6. Field Trip: More like a vacation than a formal, professional conference, this fun gathering brings together photographers who want hands-on training and new partnerships. The four-day conference is held in El Capitan Canyon in California.
7. Alt Summit: Hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah, this multi-day business conference for creatives takes place twice a year, in the summer and winter. Bloggers and independent business owners come together to network and learn. If you can’t make it this year, you can take part in their Alt Chats on Twitter every Wednesday.
8. 99U Conference: Named after Thomas Edison’s quote, “Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration,” you can learn how to put your ideas into action with two full days of innovative talks and master classes. 99U’s blog, books and podcasts keep the insight and education going all year long.
9. Creative South: With panels offering a chance to speak one-on-one with the speakers and “get your hands dirty” workshops focusing on branding and design in the digital era, this is a must-attend conference. Their website states in true southern form: “Come as friends, leave as family”.
10. HOW Design Live: Now in its 25th anniversary, HOW hosts a multi-day conference broken into smaller programs (dieline packaging, leadership, in-house management and creative business) to cater to your career and personal interests. Customize your experience and register for as many as five days of the conference.
Which conference do you want to go to this year? Will we see you at Re:Make? Let us know in the comments below!