It’s hard to believe, but it’s true! We’re approaching the end of the year, planners. That means it’s time to look ahead to the exciting opportunities that 2025 presents. One aspect of that is event planning conferences. In today’s landscape, these experiences are critical for veteran and incoming event planners looking to grow their business, stay on top of trends, learn new strategies, and expand their event network.
The benefits of conferences can’t be overstated. They provide an opportunity to gain insights from industry experts, which is critical in our fast-paced environment, where new technology is reshaping the landscape. You can attend workshops to hone your skills, earning certifications that draw future clients. Of course, networking is a massive component of event planning conferences. Meet with peers to discuss the industry’s challenges, learn tips, and make lasting memories with fellow planners!
There are a lot of event planning conferences out there, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the mountain of options available. Fortunately, we’ve done the work for you, researching the best conferences of 2025. Our list includes general event planning conferences and more targeted opportunities for specific roles or to help in a particular area of your business.
Get your calendars ready! It’s time to discuss the best event planning conferences for 2025!
IMEX America 2025
When: October 7–9, 2025
Where: Las Vegas, NV
Let’s start with the big one. IMEX America 2025 is one of the largest event planning conferences in the world. It brings planners, hotel groups, event tech providers, airlines, sponsors, and others from across the globe to a single space for three days of intense—and intentional—business development. You’ll experience more in three days at IMEX than you will at most other planning conferences in a week!
Here are some mind-boggling stats: in 2024, IMEX America saw over 5,000 buyers, held 85,000 meetings, and welcomed over 15,000 participants. Now, that’s what we call scale! Pulling inspiration from the largest events worldwide, IMEX brings the top speakers, the most relevant technology, and the latest trends to their event experience. Attending IMEX 2025 exposes you to the future of the event planning industry and the people who are taking it there.
IMEX promotes a healthy and empowered industry with wellness-focused activities and their annual IMEX 5k run. This activity is a staple of the IMEX experience, taking place as the morning sun cascades across the sparkling Las Vegas skyline! This accessible experience is available to everyone, whether you’re a marathon pro or simply want to walk.
Every event planner should have at least one IMEX experience, and return visits will keep you and your business on the cutting edge of the industry—to say nothing of the talented event planners, exhibitors, and sponsors you’ll meet.
DigiMarCon
Event marketing is critical to creating a compelling experience that extends beyond the showroom floor and creates a loyal community. If you need to supercharge your marketing efforts, then DigiMarCon is the place for you! This event experience addresses the digital marketing landscape with exceptional keynotes and cutting-edge resources that empower event planners and others to engage and build an audience.
It’s the largest digital marketing event series and features over 40 marketing conferences held across 18 countries. Wherever you are, there is bound to be a DigiMarCon near you! There, you’ll encounter audacious marketing strategies, emerging trends, innovative technology and gain insights from marketing experts. It’s also a great place to meet marketing partners, sponsors, and influencers who can take your exposure to the next level!
Educational topics at DigiMarCon include:
- Digital strategy
- Social media marketing
- Conversion rate optimization
- Geo-targeting
- Content marketing
- Growth hacking
- And much more!
The community-based setting creates a natural environment for conversations between peers, experts, and tech providers. DigiMarCon is the primary thought leader for digital marketing across industries, making it a must-attend event for planners looking to supercharge their event marketing. Attend any of their conferences in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Nashville, and other major cities around the world to grow your business.
ESPA Annual Conference
When: January 31–February 2, 2025
Where: Louisville, KY
The Event Service Professionals Association is a leader in empowering the service workers who make our events run! These include catering managers, housing managers, convention service coordinators, and other superstar partners who make the difference between a memorable event experience and a messy one. Event planners who want to expand their network of service professionals or learn how to better assist their team members should attend the ESPA Annual Conference in 2025!
ESPA provides roundtable discussions around relevant topics, leadership programs, networking sessions, and keynotes from industry experts. It emphasizes education to empower service professionals to better fulfill their roles in crafting a seamless, engaging event experience. Service professionals can learn more about event planners’ expectations, while planners can learn how to communicate more effectively with these team members.
This year’s speaker lineup includes Cleo Battle of Louisville Tourism, Susie Silver of the Diversity Movement, and James Brown on creating a customer-centric culture. These experts and others will provide insights into the customer experience and how service professionals and event planners can work together to create memorable experiences.
The Event Planner EXPO
When: October 14–16, 2025
Where: New York City
Every year, the Event Planner EXPO brings together the event industry for impactful conversations and thrilling networking sessions. Planners will find leading venues and services exhibiting at the expo, allowing them to expand their network with the partners they need to reach their event planning ambitions in 2025 and beyond! If anything represents the power of attending the Event Planner Expo, it’s the event destination—New York City. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere!
Over 150 exhibitors gather on the tradeshow floor, where you’ll find the latest event technology, venues, partners, services, etc. You’ll also experience an impactful speaker series that provides insights into our evolving industry and where we’re heading. Topics include general event planning strategies, marketing, and more! There will also be VIP networking events where attendees can meet the people who can help them craft unforgettable experiences!
Exhibitors at the expo include:
- 92NY
- Acadia
- Alexandra Dettori Catering
- Artechouse
- Athena Entertainment
- And more!
If you can’t attend in person, you can still join in the fun! On October 15th, there will be a virtual speaker series, during which attendees around the globe can gain critical insights for growing their event planning business. Learn about the latest trends, technology, planning strategies, and marketing techniques, all from the comfort of your home!
The Event Planner EXPO is an unmissable experience for any event planner or exhibitor looking to grow their business, meet impactful partners, or learn about the latest trends and technology. It also offers an opportunity to explore New York City, one of the world’s most culturally diverse and empowering cities.
Experiential Marketing Summit
When: April 14–16, 2025
Where: Las Vegas, NV
Experiential marketing is becoming the most impactful method for growing your business, engaging your audience, and leaving a lasting impression. This broad category of marketing is adaptable to shifting technologies; in fact, it opens up new opportunities for creative marketing ideas that will connect with your audience and drive registrations. One way to master this approach is to attend the Experiential Marketing Summit.
Step into a wondrous world of technology and creativity, where event and trade show marketers gather to discuss the industry’s future. You’ll learn about leading and emerging brands, the evolution of experiences, and how you can adapt for the future of event marketing. These educational sessions are elevated by fun and engaging demonstrations of technology like virtual reality and beyond.
This conference was designed with the help of an advisory board, which featured leading event marketers like Michael Barclay, Erin Moore, Alessandra Sapiz, and others. This diligence is what sets the Experiential Marketing Summit apart. Attendees can be confident they’re getting the latest information and training to set them up for success in the coming months. This event planner conference was designed for event marketers by event marketers!
You’ll engage in traditional keynotes and deep-dive workshops that supercharge your marketing skill set. Hear from senior-level marketers about the current landscape and how it’s set to evolve in 2025 and succeeding years. ESP gives you the tools and information necessary to succeed in the fast-paced, ever-changing world of event marketing.
