The Ultimate Guide to Conferences for Creatives
UPDATE: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, I've put a pause on updating my creative conferences list for now, as my original intention was to focus on in-person conferences only, rather than virtual events. Now that things have changed for the foreseeable future, I'm trying to determine how and if to include online events. It was already quite time-consuming to keep this list up-to-date, and virtual events are much more numerous. In the mean time, I encourage you to check out the websites of the events listed below to see if they’ve announced virtual versions of their events. Stay tuned, and stay healthy!
Meeting other creatives face-to-face at conferences, workshops and events has been absolutely crucial for growing my business over the years. I remember going to one of my first creative conferences in 2007 in Pittsburgh. It was called Craft Congress, and it was a gathering of craft show organizers from across the country. I met people there that I still keep in touch with to this day. (The photo above of me in costume is from a Golden Girls themed party at Craftcation: Business & Makers Conference, one of my favorite conferences I've attended and spoken at!)
When I first started this directory of creative conferences back in 2016, I was looking for other conferences and events to check out and speak at.
I found plenty of roundups for business and marketing conferences, but I couldn’t find one that comprehensively listed the types of creative conferences that I was looking for at the time. So I decided to create one!
What I mean by “creative conference”
I’m taking a pretty broad approach to what it means to be a “creative conference,” which is why I’m including events like Dragoncon, which I attended for many years (I even spoke at their Electronic Frontiers Forums!) and which is full of INCREDIBLY creative people. While there are plenty of great online events, like virtual summits and online conferences, I’ve focused on live, in-person conferences & events for this directory.
I also steered clear of many traditional business and digital marketing industry events for this roundup, but I included a few bigger conferences that are known for incredible speakers and amazing content. (Here’s a great directory of business and marketing conferences if you’re interested. And if you’re into zines and small press publishing, check out this list of zine events.)
Most events listed here are geared towards individual creative entrepreneurs, artists, bloggers, designers, infopreneurs and crafters. I’ve included the primary target audience for each conference below.
The majority of these events are based in the United States, but if you live anywhere in the world and know of a creative entrepreneur conference that should be on this list, please contact me and let me know!
Creative Conferences 2020
February 2020
#BlogHer Health // February 1, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // bloggers & content creators
Southern Coterie Summit // February 5-7, 2020 // Sea Island, Georgia // creatives and entrepreneurs
Pubcon Austin 2020 // February 6, 2020 // Austin, Texas // digital marketers
Summit: Winter Jam // February 7-9, 2020 // Eden, Utah // creatives
FLOCK Presents: Lights, Cameras, and Microphones - Breaking Into Podcasts, Livestreams, and Video // February 8, 2020 // New Orleans, Louisiana // content creators, bloggers, and influencers
Podcast Movement Evolutions // February 12-15, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // podcasters
Knoble Yarn Fest // February 14-16, 2020 // Denver, Colorado // fiber artists
Art World Conference // February 15-16, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // artists and arts professionals
THE UPROCK POPUP // February 18-27, 2020 // Nashville, Tennessee // creatives
PubWest Conference // February 20–22, 2020 // Portland, Oregon // writers
WorkbenchCon // February 20-22, 2020 // Atlanta, Georgia // DIYers, makers, influencers and bloggers
VidCon London // February 20-23, 2020 // London, United Kingdom // online video creators
Create + Cultivate Conference // February 22, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // female creative entrepreneurs
Self-Employment in the Arts Conference // February 22-23, 2020 // Chicago, Illinois // artists
WPPI Conference // February 23-27, 2020 // Las Vegas, Nevada // wedding and portrait photographers and filmmakers
Playlist Live // February 28, 29 & March 1, 2020 // Orlando, Florida // YouTubers and online video creators
Midwest Craft Con // February 28 – March 1, 2020 // Columbus, Ohio // craft enthusiasts and creative entrepreneurs
March 2020
Uenoland // March 2020 // San Francisco, California // creatives
Design Influencers Conference // March 1-3, 2020 // San Francisco, California // interior design influencers and interior designers
Social Media Marketing World // March 1-3, 2020 // San Diego, California // social media marketers and creators
Altitude Summit // March 1-6, 2020 // Palm Springs, California // women influencers and entrepreneurs in creative fields
Leading Design Conference // March 4-6, 2020 // San Francisco, California // design team leaders
Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference // March 4-7, 2020 // San Antonio, Texas // writers
RISE Weekend // March 5-7, 2020 // Toronto, Canada // creative women
Florida Creativity Conference // March 6-8, 2020 // Sarasota, Florida // creatives
Podfest 2020 // March 6-8, 2020 // Orlando, Florida // podcasters
Bay to Ocean Writers Conference // March 7, 2020 // Wye Mills, Maryland // writers
Women’s Business Lakeside Conference // March 9-10, 2020 // Lake Geneva, Wisconsin // female entrepreneurs
The Family Narrative // March 9-12, 2020 // Atlanta, Georgia // family photographers
NO/BS Conference 2020 // March 11-12, 2020 // Melbourne, Australia // digital designers, developers, project managers, project owners, business owners & students
Pinners Conference & Expo // March 13-14, 2020 // Pomona, California // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
SXSW Conference // March 13-21, 2020 // Austin, Texas // music, film, digital creatives - I’m speaking!
FLOCK Presents: Reaching Higher Ranks - Using SEO, Analytics, and Pinterest to Your Advantage // March 14, 2020 // Phoenix, Arizona // content creators, bloggers, and influencers
The Signature C.E.O. Conference // March 16-18, 2020 // Lorton, Virginia // creative professionals
Design Thinking and Innovation Week // March 16-20, 2020 // London, United Kingdom // creative entrepreneurs, designers and business owners
Game Developers Conference // March 16-20, 2020 // San Francisco, California // interactive game creators
Art & Soul Retreat // March 17-24, 2020 // Portland, Oregon // mixed media artists
Awaken Conference // March 18-19, 2020 // Buffalo, New York // entrepreneurs
ad:tech New Delhi // March 19-20, 2020 // New Delhi, India // marketing & media professionals
Summit: Powder Days Weekend // March 20-22, 2020 // Eden, Utah // creatives
The Bright Side Conference // March 21-22, 2020 // Raleigh, North Carolina // creative women
New Orleans Entrepreneur Week // March 23-27, 2020 // New Orleans, Louisiana // entrepreneurs
Digital Summit Phoenix // March 24-25, 2020 // Phoenix, Arizona // digital marketers
Pubcon Florida 2020 // March 24-26, 2020 // Miami, Florida // digital marketers
Emergence Creative Festival // March 25-27, 2020 // Margaret River, Western Australia // creatives
Mindcamp Southwest // March 25-29, 2020 // Oracle, Arizona // creatives
Reset Conference // March 28-29, 2020 // Lexington, Kentucky // photographers
Surrey International Writers' Conference at Sea // March 29 - April 5, 2020 // Caribbean cruise, leaving from Galveston, Texas // writers
AIGA Design Conference // March 30 - April 1, 2020 // Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania // designers
April 2020
Digital Summit Los Angeles // April 1-2, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // digital marketers
Creative South // April 2-4, 2020 // Columbus, Georgia // designers
Field Trip // April 2-5, 2020 // Orcas Island, Washington // photographers and designers
OFFSET Festival // April 3-5, 2020 // Dublin, Ireland // creatives
Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference // April 4, 2020 // Clark, New Jersey // fiction writers
Southeastern Bath & Body Conference // April 4-5, 2020 // Alpharetta, Georgia // creative bath and body makers
Norwescon 43 // April 9-12, 2020 // Seattle, Washington // creative geeks
Design Thinking 2020 // April 14-17, 2020 // Austin, Texas // Design, CX, and UX professionals
Digital Summit Seattle // April 15-16, 2020 // Seattle, Washington // digital marketers
Tom Tom Summit & Festival // April 15-17, 2020 // Charlottesville, Virginia // innovators and changemakers
Craftcation Conference // April 15-19, 2020 // Ventura, California // crafters + creative entrepreneurs – I’m speaking!
Pinners Conference & Expo // April 17-18, 2020 // Atlanta, Georgia // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
Crop Cruise 2020 // April 18-22, 2020 // Orlando, Florida & Bahamas // graphic designers
Design Week Portland // April 18-24, 2020 // Portland, Oregon // designers
Creative Ecosystems Conference // April 19, 2020 // Charlottesville, Virginia // creative innovators and community organizers
Outdoor Media Summit // April 21-23, 2020 // Estes Park, Colorado // outdoor vloggers, podcasters, content creators & marketers
Digital Summit New York City // April 22-23, 2020 // New York City, New York // digital marketers
Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild Conference // April 22-25, 2020 // Hartford, Connecticut // handmade soap and cosmetics makers
Self-Publishing Conference // April 25, 2020 // Leicester, United Kingdom // writers
Interweave Yarn Fest // April 29-May 2, 2020 // Loveland, Colorado // fiber artists
Everything Food Conference // April 30 - May 2, 2020 // Layton, Utah // food bloggers
VidCon Mexico // April 30 - May 3, 2020 // Mexico City, Mexico // online video creators
May 2020
Art World Conference // May 1-3, 2020 // New York, New York // artists and arts professionals
RuPaul’s DragCon LA // May 1-3, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // drag enthusiasts
Silhouette Curio Retreat // May 1-3, 2020 // Woodbridge, Virginia // users of Silhouette craft cutting machines
Plein Air Convention & Expo // May 2-6, 2020 // Denver, Colorado // artists who paint outdoors
HOW Design Live // May 4-7, 2020 // Boston, Massachusetts // creative and design professionals
Digital Summit Tampa // May 6-7, 2020 // Tampa, Florida // digital marketers
Mom 2.0 Summit // May 6-8, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // mom bloggers and influencers
CREA Conference // May 6-10, 2020 // Tuscany, Italy // creatives
BRAVA THRIVE Conference // May 8, 2020 // Madison, Wisconsin // female entrepreneurs
Pinners Conference & Expo // May 8-9, 2020 // Minneapolis, Minnesota // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
Digital Summit Kansas City // May 13-14, 2020 // Kansas City, Missouri // digital marketers
Digital Summit Atlanta // May 19-20, 2020 // Atlanta, Georgia // digital marketers
SNAG Conference // May 20-23, 2020 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania // metalsmith artists
The Design Conference // May 20-23, 2020 // Brisbane, Australia // designers, marketers & entrepreneurs
Artful Business Retreat // May 22-25, 2020 // Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia // creative entrepreneurs
Art & Soul Retreat // May 26 - June 1, 2020 // Colorado Springs, Colorado // mixed media artists
C2 Montréal // May 27-29, 2020 // Montréal, Canada // creatives
SFWA Nebula Conference // May 28-31, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // science fiction & fantasy writers
Summit at Sea // May 28-31, 2020 // sails from Port Everglades, Florida // creatives
June 2020
CreativePro Week // June 1-5, 2020 // Austin, Texas // graphic designers and Adobe Creative Cloud users
Future of Storytelling Summit // June 3-4, 2020 // New York City, New York // people exploring how stories are evolving in the digital age
99U Conference // June 3-5, 2020 // New York, New York // creatives
Silhouette Instructor Licensing // June 5-7, 2020 // Woodbridge, Virginia // users of Silhouette craft cutting machines
Eyeo Festival // June 8-11, 2020 // Minneapolis, Minnesota // the creative technology community
Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition // June 9-11, 2020 // Chicago, Illinois // e-commerce entrepreneurs
Digital Summit Portland // June 11-12, 2020 // Portland, Oregon // digital marketers
RISE Weekend // June 11-13, 2020 // San Diego, California // creative women
Spark Women's Retreat International // June 11-19, 2020 // Mfuwe, Zambia // creative women
DFWCon: The Dallas-Fort Worth Writers Conference // June 13-14, 2020 // Dallas, Texas // writers
Camp Indie // June 12-14, 2020 // Kent, Connecticut // travel lovers, digital nomads, lifestyle entrepreneurs, unconventional thinkers, and freedom seekers
Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) // June 16-20, 2020 // Buffalo, New York // creative adults and children
Creative at Heart Conference // June 22-25, 2020 // Bermuda Run, North Carolina // women entrepreneurs
Future of Branding Week // June 22-26, 2020 // London, United Kingdom // creatives, strategists, anyone passionate about branding
World Domination Summit // June 23-29, 2020 // Portland, Oregon // creative entrepreneurs
International Conference on the Arts in Society // June 24-26, 2020 // Galway, Ireland // artists and arts scholars
ICON11: The Illustration Conference // June 28-July 1, 2020 // Kansas City, Missouri // illustrators and designers
July 2020
Southern Oregon University Creativity Conference // July 8-12, 2020 // Ashland, Oregon // creatives
Shine // July 9-12, 2020 // Anaheim, California // fitness, wellness and nutrition bloggers
Digital Summit Austin // July 16-17, 2020 // Austin, Texas // digital marketers
Haven Conference // July 16-18, 2020 // Atlanta, Georgia // design and DIY bloggers
SIGGRAPH // July 19-23, 2020 // Washington, D.C. // interactive designers and game developers
Crochet Guild of America Chain Link Conference // July 22-25, 2020 // New Orleans, Louisiana // crochet artists & enthusiasts
Art Makers Denver // July 24-26, 2020 // Denver, Colorado // artists
Romance Writers of America Conference // July 29 - August 1, 2020 // San Francisco, California // romance writers
Applied Improvisation Network World Conference // July 30 - August 2, 2020 // Avila, Spain // improvisers
Mystery Writers Conference // July 30 - August 2, 2020 // Corte Madera, California // mystery or suspense writers
Summit: Summer Jam 1 // July 31 - August 2, 2020 // Eden, Utah // creatives
August 2020
Digital Summit Boston // August 3-4, 2020 // Boston, Massachusetts // digital marketers
Podcast Movement // August 5-8, 2020 // Dallas, Texas // podcasters
RISE Weekend // August 6-8, 2020 // London, United Kingdom // creative women
Summit: Summer Jam 2 // August 7-9, 2020 // Eden, Utah // creatives
UX & Digital Design Week // August 10-14, 2020 // London, United Kingdom // creatives, UX designers and product managers
NIADA 2020 Dollmaking School & Conference // August 10-16, 2020 // Gatlinburg, Tennessee // doll artists
Digital Summit Denver // August 11-12, 2020 // Denver, Colorado // digital marketers
RAD Summit // August 13-16, 2020 // Camp Shady Brook, Colorado // creative professionals
When Words Collide // August 14-16, 2020 // Calgary, Alberta, Canada // writers
Inbound // August 18-21, 2020 // Boston, Massachusetts // digital marketers
Digital Summit Minneapolis // August 19-20, 2020 // Minneapolis, Minnesota // digital marketers
Loupe 2020 // August 19-21, 2020 // Amsterdam, Netherlands // product and app designers
Mindcamp // August 19-23, 2020 // Orillia, Ontario, Canada // creatives
Camp Climb // August 21-23, 2020 // New Liberty, Iowa // women creative entrepreneurs
Digital Summit Philadelphia // August 26-27, 2020 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania // digital marketers
DIY Musician Conference // August 28-30, 2020 // Austin, Texas // musicians
September 2020
The Gathering of the Creatives // September 2020 // Santa Fe, New Mexico // artists and creatives
Digital Summit Washington D.C. // September 1-2, 2020 // Washington D.C. // digital marketers
Dragoncon // September 3-7, 2020 // Atlanta, Georgia // creative geeks
Circles Conference // September 10-11, 2020 // Richardson, Texas // graphic & UX designers, illustrators, and makers
Adobe Video World // September 12-17, 2020 // virtual conference // Adobe Premiere Pro & After Effects users
The Freelance Conference // September 13-15, 2020 // Denver, Colorado // freelancers and solopreneurs
Digital Book World // September 14-17, 2020 // Nashville, Tennessee // indie authors & writers
Alliance of Artists Communities Conference // September 15-17, 2020 // Miami, Florida // artists
Digital Summit Detroit // September 16-17, 2020 // Detroit, Michigan // digital marketers
Bloggy Conference 2020 // September 18-20, 2020 // Cedar Point, Ohio // bloggers
Archangel Summit // September 19, 2020 // Toronto, Ontario, Canada // mission-driven entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals
STORY 2020 // September 24-25, 2020 // Nashville, Tennessee // artists, creators and storytellers
Spark Women’s Retreat // September 24-27, 2020 // Zion National Park, Utah // creative women
Cre8con (aka Portland Creative Conference) // September 25, 2020 // Portland, Oregon // creative industries professionals
Pinners Conference & Expo // September 25-26, 2020 // Fort Worth, Texas // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
Art World Conference // September 25-27, 2020 // Chicago, Illinois // artists and arts professionals
Atlanta Black Theatre Festival // September 30-October 3, 2020 // Atlanta, Georgia // theatre professionals
Digital Summit Chicago // September 30 - October 1, 2020 // Chicago, Illinois // digital marketers
FinCon 2020 // September 30-October 3, 2020 // Long Beach, California // financial bloggers and podcasters
October 2020
The Texas Conference for Women // October 1, 2020 // Austin, Texas // women
Snap Conference // October 5-7, 2020 // Layton, Utah // creative entrepreneurs and lifestyle influencers
ShiftCon // October 8-10, 2020 // Irvine, California // health & wellness influencers
Digital Summit Charlotte // October 15-16, 2020 // Charlotte, North Carolina // digital marketers
Emerald City Writers’ Conference // October 16-18, 2020 // Seattle, Washington // romance writers
Adobe MAX // October 19-21, 2020 // Los Angeles, California // creatives
Brand New Conference // October 22-23, 2020 // Austin, Texas // marketers & designers
2020 Business Boutique Conference // October 22-24, 2020 // Nashville, Tennessee // women entrepreneurs
Creative Founders Conference // October 22-25, 2020 // Pensacola Beach, Florida // makers, artists, and designers
Surrey International Writers’ Conference // October 23-25, 2020 // Surrey, British Columbia, Canada // writers
Art & Soul Retreat // October 26-29, 2020 // Ocean City, Maryland // mixed media artists
Digital Summit Salt Lake City // October 28-29, 2020 // Salt Lake City, Utah // digital marketers
Figurative Art Convention & Expo // October 29 - November 1, 2020 // Baltimore, Maryland // figurative and portrait artists
November 2020
RISE Business Conference // November 5-7, 2020 // Austin, Texas // creative women
Made in the Middle Creative Conference // November 6-7, 2020 // Kansas City, Missouri // graphic designers, illustrators & makers
Pinners Conference & Expo // November 6-7, 2020 // Sandy, Utah // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
Showit United // November 8-11, 2020 // Tempe, Arizona // photographers
International Food Blogger Conference // November 12-15, 2020 // El Paso, Texas // food bloggers
Pinners Conference & Expo // November 13-14, 2020 // Scottsdale, Arizona // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
Kauai Writers Conference // November 13-15, 2020 // Lihue, Hawaii // writers
Internet Summit // November 17-19, 2020 // Raleigh, North Carolina // digital marketers
December 2020
Digital Summit Dallas // December 7-9, 2020 // Dallas, Texas // digital marketers
Creative Conferences 2021
January 2021
Creativation // January 14-18, 2021 // Phoenix, Arizona // creative industry professionals
Looking for a speaker or emcee for your event?
I have decades of experience performing on stages of all shapes and sizes, across the United States. I specialize in bringing plenty of energy, fun, and entertainment to my role as a conference keynote speaker.
I can also serve as a conference emcee, dance party hype girl, karaoke host, panel moderator, or drag performer. (Costumes optional.) Learn more here.
Best creative conferences?
Want to know more about my favorite creative conferences, including the ones I’ve attended and/or spoken at? Listen to Episode 013 of my podcast, Badass Creatives:
Drop me a note and let me know which conferences for creatives you’ve personally attended or hope to attend. In your opinion, which creative conferences are the best?
I’ll continue to update this list as more creativity conferences are announced, so please contact me if you know of a conference that should be here!