Earlier this year, we shared the 7 business leadership conferences to explore in 2021. If you’re looking to work in a few learning opportunities before the year ends, we’ve rounded up some fall conferences worth exploring.
Conference organizers are hoping to attract CIOs and IT leaders by putting together a mix of in-person events, virtual sessions, and hybrid-models in an effort to consider the comfort level of all possible attendees. There’s a wealth of knowledge to be gained, not to mention the potential networking opportunities.
Some of the conferences we’ve highlighted offer an in-person option for attendees who are ready to get back to (masked) face-to-face connection. Other events will take a hybrid-approach with a certain number of participants joining in person and the rest engaging digitally. Virtual events have presented a more affordable option for attendees who may not have been able to engage otherwise. Additionally, when you consider the year-plus of experience organizers have had hosting virtual conferences, digital events will offer plenty of perspectives, thoughtful sessions, and inspiration that CIOs can take home and implement into their own organizations.
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Here are seven tech- and leadership-focused conferences for CIO/IT leaders to consider through the end of 2021, travel optional.
1. Recode Code Conference 2021
September 27-29, Beverly Hills, California
Code is well-known for holding tech players accountable with their signature Red Chair interviews, guided by Kara Swisher. The annual invitation-only conference brings in executive leaders and promising entrepreneurs for networking and in-depth conversations. This year’s event (being held in person) will address the role of tech in our new reality: the hottest IPO market since 1999, the development of a vaccine in record time, climate change tech, and much more.
2. AnsibleFest
September 29-30, virtual event
At AnsibleFest, you’ll find developers, administrators, and IT leaders sharing insights on open source technologies related to automation. If your team is looking for new ways to scale automation, you’ll find advice on use cases, the human factor, and more. Keynotes and breakout sessions will allow attendees to explore ways to automate, innovate, and accelerate. Additionally, demos are designed to help you move forward faster with automation. You can register here.
3. IDC CIO Summit
October 5, virtual event
IDC’s annual European summit will explore the different behaviors of the companies thriving in this new normal (versus those merely hoping to survive). Sessions will take attendees through a series of presentations, panel discussions, use cases, and dedicated industry tracks with the goal of giving a bird’s eye view of the current market situation, technological innovations, and related strategies. A special offering at this event is CIO ThinkTanks, a series of small-scale events designed to be personal and interactive, allowing CIOs to connect with their peers and learn about topics of special interest to the CIO community.
4. DevOps Enterprise Summit
October 5-7, virtual event
How can you lead your team to adopt DevOps principles that succeed? DevOps Enterprise Summit, featuring DevOps author and consultant Gene Kim, amplifies the best practices of high-performing IT organizations. With a virtual event in Las Vegas (a previous in-person conference was held in London), presenters will share advice on globally trending topics from the world of DevOps.
5. All Things Open
October 17-19, Raleigh, NC, and virtual event
This conference focuses on the tools, processes, and people making open source innovation possible. This year’s event takes a hybrid approach, hosting some attendees onsite and the rest on a virtual platform. Takeaways will include world-class open-source educational content shared via presentations, meetups, and workshops, in a way that maximizes access for attendees. A special focus on providing networking and job opportunities to underrepresented groups working in technology makes this conference stand out.
6. Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo
October 18-21, virtual event
Gartner’s IT Symposium aims to guide CIOs and IT executives to accelerate digital business. Last year demanded rapid change and brought digital business innovation to the forefront of organizations, with CIOs and IT executives driving that innovation. Attend this event to learn how to build on your momentum to enhance customer engagement, generate new revenue, and serve customers. This event will be hosted in two key regions: APAC and the Americas. This conference hopes to inspire attendees to get to their digital transformation destinations faster.
7. CIO Executive Leadership Summit
Various locations and dates
HMG Strategy Executive Leadership Summits have a number of both in-person and digital events for CIOs coming this fall. The goal of these conferences is to deliver thought leadership where attendees receive insights on leadership, management, technology, and career development. Each summit is based on feedback from advisory board members on the trends that are shaping the agenda for technology executives.
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