The Top 10 Events for Entrepreneurs as Tested by Real Entrepreneurs

A good conference shares business and industry insights. The best events, however, build long-lasting relationships and inspire creativity and innovation. After all, nothing fuels innovation more than a conference that gathers like-minded people. Learn and share ideas first, and the valuable business connections will follow.

We asked 10 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), who have attended conferences across the nation and globe, for their pick of must-attend events.

ENGAGE

This Boston-based event—held at Fenway Park by mobile analytics company Localytics—focuses on bringing together a tighter group of practitioners and actual industry heavy hitters, rather than focusing on making money by inviting the entire business world. The attendees plan the next big things in marketing and mobile while sitting above home plate at one of the world’s most beautiful stadiums. – Brennan White, Cortex

Collision


Each year, 10,000 technology entrepreneurs and investors meet at the Collision Conference in New Orleans. The event this year will be held from May 2nd till the 4th at the New Orleans Conference Center. The conference runs during the incredible Jazz Fest and features top entrepreneurs, investors and celebrities. One of the reasons Collision is a must-attend is that it was built to create networking opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. – Kristopher Jones, LSEO.com

CEO Space

You should definitely attend CEO Space this year. Billed as a business growth accelerator conference, it has hard-hitting sessions that will help you take your business to the next level. From leadership to contract law and business planning, you’ll get the information you need. You’ll also have access to traditional funding avenues, with several billion dollars of funding occurring over the past few years. – Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now

PubCon


PubCon is in Las Vegas from November 6th through the 9th. It’s an important content marketing summit that brings together businesses and entrepreneurs from all over the world. – Drew Hendricks, Buttercup

CES


Though it has already passed in 2017, the CES show is a worthwhile event if you are in the technology industry. Not only do you get to see some of the newest devices, you also get to meet people who are involved in making them possible, including like-minded individuals who may become valuable business connections in the future. – Jayna Cooke, EVENTup

INBOUND


HubSpot’s annual INBOUND conference is one of the best networking experiences I’ve had year after year. It has great keynotes that attract a solid group. Truthfully, I attend solely for the networking events because they provide that much value. I have made connections there, both personally and professionally, that will last throughout my career. I highly recommend attending. – Jonathan Long, Sexy Smile Kit

World Economic Forum


The World Economic Forum, held every year in Davos, Switzerland, is hands down the best and most efficient networking on Earth. Imagine thousands of global CEOs all hunkered down in the Swiss Alps away from the daily grind, looking for the next big idea. – Joe Landon, Space Angels Network

SXSW


SXSW attracts a wide array of representatives from tech, music, entertainment, agencies, brands and more to one place. It’s an extremely social environment and lends itself to great networking opportunities. The casual, fun nature of the festival makes for a pressure-free social networking experience. – Justin Lefkovitch, Mirrored Media

Web Summit


Web Summit in Lisbon is one of the largest international conferences focused on business, tech and innovation. As it is a huge conference (60,000+ people), people are less likely to organically run into each other. Therefore, to make the most of it, you should go with a plan and begin setting meetings well in advance. – Adelyn Zhou, TOPBOTS

Mastermind Talks


Rather than focusing on content, Mastermind Talks puts an emphasis on relationships. The attendees are highly curated and the event is built around opportunities to create deep connections with others in the community. – Zach Obront, Book in a Box

The answers above are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

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