Events You Can’t Miss in 2022 [Graphic Design, Software Development, and Marketing]

When: April-May
Where: Various locations in Australia and Online
Price: $199-$999 (AUD), Online materials are free
Description: Semi Permanent is one of the biggest design festivals in Australia. The huge lineup of groundbreaking designers will blow your mind, leading you to explore new paths that you have never imagined before.

When: April 7–9
Where: Columbus, Georgia, USA
Price: $247-$447 (USD)
Description: Creative South has been running for 10 years. It’s three days packed with talks, workshops, and events. Some of the most prominent designers and illustrators will shed some light on how they manage to do the awesome work they do. This year, the Family Reunion will be home to the likes of Chris Do, Aaron Draplin, and Jessica Bellamy.

When: April 29–30
Where: Austin, Texas, USA
Price: $275 (USD)
Description: Everything is bigger in Texas, baby! Crop is back, with incredible speakers and awesome workshops that cover everything from iPad Pro Lettering to Portfolio Strategy. It’s also a great graphic design networking event, with lots of friendly people.

When: April 6–8
Where: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Price: $450-$700 (USD)
Description: With speakers from companies such as Vendr, this is one UX design conference you don’t want to miss.

When: 5-6 May
Where: Barcelona, Spain and Online
Price: €247 in person, €99.43 streaming
Description: Hosted by the Barcelona Digital Museum, you have the chance to attend incredible lectures and network with some of the most prominent artists in Europe. Also available in streaming format for a reasonable price, which is pretty cool.

When: 7-9 May
Where: Manchester, UK
Price: £9.21-£27.54
Description: Photography event aimed at both professionals and enthusiasts. Check out some cool exhibitions and meet and greets with well-known photographers. For less than 30 quid, you can’t go wrong!

When: May 10–11
Where: Online
Price: $249
Description: A very good balance between a conference and a networking event, this convention was created by successful women working in product design for women that want to grow in that role.

When: 9-11 June
Where: Birmingham, UK
Price: Tickets go on sale next May
Description: Birmingham will be bubbling with events all over town, including speeches and workshops. Unmissable for any designer in the UK. If you already create designs and look for the place to sell them, don’t hesitate and upload them to MasterBundles! Convenient Sell Your Deal form, profitable terms, high comission, and much love from us are waiting for you 🙂

When: 10 June
Where: Bristol, UK
Price: £65,50-£125
Description: Among graphic design events for UX/UI, this is the best one if you are on a budget! Pixel Pioneers will make available the advice of some of the best in the industry at a friendly price.

When: 28-30 June
Where: London, UK
Price: £595-£1850
Description: One of the biggest digital graphic design conferences in the UK focused on UX. Industry-leading speakers and workshops will unveil the secrets of a great user experience.

When: 14-16 June
Where: Online
Price: £530-£1200
Description: A one-of-a-kind design conference; this year DesignOps will focus on sustainability. We think it’s a great place to open your mind to new ideas and take your creativity in new, unexplored directions.

When: 4-6 July
Where: Osea Island, Essex, UK
Price: £1450-£1750
Description: Media, tech, and design are taken off the grid to let ideas flow freely and open new horizons. And you can swim in the sea (although it’s cold in Essex, so that’s up to you). A different take on your standard design festival.

When: July 19–22
Where: Virtual
Price: $39-$69
Description: If you are a student, or you are just starting out, the AIGA Portfolio Festival is a great way to instantly learn how to improve your portfolio. The conference also comes at a fairly affordable price.

When: 16-18 September
Where: Berlin, Germany
Price: Registrations start 1st April
Description: Contemporary art and design in the heart of Germany. Berlin has always been avant-garde and this convention ticks all the boxes.

When: 17-25 September
Where: London, UK
Price: Not announced yet
Description: This year marks the 20th anniversary of this popular festival. This event helped shape London into the world’s design capital. This post-pandemic anniversary will deliver fireworks—we can already feel it.

When: October 3–4
Where: Austin, Texas, USA and Online
Price: $100-$500
Description: This conference is focused on brand design and brand identity. Mindful to designers on a budget, you do not want to miss this one if you happen to be in eclectic Austin that week.

When: TBA
Where: Online
Price: Free
Description: Free, hosted by Adobe, and open to all. Say no more, we are going to be there! Adobe will offer over 400 free events to dive deep into all aspects of its many products. Just pick and choose your favorites and sign up! Online learning conferences hardly get any better.

When: 15-19 November
Where: Manchester, UK and Online
Price: TBA
Description: If you are into animation, this is one you can’t miss. It’s also virtual, so it doesn’t really matter if you are in Manchester. Lots of short films will be shown, plus masterclasses, workshops, and talks.

When: 7-13 November Festival, 12-13 November Comic Convention
Where: Yorkshire, UK
Price: TBA (Festival), £18-£220 (Comic Convention)
Description: If you are into comics and illustration, you might want to pay a visit to friendly Yorkshire. This convention has been running for 15 years and it just keeps getting better.

When: December 12–14
Where: San Francisco, California, USA
Price: $600-$1,500 (USD)
Description: Three days of design, code, and content for UX and Back-End. There will be speakers from the likes of Adobe and Seer Interactive. What more do you need?

Price: Free
Description: Say you are just starting out, or you have your own business and want to design a few of your assets. The University of Boulder Colorado has your back. This is a superuser-friendly course that covers all the basics and will leave you with a lot of useful knowledge to start playing around with graphic design!

Price: Your LinkedIn subscription
Description: LinkedIn has a lot of great courses, and this one beats many of them. Even if you have some experience in the industry, you might not want to sit this one out. Also, LinkedIn gives you plenty of opportunities to get in deeper and deeper thanks to its advanced courses.

When: April 5–7
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Price: $599-$3046 (USD)
Description: A software development conference held by Microsoft’s top people? Gimme, please! This three-day event will cover everything from Azure, to Big Data, to Machine Learning—all hosted by the top experts in the field.

When: 6-9 April
Where: Bristol, UK and Online
Price: £175-£775
Description: This C++ centered conference has lately expanded to other programming languages as well and allows anyone who is not an ACCU member to benefit from the insight from one of the best programming organizations out there.

When: April 25–28
Where: Portland, Oregon, USA
Price: $895-$1095 (USD)
Description: Drupal is one of the best and most used CMSes in the world. If you are serious about development and you like the little blue droplet logo (cute little alien?), try not to miss this one. There will be both classes and speeches that will unveil all the latest functionality.

When: May 10
Where: Online
Price: Free
Description: A free convention, accessible worldwide, led by the world’s biggest Docker experts. Plenty of demos and technical sessions that will leave the Docker community very, very satisfied.

When: May 17–19
Where: Portland, Oregon, USA
Price: TBA
Description: This conference is all about Ruby on Rails. Whether you are a seasoned pro or just an enthusiast, we suggest you attend the longest-running convention on the subject.

When: TBA (2021 – May)
Where: Online
Price: Free
Description: Another freebie with a massive impact on the dev community. Even better, Build is not Windows-only anymore, so even if you are an iOS or Android developer, it’s worth attending. Software development conferences don’t get much better than this, especially for the money.

When: June 21–24
Where: Austin, Texas, USA and Online
Price: TBA (March)
Description: This is the summit to attend if you want to learn about the latest open-source technologies. Over 2000 developers will showcase the latest and greatest of open-to-all software.

When: August 8–9
Where: New York, USA
Price: $100-$500
Description: This is a very academically-focused conference that brings together some of the best people in the software development world to discuss academic papers on anything that’s software development. It’s a must-attend for students, academics, and researchers.

When: September 27–30
Where: New York City, USA and Online
Price: $512-$1412 (On location), $467-$926 (Online)
Description: Are microservices, continuous delivery, Docker, and the Cloud your bread and butter? Then DevOps Con is the only place you are allowed to be during the last week of September. You can attend in NY or online and take part in workshops, masterclasses, and keynotes about DevOps led by the best in the industry.

When: October 24–26
Where: San Francisco, California, USA
Price: $2170-$2590
Description: San Francisco has always been a modern city. This is probably why it hosts QCon, best known to help software developers to adopt the latest technologies and trends. If you want more action and fewer sales pitches, this is one for you.

When: October 4–6
Where: Online
Price: Free
Description: Who said free conferences are a scam? All those who fiddle with .NET should attend this conference, led by companies such as Microsoft and JetBrains.

When: October 22–23
Where: Online
Price: Free
Description: And another free one! Django is one of the leading web frameworks out there, and this free conference has events that cover everything about it. Go sign up today!

When: TBA (2021 – November)
Where: Online
Price: Free
Description: We know Microsoft is on fire with conventions. Ignite (there is a pun here, we know…) is another one that’s free and worth attending. It covers everything about software development, and you’ll have the chance to learn from the cream of the crop of Microsoft experts.

When: 10-11 December
Where: Online
Price: €399-€798
Description: A programming language and product-agnostic conference, DevTernity aims at spreading best practices about development. Attend this one if you want to build better, safer software.

When: April 23
Where: Chicago, Illinois, USA and Online
Price: Free-$125
Description: Aimed at writers (particularly screen-writers), Cre8tive is a mostly-free conference that wants to connect creators with publishers and film producers. If you are a couch potato (or just can’t get to Chicago) this is a very interesting one among the many Zoom online conferences available this year.

When: May 9–13
Where: Washington, DC, USA and Online
Price: $745-$2495
Description: One of the best conferences where you actually learn how to do stuff has gone virtual! Creative Pro Week is great whether you are a beginner or a seasoned design professional. We are confident you will find at least a handful of workshops that will take your craft to the next level.

When: June 21–26
Where: Portland, Oregon, USA
Price: $997
Description: Learn from the best in the design industry, establish relationships, and grow as an entrepreneur. These are the key points from the World Domination Summit. If you are all about staying on top of the newest trends and learning new skills, this is the convention for you.

When: 28 June–1 July
Where: London, UK
Price: £2200
Description: If your focus is branding and you are in the UK, you can’t miss Future of Branding. The companies that are shaping the most advanced branding strategies will be there, and so should you.

When: August 22–25
Where: Toronto, Canada
Price: $300-$897 (CAD)
Description: Mindcamp is all about learning. Set in the beautiful outskirts of Toronto, it’s 5 days packed full of courses and workshops focused on creativity.

When: September 12–14
Where: Seattle, Washington, USA
Price: TBA
Description: This year the focus will be the impact of design collaboration. IDC promotes dialogue between speakers and attendees, especially in the spirit of this year’s theme. So, if you want to network with some of the best designers out there, pay a visit to Seattle this fall.

When: October 2022
Where: Seattle, Washington, USA
Price: $99-$499
Description: Creative conferences in 2022? Seattle has another one in October! With over 30 keynote speakers, this is an excellent opportunity to explore the link between software development, design, and creativity.

When: November 11–14
Where: La Quinta, California, USA
Price: Invitation only
Description: This is a fancy one. Summit Palm Desert is an invitation-only event, although you can submit an application. If you can get your foot in the door, this conference is designed to inspire new ways to look at things and help you develop new perspectives.

You’ve already been doing a lot this year… take a break from creative conferences and think about your winter holiday email!

When: April 6–7 (conference), April 19–21 (workshops)
Where: Online
Price: $595-$1190
Description: If you are in B2B, this one’s for you. Actual marketers who have achieved great results hold keynotes and workshops to share their knowledge and techniques. It’s an excellent opportunity to network with some big names.

When: May 2–3
Where: Online
Price: $174-$324
Description: Ad World is the event you must attend if you have anything to do with advertising. People from HubSpot, Squarespace, and Disney will be there to teach you how to run successful campaigns. One of the best digital marketing events of the year, hands down.

When: May 10–12
Where: Online
Price: Free
Description: Adobe knocked it out of the ballpark with DITAWORLD. Sign up for free and attend sessions that go anywhere from high-level strategy to very practical sessions. It’s Adobe-focused, of course, but you’ll gain great knowledge whether you use their products or not.

When: 2-3 June
Where: Gdynia, Poland
Price: TBA (March)
Description: ProductCamp is all about, you guessed it, product. Growth hackers and designers will lead peer-to-peer learning sessions that will allow you to take your product management and marketing to the next level.

When: June 7–10
Where: Online
Price: $549-$849
Description: Rumor has it that this is the number one conference that big-time Marketing Managers choose to attend. True or not, this summit covers every critical aspect of social media marketing, and it should not be missed.

When: July 11–13
Where: Seattle, Washington, USA
Price: $1049-$1449
Description: MozCon is hyper-focused on SEO and search results to drive your marketing strategy. It’s a different take on your classic marketing event, led by people that have been down this road and had success at it. Definitely worth a space in your calendar.

When: September 27–28
Where: St. Louis, Missouri, USA or Online
Price: TBA
Description: Best digital marketing conferences in 2022? This is the one to beat. Forbes rated MDMC the best marketing conference back in 2019. Enough said. Industry experts will lead hyper-focused marketing workshops for the benefit of all who wish to attend, in person or online.

When: September 13–16
Where: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Price: $599-$2599
Description: CMW focuses on brand marketing and brings 200+ industry-leading speakers that will cover every aspect of it. Content marketing is key in any brand strategy, and this is the convention that will help you take it one step further.

When: October 23–26
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Price: $1850-$2450
Description: LavaCon is aimed at managers or senior content personnel, who have great experience in their sector and wish to sharpen their tools even further. If you work for a big enterprise, you don’t want to let LavaCon pass you by.

When: November 16
Where: Chicago, Illinois, USA (other dates and locations available)
Price: $595-$995
Description: Just a few numbers. 7000 attendees, 500+ speakers, 10+ cities all over the world. All the Product and Marketing Managers in the world should attend this summit. The motto of the convention is “learn, discover, interact,” which essentially means: awesome lectures, one of the best digital marketing networking events around, and the chance to take your skills to a whole other level.

This year you’ve done all you could to improve your marketing, so post that holiday copy you have in the drawer, and call it a year!

Aaron James Draplin: Things That Don’t Have a Thing to Do with Graphic Design| Awwwards SF