July
|
||
| Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising | July 20-22 | National Harbor, Md. |
| The Bridge conference brings together some of the biggest buyers, sellers and users of fundraising and direct marketing products and services. The three-day event features nationally and internationally renowned speakers and top cutting-edge educational programming. |  |
|
OSCON |
July 25-29 | Portland, Ore. |
| The OReilly Open Source Convention assembles the best, brightest and most interesting people to explore whats new and to champion open source adoption across the computing industry. Participants from the vast, diverse community will come together to learn, collaborate and inspire each other. |  |
|
Alliance for Community Media |
July 27-30 | Tucson, Ariz. |
| The Alliance for Community Media is where progressive media makers come together to learn and collaborate. | ||
| September | ||
Social Venture Institute |
Sept. 14-18 | Cortes Island, BC |
| Participants will present their business problems to a panel of experienced business leaders and fellow participants. In return, they receive advice, tools, and resources to strengthen and grow their enterprise in a socially conscious way. |  |
|
Web of Change |
Sept. 21-25 | Cortes Island, BC |
| Web of Change connects the foremost thinkers and do-ers in the growing community of social change and technology from across North America. |  |
|
IdeaFestival |
Sept. 21-24 | Louisville, Ky. |
| IdeaFestival is a world-class event that attracts leading global innovators and thinkers to discuss and celebrate imagination, new perspectives and transformational ideas. (Ive spoken here in the past and recommend it.) It provides a stage to explore the cross-cutting nature of innovation involving a range of diverse disciplines. |  |
|
October
|
||
| Blackbaud Conference for Nonprofits | Oct. 2-5 | Washington, DC |
| The gathering provides four days of educational content dedicated to your specific needs and unprecedented opportunities to network and interact with your peers and industry experts |  |
|
CSR Performance Summit |
TBA | TBA |
| Awaiting word on date and location of the 2011 CSR event. Many corporations have proved that corporate responsibility initiatives are essential to their bottom-line success. At CSR Performance Summit youll learn to align each initiative with strategy and to establish a foundation in meaningful metrics, research and industry best practices. | ||
Blogworld Expo |
October | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Blogworld Expo and New Media Expo now has a full-fledged nonprofit track. (I spoke here last year great event.) Dates coming soon. | ||
Social Venture Network |
Oct. 27-30 | Philadelphia |
| Social Venture Network connects, supports and inspires business leaders and social entrepreneurs in expanding practices that build a just and sustainable economy. |  |
|
Social Enterprise Summit |
Oct 31-Nov 2 | Chicago |
| This international forum advocates for increased social impact through social enterprise. Join over 700 social entrepreneurs to learn, grow, be inspired, make new connections from around the globe and become part of this expanding movement. |  |
|
Open Video Conference |
TBA | TBA |
| Awaiting word on whether there will be a third annual Open Video Conference in New York. The conference gathers top thinkers attempting to bring open source alternatives to the often proprietary world of online video. | ||
Bioneers |
TBA | TBA |
| Awaiting word on a date and place for the 2011 event. Bioneers is the premier environmental conference where social and scientific innovators focus on solutions inspired by nature and human ingenuity. |  |
|
Pop!Tech |
Oct. 19-22 | Camden, Maine |
| Pop!Tech will mark its 15th annual gathering with more than 600 remarkable thinkers, leaders and innovators showcasing powerful ideas and projects that are changing the world. I attended one year its a great gathering. |  |
|
November
|
||
| BSR | Nov. 1-4 | San Francisco |
| BSR works with its global network of more than 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. |  |
|
Women in Computing |
Nov. 8-12 | Portland, Ore. |
| The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. Presenters are leaders in their respective fields, representing industrial, academic and government communities. |  |
|
BigTent |
Nov. 3-5 | Omaha, Neb. |
| The BigTent Conference is a three-day day gathering of youth leaders, educators, advocates and young people who will share strategies, philosophies and tools to advance the health and wellbeing of families and children. The conference combines inspiring presentations, practical workshops and celebratory community building all aimed at equipping individuals, organizations and communities to do their part to ensure that young people are ready for college, work and life by age 21. |  |
|
NextGen Charity |
Nov. 17-18 | New York |
| NextGen Charity is the conference on new strategies in nonprofit and philanthropy work. | ||
ARNOVA |
Nov. 17-19 | Toronto |
| ARNOVA, now in its 40th annual year, is the largest and most significant research conference focusing on nonprofits, philanthropy, voluntary action and civil society to be held on an annual basis. More than 600 prominent scholars and teachers, as well as practice leaders for the nonprofit sector, from across the U.S. and around the world will participate. | ||
Nonprofit Software Development Summit |
Nov. TBD | TBD |
| Aspiration Techs mission is to connect nonprofit organizations with software solutions that help them better carry out their work and to find and use the best software available in order to maximize their impact and, in turn, change the world. |  |
|
December
|
||
| Green Awards | TBA | TBA |
| The Green Awards has become a fixture on the global eco calendar as the leading industry awards for sustainability in marketing and communications. The Green Awards recognizes excellence in 16 categories. |  |
|
Big Ideas Fest |
TBA | Half Moon Bay, Calif. |
| The annual event from the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, the Big Ideas Fest is the starting point for a movement that supports innovation in education at a time when the need to accelerate high-quality learning is more pressing than ever. |
I have done a post on what events I think are important the past 2 years and here is my 3rd installment of top green/health and wellness/social enterprise/sustainability/leadership conferences worth considering as you plan your conference schedule for the fall.
For those new to the conference scene, there are two seasons fall and spring. There are associations and organization that provide 1 or 2 events a year usually during those months. This is primarily because summer is a time when many set up personal vacation time and winter has more holiday time and weather issues.
Leadership
Women in Green – August 30-31st Santa Monica CA
Focuses on women in leadership positions that promote green business. Although all the speakers are women you dont need to be of the double X chromosome to attend. This is the second year of the event and according to people who attended last year it was about 200 people. This year there should be more.
Conscious Capitalism – OCT 12-14 Austin TX
You need an invite to attend this prestigious event that brings many CEOs together to discuss conscious leadership within organizations. It is a relatively small event with around 200 attending. John Mackey of Whole Foods co-founded this and has people ranging from the CEO of the Container Store to Jean Houston speaking on how business can drive conscious change.
Green
Green Initiatives Conference Sept 29-30th Ft Lauderdale FL
A new event on my radar that has some interesting presenters and sponsors. The event team that is putting this on look like they have a tech background and may be one of the main focuses of the event. There are larger corporations participating such as DOW, HP and Coca Cola. It looks like they will focus on sustainability within larger companies and case studies from experiences.
SXSW Eco Oct 4-6 Austin, TX
SXSW music festival looks to sing a new green tune this year with the addition of a green event. Former LOHAS speakers who will be presenting include Simran Sethi and Philippe Cousteau. This is thier first year and the B2B event looks interesting. A great idea tagging it onto SXSW.
Opportunity Green Nov 9-10 Los Angeles, CA
OG is in its 3rd year and brings together green business and sustainable design in LA. They have about 800 attendees from all walks of life corporate, entrepreneurs, media and of course Hollywood. They hold a great green design competition and it is a high energy event with interesting sessions and booths ranging from LED lighting for studios to BMW to water filters.
BSR – Nov 1-4 San Francisco, CA
The big one for the larger corporations that has been around a long time focusing on the corporate responsibility of multi-national corporations. Last year they had over 1000 in attendance. If you are looking to connect with the bigger companies on CSR initiatives this is the one to check out.
Funding and Finance
SOCAP Sept 7-9 Fort Mason, San Francisco CA
A vibrant event focusing on investing into social entrepreneurship. This event brings together large funds and banks with social entrepreneurs. Competitions on business plans are submitted ahead of time for a competition for funding and there is great education on raising capital for the startup and social enterprises.
SRI in the Rockies OCT 2-5 New Orleans, LA
A flagship event for social responsible investing(SRI) that brings SRI funds together with financial advisors. They also bring in a mix of speakers who focus on humanitarian, social and environmental impacts such as Jane Goodall, David Bornstein, Hunter Lovins and Bill McDonough. If you want insights on SRI and where it is headed this is THE event to attend.
Slow Money OCT 12-14 San Francisco, CA
Slow Money is a network of food activists, investors and entrepreneurs who nurture a range of conversations in order to actively develop funding and investment channels for local and sustainable food enterprises. Like Slow Food, they have local gatherings and a larger main event promoting a slow and steady investment into businesses who are seeking an alternative to the conventional Wall Street type investor. Speakers include David Suzuki, David Orr and Vananda Shiva.
Investor’s Circle OCT 26-27 Philadelphia, PA
A membership organization that support a great entrepreneurs that are addressing social and environmental issues. They look at 10-15 high impact deals that are seeking investment. They also provide a due diligence process that starts once the event is complete. It is about 200 people in attendance who are angel investors, fund managers, family office managers, foundation executives and trustees, wealth, financial and philanthropic advisers and their clients and other accredited investors.
Industry Specific
EcoTourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference Sept 19-21st Hilton Head SC
With over 30 inspiring sessions, 50 leading industry partners, and impactful and engaging keynote presentations, the ESTC 2011 (Hilton Head Island, SC, USA, September 19-21, 2011) sets the platform for ongoing dialogue promoting innovative ideas and practical solutions, driving change in global tourism.
Expo East Sept 22-24 Baltimore MD
Attended by as many as 25,000 industry professionals and featuring thousands of exhibits, Natural Products Expo East is the largest natural, organic, and healthy products trade show on the East Coast. With the newest and best-selling products and branded ingredients available this show features the best in organic at All Things Organic/Organic Products Expo-BioFach America, offers an extensive retailer training program and provides an advocacy platform through a strategic partnership with Natural Products Association East. Natural Products Expo East is ranked as one of the top 200 tradeshows in the US.
Greenbuild Oct 4-7 Toronto Canada
Greenbuild is the green building industry’s can’t miss event. It’s where we go to learn about what’s new in green building practices through the extensive educational sessions, see the latest technology and innovation in the exhibit hall, and perhaps more importantly, where we go to do business. Greenbuild is a one-stop shop for credential maintenance. From pre- or post-show LEED workshops to sector-specific summits, from green building tours to concurrent educational sessions, you will find the education you need at Greenbuild. Most sessions at Greenbuild will be approved for continuing education credits for LEED and other professional credentials, allowing you to maintain your credential with ease.
Beauty/Wellness
Natural Beauty Summit Oct 6-7 NYC
This is a smaller and formal event for the natural and organic beauty industry that brings together the mission driven companies such as Dr. Bronners and Weleda with the larger corporations such as Este Lauder, LOreal and Avon. It is more of a lecture format and a lot of presentation intake. If you are a data hound you will get your fill. If you are a networker you will need to work for it but there are good connections to be made. The group is a bit insular if you are an outsider but if you are seeking to enter the luxury skincare market it may be worth considering.
Green Spa Network – Oct 9-12 Sundance, UT
This event is made up of a group of spa resorts and products that want to go the extra mile in promoting green efforts in the spa industry. The event has about 100 passionate people who want to move the spa world in the direction of holistic and sustainable integration. They are a very open and friendly group that welcomes newcomers (and new members). Plus the events are always at pristine green resorts.
ISPA – Nov 7-9 Las Vegas
If you are in the spa industry you have to go where everyone goes which is the International Spa Association Conference. Every other year they have their annual event in Las Vegas which brings investors, products and service providers, spa techs and directors together. This is THE most well groomed event I have ever experienced with exhibitors providing facials, teeth whitening and massages. There is good data provided on the spa world and great sessions specific to spa owners and employees. ISPA provides great data on the spa market as well.
Social Venture Network Oct 27-30 Philadelphia, PA
SVN is a membership organization of successful social entrepreneurs ranging from Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, creators of Ben & Jerrys, to Van Jones, former Green Czar to Obama, to Tom Szaky founder of Terracycle. It mixes sustainability with community building and innovation and a ton of passion. You cant leave this event without 2-3 bonding hugs. It is a great place to seek mentorship, collect ideas and also potential funding from successful entrepreneurs and community leaders who are interested in helping others. This overlaps with the Investors Circle previously mentioned.
Net Impact Oct 27-29 Portland, OR
Net Impact is a large event that brings 2500 students and corporations together. They have chapters associated with Universities all over the country with a large membership and the event focuses on social enterprise, green business strategies, and nonprofit work.
Public Events
Yoga Journal Conference Sept 18-25 Estes Park, CO
For yoga die hards and trainers interested in the business of yoga or just to improve their own yoga practice. Famous yoga instructors such as Rodney Yee, Sean Corn and Shiva Rae have taught classes here. There is a vendor area as well.
Greenfestivals
Greenfests are the creations of Green America and a designed to celebrate green and diversity in various regions. Their flagship event in San Fran pulls in 30,000 attendees and they have some amazing keynote speakers such as Dr. Weil, Deepak Chopra, Amy Goodman, Jim Hightower and many more. Companies large and small mingle together with the public selling their products and services. I think these are great not only to see what is being sold but to see who is buying and the similarities and differences each region has as it relates to green. There is always a colorful audience at Greenfestivals.
New York 10/1-2
Los Angeles 10/29-30
San Francisco 11/12-13
Bioneers San Rafael, CA 10/14-16
Bioneers is where ecology meets activism meets celebration. I could spend hours in the parking lot just reading all the bumper stickers on peoples cars (mostly hybrids). If you are into fighting injustices of the underserved, hearing the wisdom of traditional cultures and the stories of animals and unique journeys of people this is an event for you. There are workshops on business, youth, art, peace and more. It draws about 3-5,000 who are all there because of the larger mission Bioneers embodies. Networking is great but you will need to be selective on who you connect with since there are so many types of people there.
Of course these are just a few of the many events out there of interest to me. There are many others that are international that I did not include. If there are any other events you see I am missing please feel free to comment and add.
