I've been studying and collecting a list of all of the eCommerce events in the industry for quite some time...
Whether it's for attending, speaking, or sponsoring, these events can help you grow your eCommerce store, drive new leads for your eCommerce tech company or agency, or help you grow your personal brand.
I'm not going to rank any of the events, but rather share a guide to how to find the right events for you.
You can find our full directory of upcoming eCommerce Events here.
Have an event that you'd like to add to the directory? Just fill in the form
The 4 Different Types of eCommerce Events
Not all events are created equal...
Some are meant to motivate, some to educate you, and others might be designed pretty much to just sell you something...
Here are some things to know about eCommerce events:
1. "Sponsored" Events. Typically, if it's hosted by a software vendor (Klaviyo, ManyChat, Zendesk) it will keep the theme of "buy our software" throughout the event. This isn't necessarily bad, and doesn't mean their events aren't good events... But it is what it is, a tech company putting on an event to gain/maintain thought leadership and drive acquisition and retention. I've actually found most of these events to be fairly well-rounded, with a good price point and decent lineup. And of course, we host this style of event ourselves and we consider it very much value first.
2. Entrepreneur events. If the event is hosted by some sort of famous entrepreneur then it will likely end in an upsell to a mastermind course, private community, or some other high-pressure sales pitch. Again, this isn't necessarily bad, it just is what it is.
3. Industry-leading events. These are the best of the best events, typically ran by larger events companies that have been doing it for years. Their goal is to provide value (and of course make good money through sponsorships and attendance), and keep the audience engaged and coming back. I find these events to typically be the most valauble for CXO's and eCommerce leadership.
4. Niche events. Examples would be a Customer Experience Summit or Facebook Advertising event. These events are highly tactical and can be very educational for the right team member or manager. They are typically smaller in size, but bring in the best talent on their niche topics.
How to Grade eCommerce Events
One other thing worth mentioning is that you could consider a grading scale for events:
A-list events are those that are large, established, and have big budgets and at least a dozen noticeable speakers, sometimes with big name keynotes like Michelle Obama.
B-list events are typically medium-sized and may bring in 1-2 notable speakers as well as lesser known speakers and experts.
C-list events are small in size and low in budget. Typically they have no big names, but a few lightweight speakers and influencers.
Whether A, B, or C, you can get good value out of any size and type of event...
Avoid the D-list events These would be ultra-low quality events, where the speakers are really giving mediocre or outdated information, and the organizers are pitching, selling your information to 100 vendors, etc.
Find All The Best Upcoming Virtual eCommerce Events
Explore our event directory here
OR find our latest eCommerce event recommendations here
And we highly recommend checking out our own event series eCommerce Explored
