Ever since journalist Don Hoeffler dubbed the Bay Area “Silicon Valley” in 1971, this San Francisco suburb has been synonymous with technology and innovation. Home to iconic technology organizations, there is no greater backdrop for bringing together the best minds in the industry for a few days of networking and knowledge sharing! With in-person events thankfully making a comeback, many tech professionals are keen to get back out there and meet up with like-minded peers. Whether you want to learn about the latest trends or meet key decision makers, attending a conference in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling tech scene can help propel your career to new heights in 2023! However, the heart of the North American tech industry hosts a wide variety of events throughout the year, and narrowing down what events to attend can be time consuming! At TravelPerk, we’ve curated our list of the 12 best tech conferences to take place in San Francisco in 2023. Whether you’re a developer, digital marketer, or VP looking to meet fellow execs, there’s something for everyone on the list below. So let’s dive in, and as always, if you need help turning your travel ideas into an itinerary, we’re a quick call away! 15th – 17th February 2023 Auckland Convention Center Are you a developer or engineer looking to move to the next level in 2023? Join over 8,000 like-minded professionals at Developer Week for three days of discovery with over 250 workshops, panel discussions, bootcamps, and keynote addresses on the agenda. Featuring an exciting list of speakers, this year’s group includes Steve Wood, senior vice president of product at Slack, and Theresa Wu, vice president of software engineering at JP Morgan Chase & Co. Are you looking for a new job? This unique developer conference is a hive of recruitment, with executives looking for top talent making up 44% of the attendees. If you want to make a good impression, sign up for the Hackathon, where hundreds of developers compete to impress the crowd with their innovative solutions to real-world challenges. March 21-22, 2023 Part 27, The Embarcadero Women Impact Tech (WIT) kicks off its year of empowerment events in San Francisco. With partners including LinkedIn, Airbnb and Adobe, you’ll mingle with the tech industry’s leading thinkers. A chance to reach the top inside the world’s best tech companies. Speakers in 2023 include Elizabeth Churchill, Senior Director of User Experience at Google, and Nicole Barnes Marshall, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Pinterest. While WIT’s program agenda provides ample networking opportunities, it also has a great mentoring program for those who have been looking for long-term guidance. By pairing interns with technology leaders from across the industry, WITS can introduce you to the decision maker of a tech giant like Netflix, Uber, or Oracle. If you can make it to the tech capital, WIT has events in many major cities including New York, Denver, and Boston throughout the year. April 19 – 20, 2023 Hosted Westfield San Francisco Center in downtown San Francisco, SaaS Connect brings more than 400 experts to share stories and exchange ideas at this two-day technical conference. Heralded as a haven for technology leaders, SaaS Connect is focused on securing meaningful partnerships for attendees. The perfect event for companies looking to expand, organizers take the pain out of networking with informative introductions. With the big names in attendance, you can shake hands with SaaS professionals from Google, Salesforce, Zoom, and PayPal, to name a few. Do you want to attend? Check out their website for their helpful Dear Manager letter that you can send out explaining the opportunities on offer! May 17 – 19, 2023 Cybersecurity analysts looking to pick the brains of their peers can meet in May for three days of in-depth career enlightenment. More niche than the average tech summit, this forum is hosted by the Silicon Valley Cybersecurity Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the latest industry developments. Entering its fourth edition in 2023, the Silicon Valley Cybersecurity Conference features research seminars, live tutorials, and an exhibition to ensure attendees have access to all upcoming industry developments. A hands-on learning experience, professionals can try out the latest cybersecurity technology in interactive lab sessions or test their skills in the CyberWarrior competition. May 25, 2023 Hotel Nikko Join 600 female leaders at San Francisco’s most exclusive technology event. Silicon Valley women bring together the industry’s top decision-makers to discuss the future of technology in an impressive array of roundtable talks. This year’s one-day event aims to empower professionals to tackle future challenges with the latest technological advancements. Fantastic keynotes will be hosted by speakers such as Salesforce Vice President of Software Engineering Maria Yuen, and Catherine Blackmore, Group Vice President of Customer Success at Oracle. With opportunities galore to meet inspiring professionals, you can opt for one-on-one speed networking sessions or share your story in the innovative Soapbox Corner. June 22, 2023 Location TBC For 7 years, Bloomberg hosts a real tech industry figure for insightful analysis. With all the CEOs, investors, and entrepreneurs in attendance for this annual conference, hosts Brad Stone and Emily Chang will investigate top thought leaders about what lies ahead. The focus this year will be on the evolution of social media, the increase in regulations, and the ethical dilemmas raised by the latest wave of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Past speakers at the well-respected event include Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, and in 2023 Vanessa E. Wycchi, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, will take to the stage. While this great one-day show is also available as a virtual event, with many techno listeners roaming the halls, it’s well worth making the trip to the sunny state! June 22 – 23, 2023222 Mason Street, San Francisco With over 100 speakers, the San Francisco Tech Summit offers an action-packed agenda for professional development. Filled with networking opportunities, attendees can rub in with innovators and decision-makers from across the industry. With a variety of master classes, workshops and clinics, there are ample opportunities to strengthen your knowledge for the second half of 2023. The perfect place to expand your business Start-ups can apply for a special program of events, including opportunities to showcase their product in front of industry leaders and pitch sessions Elevator with investors. While we’re still waiting for this year’s speakers to be revealed, former stage honors include Pinterest CEO Thuthathri Srinivasan, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and former Apple chief evangelist Jay Kawasaki. July 10-11, 2023 The Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel TECHSPO is a two-day trade show that brings together top developers, designers, and marketers to enjoy the latest industry innovations. International Conference Series TECHSPO also hosts events in several cities including Toronto, Orlando, Sydney, Los Angeles and Singapore. Covering all aspects of technology from IoT to SaaS to mobile, the halls are packed with enthusiasts looking to discover what’s next in their field. An ideal opportunity to launch your new idea, the exhibitions are also visited by the world’s media, with CNN, ABC and CBS in attendance. If you are a digital marketer, check out the event next to it. At the DigiMarCon Silicon Valley Digital Marketing Conference, you can be sure you’re on top with inspiring speakers sharing the latest technology to enhance your organization’s online profile. Tickets are limited, so sign up soon! SEPTEMBER 6-8, 2023 SAN MATEO COUNTY EVENTS CENTER We can’t help but be biased when it comes to SaaStr! This three-day festival sees more than 12,500 of the best minds in the SaaS industry gather to exchange thoughts and ideas in exhilarating surroundings. In 2022, our Chief People Officer Sally Sorbrun appears alongside COO Hugh Slater, joining other notable speakers such as Ben Chestnut, CEO of Mailchimp, and Cameron Deitch, Head of PR at Atlassian. With over 150 workshops and 300 talks, attendees were deeply impressed by the knowledge on display. Plus, if you’re looking to partner with other industry innovators, there are over 1,000 investors and 2,000 networking sessions on the schedule. September 19-21, 2023 Moscone West Convention Center As the name suggests, TechCrunch Disrupt is a three-day conference highlighting the most revolutionary ideas in the tech industry. Sponsored by highly respected organizations like AT&T and Dell Technologies, TechCrunch Disrupt features an exhibition, keynote addresses, panel discussions, and plenty of networking parties. Great conversations last year included How to Build Your Early Venture Capital Network: Turning Social Capital into Financial Capital and The Art of Inclusivity with comedian Kevin Hart. At the heart of the event is the Startup Battlefield 200, a unique opportunity for early stage exhibitors to showcase their innovative ideas. In a battle of the best and brightest, 20 finalists will be selected to compete for $100,000. A prestigious competition, previous participants have gone on to obtain $9.7 billion in funding. TBC October 2023, Palace of Fine Arts, the largest gathering of product management professionals in the world, ProductCon held four editions of its prestigious seminars throughout the year. October will see San Francisco, where 3,000 people gather in the gleaming Palace of Fine Arts to unveil the most important industrial developments. With participants from the world’s most famous brands, the discussions will include panelists from Typeform, Amazon, and Salesforce, to name a few. While the dates are being finalized, the speakers’ schedule has already been announced. Covering various topics, Social Impact as Your North Star: Building Message-Driven Products from Emily Dalton Smith, VP of Product, Social Impact at Meta, PM’s Most Underrated Virtue from Ajay Arora, SVP of Product at Disney has already caught our attention. Dates & Location TBC Hosted by VentureBeat, this AI Summit attracts more than 3,500 professionals each year. With over 50 speakers and 5 separate networking events, Transform provides opportunities for service providers to discuss the changes and challenges of operating in the AI ecosystem. Attracting an impressive crowd, 64% of the attendees are director level. Plus, thanks to smart, industry-focused paths for healthcare, finance, retail, manufacturing, and security, professionals can connect with peers in their specific sectors. The Executive Summit begins this first assembly. An invite-only event, 100 C-level professionals can get the inside scoop on a half day of keynotes, panel discussions, and boardroom discussions.
