I’ve talked about how meeting other creatives face-to-face at conferences, craft shows and other events has been absolutely crucial for growing my biz over the years.

While there are plenty of conference roundups out there, I couldn’t find one that comprehensively listed the types of creative conferences that I’d like to attend or speak at. So I decided to create one!

What I mean by “creative conference”

I’m taking a pretty broad approach to what it means to be a “creative conference,” which is why I’m including events like Dragoncon, which is full of INCREDIBLY creative people. I also included a lot of Maker Faires here. I’ve been to a few, including the flagship event near San Francisco, and they are awesome events for creatives to meet each other, learn and get inspired. Both of these events are a meeting of like-minded folks and they usually offer some type of workshop or educational panel.

I steered clear of most traditional business and Digital marketing industry events for this roundup, but I included a few bigger conferences that are known for kickass speakers and amazing content. (Here’s a great directory of business and marketing conferences if you’re interested. And if you’re into zines and small press publishing, check out this list of zine events.)

Most events listed here are geared towards individual creative entrepreneurs, artists, bloggers, designers, infopreneurs and crafters. I’ve included the primary target audience for each conference below.

The majority of these events are based in the United States, but if you live anywhere in the world and know of a creative entrepreneur conference that should be on this list, please contact me and let me know!

Want to know more about my favorite creative conferences, including the ones I’ve attended and/or spoken at? Listen to Episode 013 of my podcast, Badass Creatives:

This list is being continually updated. As 2019 dates are announced, I will remove listings from the 2018 section and add them to the bottom of this page.

Creative Conferences 2018

January 2018

• Type-A Parent Mastermind // January 5-7, 2018 // Las Vegas, Nevada // bloggers who happen to be parents
• Creativation // January 18-22, 2018 // Phoenix, Arizona // creative industry professionals
• Hustle Summit // January 19, 2018 // New York, New York // college students and young professionals
• MYP: A Conference for Creative Entrepreneurs // January 20, 2018 // New Orleans, Louisiana // creative entrepreneurs
• Building Creative Communities Conference // January 25-28, 2018 // Colquitt, Georgia // creatives
• #BlogHer18 Health // January 30-31, 2018 // New York, New York // female bloggers

February 2018

• Creative Multilingualism Conference // February 2-3, 2018 // Reading, United Kingdom // people interested in the interconnection between linguistic diversity and creativity
• Art & Soul Retreat // February 11-18, 2018 // Portland, Oregon // mixed media artists
• PubWest Conference // February 15-17, 2018 // Pasadena, California // writers
• Comic Creator Conference // February 16, 2018 // Long Beach, California // comic book writers and artists
• Midwest Craft Con // February 16-18, 2018 // Columbus, Ohio // makers and creative business owners
• Southern Influence Summit // February 17, 2018 // Charlotte, North Carolina // female entrepreneurs
• Pubcon // February 21, 2018 // Austin, Texas // digital marketers
• Digital Summit Phoenix // February 21-22, 2018 // Phoenix, Arizona // digital marketers
• WorkbenchCon // February 22-24, 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia // DIY’ers, makers, influencers & bloggers
• Field Trip // February 22-26, 2018 // El Capitan Canyon, California // photographers and designers
• Thrive Conference // February 23-25, 2018 // Austin, Texas // creative entrepreneurs
• Self-Employment in the Arts Conference // February 23-24, 2018 // Chicago, Illinois // artists
• Assembly Required: Creatives in Tech // February 23, 2018 // Baton Rouge, Louisiana // creatives
• Create + Cultivate // February 24, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // female creative entrepreneurs
• Alt Summit // February 26-28, 2018 // Palm Springs, California // creative entrepreneurs
• High Five Conference // February 26-28, 2018 // Raleigh, North Carolina // marketers and creatives
• Social Media Marketing World // February 28-March 2, 2018 // San Diego, California // social media marketers and creators

March 2018

• #WeAllGrow Summit // March 1-3, 2018 // Long Beach, California // Latina influencers and creative entrepreneurs
• Mindcamp Southwest // March 1-4, 2018 // Oracle, Arizona // creatives
• Design Bloggers Conference // March 4-6, 2018 // Beverly Hills, California // interior design bloggers
• Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference // March 7-10, 2018 // Tampa, Florida // writers
• Reasons to: // March 9, 2018 // London, United Kingdom // digital creatives
• Bay to Ocean Writers Conference // March 10, 2018 // Wye Mills, Maryland // writers
• SXSW Interactive // March 9-18, 2018 // Austin, Texas // music, film, digital creatives
• The BE Conference // March 11-12, 2018 // Austin, Texas // female creatives
• Maker Faire Ruhr // March 11-12, 2018 // Dortmund, Germany // makers + creatives
• The Family Narrative // March 12-15, 2018 // New Orleans, Louisiana // family photographers
• Makers Summit // March 16-17, 2018 // Greenville, South Carolina // creative entrepreneurs
• Maker Faire NoVa // March 18, 2018 // Fairfax, Virginia // makers + creatives
• New Orleans Entrepreneur Week // March 20-23, 2018 // New Orleans, Louisiana // entrepreneurs – I’m speaking!
• Emergence Creative Festival // March 21-24, 2018 // Margaret River, Western Australia // creatives
• IN CREATIVE COMPANY co-working retreat // March 23-27, 2018 // Hudson, NY // creative entrepreneurs
• Florida Creativity Conference // March 23-25, 2018 // Sarasota, Florida // creatives
• OFFSET // March 23-25, 2018 // Dublin, Ireland // creatives
• Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference / March 24-25, 2018 // Iselin, New Jersey // fiction writers
• Norwescon 41 // March 29–April 1, 2018 // Seattle, Washington // creative geeks
• Hustle Summit // March 30, 2018 // Chicago, Illinois // college students and young professionals

April 2018

• Craftcation Conference // April 4-8, 2018 // Ventura, California // crafters + creative entrepreneurs – I’m speaking!
• Crop // April 5-6, 2018 // Baton Rouge, Louisiana // graphic designers
• RISE // April 6-7, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // creative women
• One Spark // April 6-7, 2018 // Jacksonville, Florida // creative entrepreneurs
• The Reset Conference // April 7-8, 2018 // Indianapolis, Indiana // professional creatives
• Surrey International Writers’ Conference at Sea // April 7-15, 2018 // Caribbean cruise, leaving from Galveston, Texas // writers
• Marketing United // April 9-11, 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee // marketers
• Digital Summit Los Angeles // April 10-11, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // digital marketers
• Pubcon // April 10-12, 2018 // Fort Lauderdale, Florida // digital marketers
• Creative South // April 12-14, 2018 // Columbus, Georgia // designers
• Snap Conference // April 12-14, 2018 // Salt Lake City, Utah // creative entrepreneurs
• Pinners Conference & Expo // April 13-14, 2018 // San Diego, California // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
• Design Week Portland // April 14-21, 2018 // Portland, Oregon // designers
• World Creativity and Innovation Week​ // April 15-21, 2018 // worldwide // creatives
• Creative & Cultural Skills National Conference // April 17, 2018 // Salford, United Kingdom // creatives
• Digital Summit Seattle // April 17-18, 2018 // Seattle, Washington // digital marketers
• CREA Conference // April 18-22, 2018 // Sestri Levante, Italy // creatives
• New Orleans Mini Maker Faire // April 21, 2018 // New Orleans, Louisiana // makers + creatives
• Pinners Conference & Expo // April 27-28, 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
• BRAVA THRIVE Conference // April 27, 2018 // Madison, Wisconsin // female entrepreneurs
• PlayList Live // April 27-29, 2018 // Orlando, Florida // YouTubers & online video creators
• The Lola Retreat // April 27-29, 2018 // New York, New York // women who want to take control of their finances
• Maker Faire UK // April 28-29, 2018 // Newcastle, United Kingdom // makers + creatives
• Self-Publishing Conference // April 28, 2018 // Leicester, United Kingdom // writers
• The Blog Connect Conference // April 29, 2018 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania // bloggers
• Catalyst Art Retreat // April 29-May 5, 2018 // Tuscany, Italy // artists & creatives
• HOW Design Live // April 30-May 3, 2018 // Boston, Massachusetts // designers & creatives

May 2018

• Digital Summit Salt Lake City // May 1-2, 2018 // Salt Lake City, Utah // digital marketers
• Mom 2.0 Summit // May 2-4, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // mom bloggers
• Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild Conference // May 3-5, 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia // handmade soap & cosmetics makers
• Maker Faire Austin // May 5-6, 2018 // Austin, Texas // makers + creatives
• Maker Faire Vienna // May 5-6, 2018 // Vienna, Austria // makers + creatives
• 99U Conference // May 9-11, 2018 // New York, NY // creative entrepreneurs
• Everything Food Conference // May 10-12, 2018 // Salt Lake City, Utah // food bloggers
• RuPaul’s DragCon // May 11-13, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // drag enthusiasts
• Madison Mini Maker Faire // May 12, 2018 // Madison, Wisconsin // makers + creatives
• Digital Summit Kansas City // May 16-17, 2018 // Kansas City, Missouri // digital marketers
• Create: Now Summit // May 18-19, 2018 // Toronto, Ontario, Canada // creative entrepreneurs
• Maker Faire Bay Area // May 18-20, 2018 // San Mateo, California // makers + creatives
• Artful Business Retreat // May 18-21, 2018 // Byron Bay, Australia // creative entrepreneurs
• UK Creativity Researchers Conference // May 22, 2018 // Canterbury, England // creativity researchers
• Digital Summit Atlanta // May 22-23, 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia // digital marketers
• SNAG Conference // May 23-26, 2018 // Portland, Oregon // metalsmith artists
• Maker Faire Berlin // May 25-27, 2018 // Berlin, Germany // makers + creatives
• Art & Soul Retreat // May 29-June3, 2018 // Colorado Springs, Colorado // mixed media artists
• Photoshop World // May 31-June 2, 2018 // Orlando, Florida // photographers and graphic designers

June 2018

• Maker Faire Bodensee // June 2-3, 2018 // Bodensee, Germany // makers + creatives
• Creative Pro Week // June 4-8, 2018 // New Orleans, Louisiana // graphic designers and Adobe Creative Cloud users
• Motion Conference // June 5-8, 2018 // Santa Fe, New Mexico // creatives
• Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition // June 5-8, 2018 // Chicago, Illinois // e-commerce entrepreneurs
• Hustle HER Way Summit // June 8-9, 2018 // Pittsburgh, PA // entrepreneurial women
• Encounter Camp // June 8-10th, 2018 // San Bernardino, California // African American creative entrepreneurs
• DFW Writers Conference // June 9-10, 2018 // Dallas, Texas // writers
• Digital Summit Portland // June 12-13, 2018 // Portland, Oregon // digital marketers
• Blogtacular // June 16, 2018 // London, United Kingdom // bloggers
• Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) // June 19-24, 2018 // Buffalo, New York // creative adults and children – I’m speaking!
• VidCon // June 20-23, 2018 // Anaheim, California // online video creators
• Pinners Conference & Expo // June 22-23, 2018 // Minneapolis, Minnesota // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
• Future of Branding Week // June 25-29, 2018 // London, United Kingdom // creatives, strategists, anyone passionate about branding
• World Domination Summit // June 26-July 2, 2018 // Portland, Oregon // creative entrepreneurs
• Conference on the Arts in Society // June 27-29, 2018 // Vancouver, Canada // artists
• IDEA World Fitness BlogFest // June 28-July 1, 2018 // San Diego, California // fitness bloggers

July 2018

• Focused Blogging Conference // July 11-14, 2018 // Richmond, Virginia // bloggers
• Digital Summit Denver // July 17-18, 2018 // Denver, Colorado // digital marketers
• Romance Writers of America Conference // July 18-21, 2018 // Denver, Colorado // romance writers
• NACE Experience Conference // July 22-25, 2018 // Palm Springs, California // catering and creative event partners
• Podcast Movement // July 23-26, 2018 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania // podcasters
• TBEX Europe // July 26-29, 2018 // Ostrava, Czech Republic // travel bloggers
• Digital Summit Philadelphia // July 31-August 1, 2018 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania // digital marketers

August 2018

• #ConnectHER18 Conference // August 3-5, 2018 // Las Vegas, Nevada // bloggers and digital influencers
• Digital Summit Tampa // August 8-9, 2018 // Tampa, Florida // digital marketers
• Travel Writers & Photographers Conference // August 9-12, 2018 // Corte Madera, California // travel writers + photographers
• When Words Collide // August 10-12, 2018 // Calgary, Alberta, Canada // writers
• Writer’s Digest Annual Conference // August 10-12, 2018 // New York, New York // writers
• SIGGRAPH // August 12-16, 2018 // Vancouver, Canada // interactive designers and game developers
• UX & Digital Design Week // August 13-17, 2018 // London, United Kingdom // creatives, UX designers and product managers
• Digital Summit Boston // August 15-16, 2018 // Boston, Massachusetts // digital marketers
• STRIKE Conference // August 16-17, 2018 // Baton Rouge, Louisiana // millennial women
• The Compact // August 16-19, 2018 // Northern California // “summer camp for grown ass women”
• Catalyst Art Retreat // August 19-25, 2018 // Tuscany, Italy // artists & creatives
• Mindcamp // August 22-26, 2018 // Orillia, Ontario, Canada // creatives
• Digital Summit Minneapolis // August 22-23, 2018 // Minneapolis, Minnesota // digital marketers
• Yellow Conference // August 23-24, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // creative women
• Camp Good Life Project // August 23-26, 2018 // Rock Hill, New York // creative entrepreneurs
• Camp Climb // August 24-26, 2018 // New Liberty, Iowa // women creative entrepreneurs
• Soul Camp East // August 24-26, 2018 // Warrensburg, New York // adult sleepaway campers
• DIY Musician Conference // August 24-26, 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee // musicians
• HippoCamp 2018 // August 24-26, 2018 // Lancaster, Pennsylvania // creative nonfiction writers
• International Food Blogger Conference // August 24-26, 2018 // New Orleans, Louisiana // food bloggers
• Embracing YOU Women’s Conference // August 25, 2018 // Beltsville, Maryland // Christian women entrepreneurs
• Western Arts Alliance Conference // August 27-30, 2018 // Las Vegas, Nevada // artists
• Digital Summit Washington D.C. // August 27-28, 2018 // Washington D.C. // digital marketers
• Dragoncon // August 30-September 3, 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia // creative geeks

September 2018

• UI/UX Conf 2018 // September 1-2, 2018 // Shanghai, China // UI/UX designers
• The Weird Experience // September 2-6, 2018 // Þíngeyri, Iceland // creative women
• Catalyst Art Retreat // September 2-8, 2018 // Tuscany, Italy // artists & creatives
• Inbound // September 4-7, 2018 // Boston, Massachusetts // digital marketers
• Nordic.design // September 5, 2018 // Stockholm, Sweden // designers
• Hopscotch Design Festival // September 6-7, 2018 // Raleigh, North Carolina // designers & creatives
• theCURVYcon // September 6-8, 2018 // New York, New York // plus size fashion bloggers
• Design Thinking and Innovation Week // September 10-14, 2018 // London, United Kingdom // creative entrepreneurs, designers and business owners
• TBEX North America // September 11-13, 2018 // Finger Lakes Wine Country, New York // travel bloggers
• Digital Summit Detroit // September 12-13, 2018 // Detroit, Michigan // digital marketers
• Brand New Conference // September 13-14, 2018 // New York, New York // marketers & designers
• Bloggy Conference // September 14, 2018 // Sandusky, Ohio // bloggers
• Pinners Conference & Expo // September 14-15, 2018 // Arlington, Texas // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
• Circles Conference // September 19-21, 2018 // Fort Worth, Texas // designers, tech junkies and makers
• STORY // September 20-21, 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee // creatives
• Savor Life Summit // September 23-25, 2018 // Saugerties, New York // women entrepreneurs
• Digital Summit Chicago // September 26-27, 2018 // Chicago, Illinois // digital marketers
• FinCon // September 26-29, 2018 // Orlando, Florida // financial bloggers and podcasters
• Type-A Parent Annual Conference // September 27-29, 2018 // Chicago, Illinois // bloggers who happen to be parents
• ZBrush Summit // September 27-30, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // digital artists
• Portland Creative Conference // September 28, 2018 // Portland, Oregon // creative industries professionals
• Art Makers Denver // September 28-30, 2018 // Denver, Colorado // artists
• Better World By Design // September 28-30, 2018 // Providence, Rhode Island // socially-driven designers and creatives
• Spark Women’s Retreat // September 28-30, 2018 // Zion National Park, Utah // creative women
• In the MKNG // September 29-30, 2018 // Bethel, New York // creatives
• VenturePOP! // September 29-30, 2018 // New Orleans, Louisiana // creative entrepreneurs

October 2018

• Art & Soul Retreat // October 1-6, 2018 // Virginia Beach, Virginia // mixed media artists
• Digital Book World // October 2-4, 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee // indie authors & writers
• Atlanta Black Theatre Festival // October 3-6, 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia // theatre professionals
• Digital Summit Charlotte // October 3-4, 2018 // Charlotte, North Carolina // digital marketers
• Creative Works // October 4-6, 2018 // Memphis, Tennessee // creatives
• Society for Creative Founders Conference // October 4-7, 2018 // Pensacola, Florida // makers, artists, and designers
• The Imperfect Boss Camp // October 9-12, 2018 // Ontario, Canada // creative women
• Adobe MAX // October 13-17, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // creatives
• Alliance of Artists Communities Conference // October 15-18, 2018 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania // artists
• Evolution Live // October 18-21, 2018 // Orlando, Florida // female entrepreneurs
• WeMake Conference // October 19, 2018 // Portland, Oregon // makers, designers & creatives
• TOPCON // October 19-20, 2018 // Chattanooga, Tennessee // creatives
• Surrey International Writers’ Conference // October 19-21, 2018 // Surrey, British Columbia, Canada // writers
• Dutch Design Week // October 20-28, 2018 // Eindhoven, Netherlands // designers
• Cusp Conference // October 24-25, 2018 // Chicago, Illinois // creatives
• Soul Camp West // October 24-28, 2018 // Sanger, California // adult sleepaway campers
• PHLbloggers Social Media Saturday: Beyond the Blog // October 27, 2018 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania // bloggers – I’m speaking!
• The Signature C.E.O. Conference // October 29-30, 2018 // McLean, Virginia // wedding & event professionals

November 2018

• Pinners Conference & Expo // November 2-3, 2018 // Salt Lake City, Utah // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
• Summit // November 2-5, 2018 // Los Angeles, California // creatives
• Showit United // November 4-7, 2018 // Tempe, Arizona // photographers
• Pinners Conference & Expo // November 9-10, 2018 // Phoenix, Arizona // Pinterest influencers and bloggers
• The Texas Conference for Women // November 9, 2018 // Austin, Texas // women
• Internet Summit // November 14-15, 2018 // Raleigh, North Carolina // digital marketers

December 2018

• Digital Summit Dallas // December 4-5, 2018 // Dallas, Texas // digital marketers
• SIGGRAPH Asia // December 4-7, 2018 // Tokyo, Japan // interactive designers and game developers
• The Massachusetts Conference for Women // December 6, 2018 // Boston, Massachusetts // women

2019

• Game Developers Conference // March 18-22, 2019 // San Francisco, California // interactive game creators

Best creative conferences?

Drop a note on Instagram and let me know which conferences for creatives you’ve personally attended or hope to attend. In your opinion, which creative conferences are the best?

What did I miss?

I’ll continue to update this list as more creativity conferences are announced, so please contact me if you know of a conference that should be here!

If you found this list helpful, please share it on Pinterest or Facebook, bookmark it, or link to it!

Photo credits: VenturePOP Conference

The post The Ultimate Guide to Conferences for Creatives in 2018 appeared first on Mallory Whitfield.