Before you travel to technology events in 2019, make sure you study ChannelE2E's Top 50 Technology Conference for 2019 list -- unveiled below. The list is based on our our own travels and our ongoing coverage of the IT services market.
Four quick points before you navigate the list:
Now, here are the Top 50 Technology Conferences for 2019 and their potential benefits for MSPs, CSPs, IT consulting firms and channel partners. 1. Amazon AWS re:Invent 2019 (December 02-06): More than 40,000 people typically attended Amazon's top cloud event -- AWS re:Invent. Top 100 Public Cloud MSPs like Mission attended. If you're serious about managing AWS workloads for customers, this is a can't-miss event in December 2019. 2. ASCII SMB Success Summits (Multiple Dates, Cities): These gatherings are designed for VARs and MSPs in the SMB sector. Highly educational with plenty of vendor-to-partner engagement and more. Search our ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for all of the dates and locations. 3. Black Hat USA 2019 (August 3-8) This conference typically attracts about 17,000 InfoSec professionals. The event typically features four days of technical trainings and a two-day main conference featuring briefings and a business hall.
4. Channel Partners Conference and Expo (April 09-12): The April conference expects to attract more than 6,000 industry experts – including agents, VARs, MSPs, integrators and service providers converge to share ideas and drive discussion on the topics shaping our industry, the company says. 5. ChannelCon 2019 (August 05-09): CompTIA's flagship conference for channel partners typically attracts VARs and MSPs in the SMB sector. However, CompTIA has been working more closely with SaaS-, cloud- and ISV-centric partners in recent years. 6. Cisco Partner Summit 2019 (November 05-07): Cisco's annual partner gathering visits Las Vegas in November. This is a prime opportunity to check out Cisco's partner push toward subscription services and recurring revenues. Plus, check in on the SMB efforts -- including the ConnectWise partnership. 7. Citrix Summit 2019 (January 7-9): This year's Citrix Summit, designed for partners, has three tracks. They are focused on ServTech (technical training); a Marketing Track; and a Certification Center. Among the interesting twists: Google Chrome Enterprise is the conference's top sponsor, though Cisco will also have a major presence at the show.
8. ConnectWise IT Nation Connect 2019 (October 30 - November 01) : One of the top year-end conferences for technology solutions providers and MSPs. ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini and high-profile guest speakers dive into the latest recurring revenue & profit-building strategies for partners. Bonus: Don't forget about sister events like ConnectWise IT Nation Explore (typically technical in nature) also with IT Nation conferences in Europe and Australia. 9. Continuum Navigate 2019 (Date to Be Determined): A well-known conference for MSPs that run Continuum's RMM, NOC, SOC, help desk and BDR platforms. The conference is typically held each September in Boston or Las Vegas. The 2019 event is expected to be in Las Vegas. We'll add an event link when dates are publicly announced. 10. CPX 360 2019 (February 04-07): A Cybersecurity Summit and Expo hosted by Check Point Software. Go to page two for conferences 11 through 20, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page two, featuring conferences 11 through 20, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
11. DattoCon19 (June 18-20): This June 2019 conference should be particularly interesting since Datto founder Austin McChord stepped down as CEO in late 2018, and the search for a successor was ongoing when we posted this Top 50 list in December 2018. 12. Dell Technologies World 2019 (April 29-May 02): Michael Dell and the company's executive leadership team will roll out the latest vision statements and strategy across both Dell and EMC during this late April gathering. Moreover, Dell should once again be a publicly held company by the time this conference arrives. Expect plenty of activity involving sibling company VMware at the event. 13. DockerCon 2019 (June 12-14): Docker's flagship event reveals where the software container market is heading next. For DevOps-centric MSPs and container-focused partners, it's a key gathering.
14. Fortinet Accelerate 2019 (April 09-11): The security company is extending from its enterprise heritage into the SMB market -- leaning heavily on MSPs and MSSPs to do so. 15. Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit 2019 (June 17-19): More than 3,400 cybersecurity and risk management professionals are expected to attend. 16. Google Cloud Next 2019 (April 09-11): The most ideal gathering for MSPs looking to build, manage and optimize customer workloads on Google Cloud Platform. Bonus: Don't forget the annual Google I/O 2019 conference for developers focused on Chrome, Android, web, mobile and more. 17. HIMSS19 Conference and Exhibition 2018 (February 11-15): The flagship conference for IT professionals and partners in the healthcare industry. Set for February in Orlando.
18. HP Enterprise Discover 2019 (June 18-20): HPE's flagship conference for customers and partners returns to Las Vegas in June. Bonus: Don't forget about Atmosphere 2019, HPE's event for wireless and networking partners. 19. IBM Think 2019 (February 12-15): IBM rolled its PartnerWorld conference and several other events into this Think format last year. 20. Ingram Micro Cloud Summit 2019 (March 11-13): Perhaps the largest cloud-centric conference for channel partners, Ingram Micro Cloud Summit typically attracts MSPs and IT service providers. Bonus: Don't forget about the Ingram ONE conference in October. Go to page three for conferences 21 through 30, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page three, featuring conferences 21 through 30, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
21. Internet of Things World 2019 (May 13-16): More than 12,500 IT professionals and IoT business leaders typically attend this conference. 22. IT Glue GlueX 2019 (September 16-17): The second-annual event is designed for MSPs looking to automate their businesses with documentation management and plenty more. 23. Kaseya Connect 2019 (May 07-09): The company's flagship conference for MSPs and midsize enterprise IT managers.
24. Microsoft Inspire 2019 - formerly Worldwide Partner Conference - WPC (July 14-18): Microsoft has had a channel renaissance under current CEO Satya Nadella. But can the company convince partners to extend from Office 365 to Azure? That will be the big priority for this year's gathering. Bonuses: Don't forget about Microsoft Build (for developers, typically in May) and Microsoft Ignite 2019 (for customers). 25. Mobile World Congress 2019 (February 25-28): The absolute biggest mobile conference in the world. 26. North America Bitcoin Conference 2019 (January 16-18): More than a bitcoin conference, this event attracts numerous Blockchain startups and experts in the open source general ledger system. 27. NRF 2019: National Retail Federation's Big Show 2019 (January 13-15): An ideal conference for any partner focused on the retail vertical. Hosted by the National Retail Federation.
28. Oktane19 (April 1-3): This is the annual Okta customer conference, focused on Identity and Access Management. 29. Oracle OpenWorld 2019 (September 15-19): The massive event typically features a partner day gathering during the conference's opening day. Bonus: Don't overlook Oracle NetSuite SuiteWorld in April 2018. 30. Palo Alto Networks Ignite19 (June 3-6): This is the security platform provider's U.S. customer conference. Go to page four for conferences 31 through 40, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page four, featuring conferences 31 through 40, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
31. Red Hat Summit 2019 (May 07-09): IBM spent $34 billion to acquired Red Hat. All eyes will be on this conference, and Red Hat's ability to remain nimble with partners and customers. 32. Robin Robins Sales and Marketing Boot Camp 2019 (March 5-8): One of the latest, best-known gathering of SMB partners focused on sales and marketing strategies. 33. RSA Conference 2019 (March 4-8): One of the largest cybersecurity conferences in the United States.
34.SaaStr 2019 (February 5-8): The conference typically attracts 15,000+ SaaS company founders, venture capitalists (VCs) and executives. 35. Salesforce Dreamforce 2019 (November 19-22): Likely the largest vendor-hosted SaaS business conference in the world. 36. SANS 2019 Cybersecurity Training Conference (Multiple Dates): A popular series of conferences focused on skills development and training. 37. SAP Sapphire Now 2019 (May 7-9): SAP's flagship conference is more than an enterprise customer gathering. A major SME partner push will also continue.
38. ServiceNow Knowledge 2019 (May 5-9): One of the fastest-growing events for IT service management — attracting more and more MSPs along the way, particularly from the midmarket and enterprise sectors. 39. SMB TechFest (Multiple Dates): Hosted by Dave Seibert, SMB TechFest is a two-day channel partner and technology conference in Southern California. It's held quarterly. 40. SolarWinds MSP Empower (Multiple Dates): The company's flagship conference for MSPs. Stay tuned for dates and locations. Go to page five for conferences 41 through 50, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page five, featuring conferences 41 through 50, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
41. Spiceworks SpiceWorld 2019 (September 23-25): A popular gathering for IT professionals that use the Spiceworks IT management platform. 42. Splunk .conf 2019 (October 21-24): Splunk’s tools provide operational intelligence to improve customers’ business performance and cybersecurity. The offerings are increasingly popular with service providers and security-centric MSPs. 43. Synnex Varnex 2019 (Dates to be announced): A popular spring and fall gathering for Synnex partners
44. Tech Data Tech Select (Multiple Dates): A longstanding gathering of Tech Data partners in both the spring and the fall. 45. TruMethods Schnizzfest 2019 (Dates to be announced): The TruMethods team, led by CEO Gary Pica and CTO Bob Penland, host one of the single best MSP gatherings of the year. 46. VeeamOn 2019 (May 21-23): One of the fastest-growing, largest conferences focused on data protection. Mainly a customer conference, but don't overlook the smart Veeam partners -- particularly CSPs -- at the event. 47. VMware VMworld 2019 (August 25-29): Mainly positioned as a customer conference, but there also are plenty of partners on hand at this massive event. Bonus: Don't overlook VMware Partner Leadership Summit, though that's often by invitation only.
48. Workday Rising 2019 (October 14-17): Workday is one of the fastest-growing providers of SaaS-based business management software. The conference attracts customers, developers and partners. 49. XChange 2019 (Multiple Dates): Xchange, hosted by The Channel Company, is one of the best-known conferences for channel partners. 50. ChannelE2E and MSSP Alert Webcasts: Yes, our very own monthly webcasts for ChannelE2E and MSSP Alert readers. Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2018 and beyond is here.
Four quick points before you navigate the list:
- The list below is sorted alphabetically.
- Only one event per company qualified for the Top 50 list.
- Contact the conference organizer to confirm event dates and location.
- Our ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar lists hundreds of events by month for 2019 and beyond.
Now, here are the Top 50 Technology Conferences for 2019 and their potential benefits for MSPs, CSPs, IT consulting firms and channel partners. 1. Amazon AWS re:Invent 2019 (December 02-06): More than 40,000 people typically attended Amazon's top cloud event -- AWS re:Invent. Top 100 Public Cloud MSPs like Mission attended. If you're serious about managing AWS workloads for customers, this is a can't-miss event in December 2019. 2. ASCII SMB Success Summits (Multiple Dates, Cities): These gatherings are designed for VARs and MSPs in the SMB sector. Highly educational with plenty of vendor-to-partner engagement and more. Search our ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for all of the dates and locations. 3. Black Hat USA 2019 (August 3-8) This conference typically attracts about 17,000 InfoSec professionals. The event typically features four days of technical trainings and a two-day main conference featuring briefings and a business hall.
4. Channel Partners Conference and Expo (April 09-12): The April conference expects to attract more than 6,000 industry experts – including agents, VARs, MSPs, integrators and service providers converge to share ideas and drive discussion on the topics shaping our industry, the company says. 5. ChannelCon 2019 (August 05-09): CompTIA's flagship conference for channel partners typically attracts VARs and MSPs in the SMB sector. However, CompTIA has been working more closely with SaaS-, cloud- and ISV-centric partners in recent years. 6. Cisco Partner Summit 2019 (November 05-07): Cisco's annual partner gathering visits Las Vegas in November. This is a prime opportunity to check out Cisco's partner push toward subscription services and recurring revenues. Plus, check in on the SMB efforts -- including the ConnectWise partnership. 7. Citrix Summit 2019 (January 7-9): This year's Citrix Summit, designed for partners, has three tracks. They are focused on ServTech (technical training); a Marketing Track; and a Certification Center. Among the interesting twists: Google Chrome Enterprise is the conference's top sponsor, though Cisco will also have a major presence at the show.
8. ConnectWise IT Nation Connect 2019 (October 30 - November 01) : One of the top year-end conferences for technology solutions providers and MSPs. ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini and high-profile guest speakers dive into the latest recurring revenue & profit-building strategies for partners. Bonus: Don't forget about sister events like ConnectWise IT Nation Explore (typically technical in nature) also with IT Nation conferences in Europe and Australia. 9. Continuum Navigate 2019 (Date to Be Determined): A well-known conference for MSPs that run Continuum's RMM, NOC, SOC, help desk and BDR platforms. The conference is typically held each September in Boston or Las Vegas. The 2019 event is expected to be in Las Vegas. We'll add an event link when dates are publicly announced. 10. CPX 360 2019 (February 04-07): A Cybersecurity Summit and Expo hosted by Check Point Software. Go to page two for conferences 11 through 20, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page two, featuring conferences 11 through 20, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
11. DattoCon19 (June 18-20): This June 2019 conference should be particularly interesting since Datto founder Austin McChord stepped down as CEO in late 2018, and the search for a successor was ongoing when we posted this Top 50 list in December 2018. 12. Dell Technologies World 2019 (April 29-May 02): Michael Dell and the company's executive leadership team will roll out the latest vision statements and strategy across both Dell and EMC during this late April gathering. Moreover, Dell should once again be a publicly held company by the time this conference arrives. Expect plenty of activity involving sibling company VMware at the event. 13. DockerCon 2019 (June 12-14): Docker's flagship event reveals where the software container market is heading next. For DevOps-centric MSPs and container-focused partners, it's a key gathering.
14. Fortinet Accelerate 2019 (April 09-11): The security company is extending from its enterprise heritage into the SMB market -- leaning heavily on MSPs and MSSPs to do so. 15. Gartner Security and Risk Management Summit 2019 (June 17-19): More than 3,400 cybersecurity and risk management professionals are expected to attend. 16. Google Cloud Next 2019 (April 09-11): The most ideal gathering for MSPs looking to build, manage and optimize customer workloads on Google Cloud Platform. Bonus: Don't forget the annual Google I/O 2019 conference for developers focused on Chrome, Android, web, mobile and more. 17. HIMSS19 Conference and Exhibition 2018 (February 11-15): The flagship conference for IT professionals and partners in the healthcare industry. Set for February in Orlando.
18. HP Enterprise Discover 2019 (June 18-20): HPE's flagship conference for customers and partners returns to Las Vegas in June. Bonus: Don't forget about Atmosphere 2019, HPE's event for wireless and networking partners. 19. IBM Think 2019 (February 12-15): IBM rolled its PartnerWorld conference and several other events into this Think format last year. 20. Ingram Micro Cloud Summit 2019 (March 11-13): Perhaps the largest cloud-centric conference for channel partners, Ingram Micro Cloud Summit typically attracts MSPs and IT service providers. Bonus: Don't forget about the Ingram ONE conference in October. Go to page three for conferences 21 through 30, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page three, featuring conferences 21 through 30, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
21. Internet of Things World 2019 (May 13-16): More than 12,500 IT professionals and IoT business leaders typically attend this conference. 22. IT Glue GlueX 2019 (September 16-17): The second-annual event is designed for MSPs looking to automate their businesses with documentation management and plenty more. 23. Kaseya Connect 2019 (May 07-09): The company's flagship conference for MSPs and midsize enterprise IT managers.
24. Microsoft Inspire 2019 - formerly Worldwide Partner Conference - WPC (July 14-18): Microsoft has had a channel renaissance under current CEO Satya Nadella. But can the company convince partners to extend from Office 365 to Azure? That will be the big priority for this year's gathering. Bonuses: Don't forget about Microsoft Build (for developers, typically in May) and Microsoft Ignite 2019 (for customers). 25. Mobile World Congress 2019 (February 25-28): The absolute biggest mobile conference in the world. 26. North America Bitcoin Conference 2019 (January 16-18): More than a bitcoin conference, this event attracts numerous Blockchain startups and experts in the open source general ledger system. 27. NRF 2019: National Retail Federation's Big Show 2019 (January 13-15): An ideal conference for any partner focused on the retail vertical. Hosted by the National Retail Federation.
28. Oktane19 (April 1-3): This is the annual Okta customer conference, focused on Identity and Access Management. 29. Oracle OpenWorld 2019 (September 15-19): The massive event typically features a partner day gathering during the conference's opening day. Bonus: Don't overlook Oracle NetSuite SuiteWorld in April 2018. 30. Palo Alto Networks Ignite19 (June 3-6): This is the security platform provider's U.S. customer conference. Go to page four for conferences 31 through 40, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page four, featuring conferences 31 through 40, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
31. Red Hat Summit 2019 (May 07-09): IBM spent $34 billion to acquired Red Hat. All eyes will be on this conference, and Red Hat's ability to remain nimble with partners and customers. 32. Robin Robins Sales and Marketing Boot Camp 2019 (March 5-8): One of the latest, best-known gathering of SMB partners focused on sales and marketing strategies. 33. RSA Conference 2019 (March 4-8): One of the largest cybersecurity conferences in the United States.
34.SaaStr 2019 (February 5-8): The conference typically attracts 15,000+ SaaS company founders, venture capitalists (VCs) and executives. 35. Salesforce Dreamforce 2019 (November 19-22): Likely the largest vendor-hosted SaaS business conference in the world. 36. SANS 2019 Cybersecurity Training Conference (Multiple Dates): A popular series of conferences focused on skills development and training. 37. SAP Sapphire Now 2019 (May 7-9): SAP's flagship conference is more than an enterprise customer gathering. A major SME partner push will also continue.
38. ServiceNow Knowledge 2019 (May 5-9): One of the fastest-growing events for IT service management — attracting more and more MSPs along the way, particularly from the midmarket and enterprise sectors. 39. SMB TechFest (Multiple Dates): Hosted by Dave Seibert, SMB TechFest is a two-day channel partner and technology conference in Southern California. It's held quarterly. 40. SolarWinds MSP Empower (Multiple Dates): The company's flagship conference for MSPs. Stay tuned for dates and locations. Go to page five for conferences 41 through 50, sorted alphabetically Welcome to page five, featuring conferences 41 through 50, sorted alphabetically Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2019 and beyond is here.
41. Spiceworks SpiceWorld 2019 (September 23-25): A popular gathering for IT professionals that use the Spiceworks IT management platform. 42. Splunk .conf 2019 (October 21-24): Splunk’s tools provide operational intelligence to improve customers’ business performance and cybersecurity. The offerings are increasingly popular with service providers and security-centric MSPs. 43. Synnex Varnex 2019 (Dates to be announced): A popular spring and fall gathering for Synnex partners
44. Tech Data Tech Select (Multiple Dates): A longstanding gathering of Tech Data partners in both the spring and the fall. 45. TruMethods Schnizzfest 2019 (Dates to be announced): The TruMethods team, led by CEO Gary Pica and CTO Bob Penland, host one of the single best MSP gatherings of the year. 46. VeeamOn 2019 (May 21-23): One of the fastest-growing, largest conferences focused on data protection. Mainly a customer conference, but don't overlook the smart Veeam partners -- particularly CSPs -- at the event. 47. VMware VMworld 2019 (August 25-29): Mainly positioned as a customer conference, but there also are plenty of partners on hand at this massive event. Bonus: Don't overlook VMware Partner Leadership Summit, though that's often by invitation only.
48. Workday Rising 2019 (October 14-17): Workday is one of the fastest-growing providers of SaaS-based business management software. The conference attracts customers, developers and partners. 49. XChange 2019 (Multiple Dates): Xchange, hosted by The Channel Company, is one of the best-known conferences for channel partners. 50. ChannelE2E and MSSP Alert Webcasts: Yes, our very own monthly webcasts for ChannelE2E and MSSP Alert readers. Don't forget: The entire ChannelE2E Technology Event Calendar for 2018 and beyond is here.
Conference Dates to be Announced...
In addition to the events above and those listed on our calendar, we're waiting for the following companies to confirm their 2019 event dates and locations:- Carbon Black cb Connect 2019
- CrowdStrike Fal.Con 2019
- Cybereason Deep 2019
- Cylance
- Exabeam
- F8: The Facebook Developer Conference
- FireEye Cyber Defense Summit 2019
- Lenovo Accelerate
- Qualys Cybersecurity Conference
- McAfee MPower
- New Relic FutureStack
- Nutanix Next
- Secureworks Access
