You know what they say: Keep your friends close and your competition closer.
What better way to learn about the customer experience (CX) than by discussing it with others aiming for the same goals?
Customer experience conferences are must-attend opportunities. They help you network with industry experts, grow professionally, and learn best practices for everything from creating customer support strategies to monitoring CX metrics.
But with so many CX events to choose from, how do you know which ones are actually worthwhile? That’s easy—just check out this list of the ten best customer experience conferences.
What is a customer experience conference?
Customer experience conferences let CX professionals get out of their cozy bubbles and explore what other industry experts are doing to improve customer journeys. They are remarkable hubs for exploring how businesses can elevate all customer service touchpoints to improve brand-customer relationships and refine marketing campaigns.
Typically, these conferences are led by CX leaders who discuss automation strategies, review recent advancements in customer service, and discuss best practices. They’ll also share insights into the future of customer experiences. In short, these conferences may be just what you need to stay ahead of the curve in your industry.
What are the main benefits of attending customer experience conferences?
As a business owner, it’s normal to wonder if CX conferences are worth the price. After all, some require significant time and money investments, but their benefits are far greater than any costs you may incur.
They can help elevate your customer service strategy by providing valuable insights from CX professionals, as well as exposing you to the latest tools and best practices. Let’s take a deeper look at how these events can benefit you.
Gaining industry insights
CX conferences are a hub for the latest industry trends, research, and case studies, as they’re essentially composed of CX professionals. This helps you learn what others are doing and gives you ideas on strategies you can implement in your business to keep you at the same level or even ahead of your competitors.
Besides meeting other CX professionals, you can also interact with thought leaders and innovators who may have new ideas for improving customer relationships. This can provide a competitive edge in your niche.
Eighty percent of customers admit to switching brands after a single bad experience. So, positioning yourself as a customer-centric company may be exactly what you need to support your customer retention efforts.
Networking opportunities
Customer experience conferences let you meet and interact with peers, industry innovators, and mentors who can help you think outside the box and grow professionally. What more could a forward-thinking professional want, right?
You can build valuable connections at these events if you strategize and plan ahead using these tips:
- Prepare an elevator pitch highlighting your value proposition: Ideally, your pitch should be no more than 30 seconds long, as you’ll likely only have a few minutes to talk with each connection.
- Engage with speakers and other attendees beforehand: This way, they can set some time aside to talk to you at the conference. Social media platforms are great places to find them and reach out.
- Be approachable: Don’t spend all your time seated or glued to your phone during conference breaks. Instead, walk around and talk to your peers. You never know who you’ll meet at these events!
- Stay in touch: Networking doesn’t end when the conference is over. Reach out to potential partners or mentors afterward to preserve your connections.
Exposure to new tools or technologies
Wondering how you can leverage technology in your customer experience strategies? CX events are the perfect places to find out. They allow professionals to get hands-on experience with the latest CX tools and technologies, helping them automate and improve their customer experience processes.
Many brands use these conferences to showcase revolutionary new technologies. For example, Adobe introduced some groundbreaking AI advancements during the 2023 Adobe Summit. Because of the company’s innovation, businesses can now leverage AI to provide more personalized customer experiences.
10 conferences for customer experience strategies
Now that you know the whys of CX conferences, let’s look at some top customer experience conferences. Here are the options to consider this year:
(Note: All conferences mentioned below were found during our online research for this article.)
1. Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit
The Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit 2024 will take place April 29–30 at the Radisson Red Hotel & Conference Centre in London and September 9–10 at the Deansgate Hotel in Manchester.
As its name suggests, the conference will empower contact center and customer service professionals with modern solutions to streamline their CX strategies.
This conference is beneficial for CX professionals as it will expose them to innovative technologies and facilitate seamless networking. It’s unique because it’ll only feature 60 guests, allowing each attendee some one-on-one time with peers, speakers, and solution providers.
Should you attend, you can look forward to lively discussions and interactive seminars. Professionals like Balroop Bhogal, a senior solutions engineer at Freshworks, and Sally Greenaway, the director of customer experience at PremierCX, will also provide their insights.
2. Customer Contact Week (CCW)
The Customer Contact Week event is scheduled for June 3–6 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference’s main themes include customer experience and engagement, emerging technology, and industry insights and best practices.
With 5,000 expected guests, 250 speakers, and 195 sessions, this event is perfect for CX professionals looking for networking opportunities and growth in their industries.
The event promises a unique experience for attendees with a diverse set of speakers, from seasoned executives of popular brands to startup entrepreneurs and industry thought leaders.
3. Customer Experience for Financial Services (CXFS)
If you’re in the financial industry, the Customer Experience for Financial Services conference is the perfect place to gain valuable insights on CX. The event is expected to take place July 15–16 at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts.
Some key themes include building inclusive and diverse customer experiences, leveraging AI in CX, and promoting team collaboration.
It’s a unique experience for CX professionals in the finance industry, allowing them to interact and network with like-minded individuals. It will include speakers from reputable institutions like Chase Travel, JP Morgan, and Mastercard, enabling business owners to learn from some of the most successful CX experts.
4. Qualtrics X4 Summit
The Qualtrics X4 Summit is a revolutionary meeting of the minds planned for May 1–3 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Business leaders and CX professionals are expected to share insights on everything from CX strategies to market research to employee experience management.
It’s a valuable opportunity for CX professionals. The event not only includes keynote sessions from remarkable speakers like Michelle Obama and Steve Squeri but also provides hands-on labs. Attendees will receive insights from leading companies and learn new skills to improve their processes.
5. CX Travel & Hospitality Exchange
The CX Travel & Hospitality Exchange is a premier conference expected to take place September 9–10 at Hilton Syon Park, London. It will explore a diverse range of topics, from leveraging cloud solutions in hospitality to developing high-quality customer experiences amid sustainability and cost issues.
If you secure an invite to the event, it’s guaranteed to offer valuable customer insights. You’ll also gain powerful networking opportunities, as you’ll brush shoulders with experts from a wide variety of reputable brands in your niche.
6. Forrester CX Summit North America
Looking forward to networking with digital business leaders? The Forrester CX Summit North America is precisely the event for you. It’ll take place July 17–20 in Nashville, Tennessee, and explore distinct CX topic areas.
Agenda items include the impact of human + AI on customer experiences, the influence of CX on business, and how enterprises can boost customer loyalty with CX.
It will feature a wide range of session formats to cater to different attendees’ learning styles and allow professionals to gain insights from industry leaders and Forrester analysts. If you attend, you can look forward to over 60 role-based sessions specially designed to meet guests’ needs.
7. HubSpot INBOUND
HubSpot INBOUND is the ideal conference for CX teams and marketing and sales professionals looking to elevate their personal and professional development. Hosted by leading inbound marketing and sales software company, HubSpot, the event will take place in Boston, Massachusetts, September 18–20.
Its focus lies in the latest trends in customer service, marketing, sales, AI, search engine optimization, and more. For CX professionals, this is an excellent opportunity to gain actionable insights into customer experiences and related business aspects.
Attendees can look forward to talks from industry-leading speakers, over 180 sessions, and access to a global community of like-minded professionals.
8. Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference (MAICON)
As you can already tell from its name, the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference focuses on AI in marketing and CX. The event is scheduled for September 10–12 at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland in Ohio.
It’s suitable for both technical and non-technical audiences interested in understanding the future of AI and how to leverage current innovations to improve business processes. While the conference has yet to finalize this year’s speaker lineup, previous years’ events give a pretty good idea of what to expect.
If you attend, you’ll assess AI case studies and methodologies with experts from leading tech companies to gain CX insights. You can also look forward to networking opportunities with next-generation marketers to inform digital transformation strategies.
9. Adobe Summit
The Adobe Summit 2024 is scheduled for March 26–28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This digital customer experience conference aims to offer insights into generative AI, CX personalization at scale, and marketing ROI maximization.
The event is invaluable for CX teams, as it’ll allow them to gain insights from Adobe experts and global brands like Delta Air Lines and Pfizer.
This conference stands out because it’s available both in person and online for interested individuals unable to make the trip to Las Vegas. Whichever way you attend, you can expect over 200 inspiring sessions to enhance your CX knowledge base.
10. Content Marketing World
Interested in networking with and learning from leading content and brand marketing experts? The Content Marketing World 2024 event, expected to take place October 22–23 in San Diego, California, is the perfect fit for you.
While the organizers have yet to finalize the program, the event is expected to discuss various topics, from visual storytelling to AI in marketing and everything in between.
This is a can’t-miss event for anyone looking for ways to enhance customer satisfaction in their content strategies. If you attend, you can look forward to over 150 sessions packed with expert advice from global marketing specialists.
Make the most of your upcoming customer experience conferences
CX conferences are valuable for business owners and customer experience professionals interested in enhancing professional development and staying ahead in the industry. They facilitate interactions with industry thought leaders and peers who can help improve your CX strategies and boost customer satisfaction.
After a conference, Bitly’s link-tracking capabilities can help you make the most of your new insights and knowledge. With Bitly Analytics, you can monitor customer engagement, highlight your top-performing links, and identify the most effective CX strategies.
Sign up for a Bitly plan today for actionable insights to elevate your customer experience strategy.
