Top 2017 Technology Trade Shows & Events

Technology is infiltrating every aspect of our lives. From the moment we wake up to the moment we get ready for bed, most of us interact with some sort of technology. While I am in the business of face-to-face events, we can’t deny that the explosion in new technologies makes our lives easier while facilitating growth and connectivity in our businesses. Additionally, much of today’s innovation, even in the most traditional industries, is coming from adapting digital technologies to improve on existing products.

With that in mind, I have compiled a list of some of the most popular technology trade shows and events in 2017. You may choose to attend just to expand your knowledge of what’s new in technology, register for a show that is in your industry to network with your peers and learn what is new or decide if you want to exhibit or fund a sponsorship at one of these events. If there is an important tech show I missed, please let me know so we can ensure this list is complete.

1. International Consumer Electronics Show (CES®)
   To take place January 5-8, 2017 – Las Vegas

CES is the most widely known technology business event. In 2017 CES will turn 50 and showcases some tech innovation milestones on its website. People of all walks come from all over the world to see what is new in technology. This show has broadened in the past few years to include other industries that feature innovations using technology.  For instance; sports, automobiles, and even houseware companies now have larger booths at CES.  This show is a great place to see the largest selection of hands-on exhibits featuring emerging innovation. CES 2018 will take place January 9-12, 2018 in Las Vegas.

2. SANS Security East 2017
   January 9-14, 2017 – Hilton New Orleans Riverside

Hands-on, immersion-style security training courses taught by real-world practitioners are offered at SANS Security East 2017.  They also offer the CORE NetWars Tournament as an add-on experience which is a network security challenge to test participants experience and skills in a safe environment.    There are multiple skill ranges available for participants to be tested, challenged and educated all at the same time.

3. ITEXPO 2017
   February 8-10th, 2017 – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

This tech conference connects vendors and resellers in the office technology space. It offers workshops and specialized training into Cloud, software, hardware, mobility and managed services. Get a crash course in project(?) or attend an all-day seminar and learn how to increase ROI as you share best practices with peers.

4. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Software (HIMSS)
   February 19 – 23, 2017 – Orlando

This is one of the top, if not the top, show for Healthcare IT professionals. They provide educational sessions, world class speakers, products, networking and more. The user conference usually has keynotes, over 300 education programs, well over 1,000 healthcare IT vendors exhibiting and about 30,000 attendees. The 2017 event is currently planned for 2/19-2/23 in Orlando.

5. Offshore Technology Conference (OTC)
   May 1-4, 2017 – NRG Park, Houston

OTC is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.

6. National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB)
   April 22-27, 2017 – Las Vegas

This media and entertainment industry show features innovation and cutting-edge technologies and showcases content creation from new and established industry players. The goal of the organization is to improve the quality and profitability of broadcasting, encourage content and tech innovation and provide a forum for the industry to showcase how they serve their communities. Attendees represent broadcasting, digital media, film, entertainment, telecom, post-production, academia, advertising, security, sports, events, online video, IT, augmented reality and more.

7. International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS)
   September 10-15, 2018 – McCormick Place, Chicago

This show happens every other year and serves aerospace, automotive, machine shop, medical and the power generation industries. Co-located with the Industrial Automation North America show, IMTS features the cutting-edge in factory, process, and building automation. This event is the place to see the automation industry’s most innovative solutions and technologies.

8. CEDIA
   September 5-9, 2017 – San Diego Convention Center, San Diego

CEDIA is an international trade association of companies that specialize in designing and installing electronic systems for the home. The CEDIA show is the international trade show for the Residential Custom Electronics Industry where they feature new home technology products, training, and certification programs.

9. FABTECH
   November 6-9, 2017 –McCormick Place, Chicago

FABTECH is the premier fabricating event series across North America. Every year, thousands of manufacturing decision-makers attend these major events to source metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing equipment and products. With well over 1000 exhibiting companies and over 40,000 attendees, this is a show worth attending to meet potential suppliers, see industry innovations and network with peers.

10. InfoComm Conference
    June 14-16, 2017 – Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

InfoComm International is the world’s largest annual professional audio/visual information communications systems conference and exposition. InfoComm serves nearly 1000 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees from all 50 U.S. states and more than 110 countries.

11. Enterprise Connect Expo
    March 27-30, 2017 – Gaylord Palm, Orlando

Enterprise Connect is the leading conference and exhibition for enterprise communications and collaboration in North America.  Produced by UBM Tech, Enterprise Connect brings corporate IT decision makers together with the industry’s vendors, analysts and more. Connect with over 180 exhibitors in enterprise IP Telephony, Converged Networks, and unified communications.

12. ISC West
    April 4-7, 2017 – Sands Expo, Las Vegas

ISC WEST is the largest security industry trade show in the U.S. At ISC West, you will have the chance to meet with technical reps from over 1,000 companies in the security industry and network with over 280,000 security professionals.   There are multiple courses offered to learn about the security industry and a new event focusing on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Unmanned Robotics, and supporting applications.  Also, the Connected Security expo moved to ISC West.

13. SXSW – South by Southwest Conference & Festival
    March 10-19, 2017 – Austin, Texas

The 23rd annual SXSW Interactive Festival returns to Austin from March 10 through Tuesday, March 19, 2017. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, the 2017 event features compelling presentations and panels from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to discover the technology of tomorrow, today.

14. Interop ITX
    May 15-19, 2017– MGM Grand, Las Vegas

Interop returns to host a global headquarters for IT professionals to learn, explore the latest in network infrastructure, leverage the applications and technologies the network supports, elevate their careers and drive business success. Check out their agenda here.

15. Legaltech® East
    Jan 31-Feb 2, 2017 – The Hilton, New York

At Legaltech, law firms and legal departments can get hands-on, practical information for improving their law practice management. Legaltech provides an in-depth look at what the technological world has in store for you and your practice AND offers an expansive exhibit floor with the most extensive gathering of innovative products designed to meet your current and future technology needs.  You can learn how to prepare for the future, including alternatives to traditional legal service providers; discover cloud-based process automation tools and understand how the millennial workforce is expected to affect data privacy and security.

In 2017 Legaltech is also providing a conference in San Francisco on June 12-13^th.

16. Cloud Expo

June 6-8th Javits Center, New York City NY and Oct 31 – Nov 2nd 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara CA

As companies of all sizes embrace cloud computing this is a great show to learn about strategy meet vendors and network with peers.   The event is targeted to senior technologists and business executives as well as product, IT and purchasing managers.  The show includes Keynotes, general training, breakouts and signature panels.  The expo floor has a Demo Theater to view the tech up close.

17. SC16 Conference for High-Performance Computing Networking Storage and Analysis
    November 12-17, 2017 (Exhibition November 13-16) – Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO

Sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society, SC brings together the international supercomputing community; gathering scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, programmers, system administrators and developers. The internationally recognized technical program will include presentations, papers, informative tutorials, research posters and educational sessions. The show will feature the latest technologies and accomplishments from leading vendors, research organizations, and universities. SC16 will be the very first opportunity to learn about many of the technologies that will shape the future of large-scale technical computing and data-driven science.

18. Radiological Society of North America (RSNA®)
    Nov. 26 – Dec. 1, 2017 – McCormick Place, Chicago

RSNA is an international society of radiologists, medical physicists and other medical professionals with more than 54,000 members from 136 countries across the globe. RSNA hosts the world’s premier radiology forum, drawing approximately 55,000 attendees annually to McCormick Place in Chicago and an extensive exhibit hall with top medical equipment companies from around the world.

19. SEMA
    Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2017  – Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas

SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events and networking opportunities. The 2016 SEMA Show drew more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers. The displays are segmented into 12 sections, and a New Products Showcase featured nearly 2,500 newly introduced parts, tools, and components. NOTE: THE SEMA SHOW IS NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

20. RSA Conference 2017
    February 13- 17, 2017 – Moscone Center, San Francisco

Connect with technology, trends, and people working on protecting the digital world in our hyper-connected data-driven world.  This conference includes an expo, educational sessions, learning labs and crowdsourced sessions. In addition to their US show, they hold events in the EMEA region and the Asia-Pacific region.

I did not include private tech events in our list. However, there are many large tech events that are user or vendor conferences which draw hundreds if not thousands of people from all around the world to discuss not just the particular companies that are sponsoring the events and their products, but also provide broader technology education. Some large tech events have become notable in their own right. These include Developer Week, Sapphire Now (SAP), HP Discover, Dreamforce (Salesforce), Dell World, VMworld, Ignite (Microsoft), ad-tech, AWS Summit (Amazon), Cisco Live, IBM Interconnect 2017 , CMS Wire’s DX Summit, etc.

By: Sofia Troutman – December 28, 2016