No one needs to tell you B2B marketing is all about staying sharp, informed and connected. Or that the pace of change you’re facing in 2017 has never been greater. Conferences can be just the ticket, providing the right combination of education and inspiration. Here’s a list of the top B2B events we’ve got our eye on this year, in chronological order, with some hints at what to expect from each:

B2B Marketing Exchange

When:	February 15–17, 2017
Where:	Scottsdale, AZ
Price:	$$$
Web:	b2bmarketing.exchange
Hashtag:	#B2BMX

We know. We had you at “Scottsdale in February.” Now in its 6 ^th year, B2B Marketing Exchange brings together the top thought leaders and practitioners in both content, demand generation, and sales. I like this conference for its goldilocks size (not too big, not too small), and the way it’s evolved to stay relevant (this year, for instance, it has added a dedicated ABM track).

We were there again this year capturing top talks as Keynote Inks™. So whether or not you had the opportunity to attend, now you can re-live the event. Get all 10 Keynote Inks plus eight full speaker presentation video recordings, all in one tight and tidy Uberflip-powered Flipbook.

Marketing Innovation Summit

When:	April 5–6, 2017
Where:	San Francisco, CA
Price:	$$$
Web:	marketinginnovationsummit.com
Hashtag:	#ABMSUMMIT

Is Account-Based Marketing on your 2017 to-do list? (Spoiler: It should be. According to the conference site, 96% of ABM practitioners are seeing “remarkable results.”) If ‘yes,’ the Marketing Innovation Summit by Demandbase is worth the investment. Expect to join more than 700 fellow B2B marketers to discover the latest trends in ABM.

Marketo’s Marketing Nation Conference

When:	April 23–26, 2017
Where:	San Francisco, CA
Price:	$$$
Web:	events.marketo.com/summit/2017
Hashtag:	#MKTGNATION

Hosted by Marketo, this event offers the chance to network and learn from more than 6,000(!) like-minded marketing automation peers, and be inspired by high-caliber keynote speakers. A-list personalities speaking at past Marketing Nation conferences include Hillary Clinton, Will Smith and Arianna Huffington.

Oracle’s Modern Marketing Experience

When:	April 25–27, 2017
Where:	Las Vegas, NV
Price:	$$$
Web:	modernmarketingexperience.com
Hashtag:	#MME17

If you are an Oracle Marketing Cloud customer—or agency partner, as Quarry is—then MME is an annual pilgrimage not to be missed. This year promises dozens of keynote and breakout sessions covering everything from brand experience, data-driven marketing and mobile marketing to (stop me if you’ve heard this one) Account-Based Marketing. Bonus: your ticket to Modern Marketing Experience also gives you access to Oracle’s parallel event, Modern Customer Experience (CX).

The MarTech conference

When:	May 9–11, 2017
Where:	San Francisco, CA
Price:	$$$
Web:	martechconf.com
Hashtag:	#MARTECHCONF

A great fit for those with a foot in the marketing and tech worlds, this vendor-agnostic event covers the latest spectrum of marketing technologies, and how to infuse them in your strategy and operations. Can’t make San Fran in May? This event also runs in Boston in October. Scott Brinker’s new book, Hacking Marketing offers the perfect pre-read for this event. Or get the Coles notes via our recent interview with Scott.

Gartner Digital Marketing Conference

When:	May 10–12, 2017
Where:	San Diego, CA
Price:	$$$
Web:	gartner.com/events/na/digital-marketing
Hashtag:	#GartnerDMC

Under the theme “Managing Change, Risk & Opportunity in the Era of the Empowered Customer,” this year’s agenda is focused on data-driven marketing and putting your customers first. It’s not touted as a B2B-only conference, but with Gartner’s recent acquisition of leading business sales and marketing think tank CEB, we think this one’s going to be worth checking out.

B2B Marketing Leaders forum APAC

When:	May 16–18, 2017
Where:	Sydney, Australia
Price:	$$$
Web:	b2bmarketingleaders.com.au
Hashtag:	#B2BMktgAPAC

Why should the U.S. have all the fun? Now in its second year, this Australian conference features an impressive list of keynote speakers from a healthy cross-section of brands, categories and countries, all in a slightly more intimate group (250-ish). Crikey, I’m feeling homesick just think about it.

SiriusDecisions Summit

When:	May 16–19, 2017
Where:	Las Vegas, NV
Price:	$$$
Web:	siriusdecisionssummit.com
Hashtag:	#SDSummit

Described as an “intensive learning opportunity,” this B2B-focused, four-day event takes you deep into the land of SiriusDecisions best practices with new research, marketplace innovations and real-world case study insights. (Warning: Your brain will hurt from all the great content, advice and frameworks. But trust me, it will be worth it.)

ANA/BMA 2017 Masters of B2B Marketing

When:	May 31–June 2, 2017
Where:	Chicago, IL
Price:	$$$
Web:	marketing.org/conference/show/id/BMAANC2017

I like the single track format of the ANA’s Business Marketing Association annual conference in Chicago, with everyone sharing the same experience. Keynotes this year include “When marketing becomes the growth engine”, “Communicating live in a digital world” and “Get your story straight: how to humanize your product, service or design.” To get a sense of the big ideas shared at this high-caliber event, here’s our recap of 10 of the hottest talks from BMA16.

Ignite 2017 (formerly B2B Market Summit)

When:	June 22, 2017
Where:	London, UK
Price:	$$$
Web:	b2bmarketing.net/en-gb/ignite
Hashtag:	#IGNITEB2B

After eight years growing to become one Europe’s biggest B2B marketing events, this conference has rebranded, promising an even more caffeinated experience. You’re invited to create your own agenda from more than 65 sessions in a packed one-day gathering. Also new this year is an evening reception/awards ceremony.

Uberflip Experience

When:	Aug 22-23, 2017
Where:	Toronto, ON
Price:	$$$
Web:	ufx.uberflip.com/2017
Hashtag:	#UFX2017

Only one year in and Uberflip Experience is already one of my must-attend B2B events of the year. Keeping with Uberflip’s promise to create amazing experiences, #UFX2017 connects marketers with the industry’s brightest minds, promising to pack your mind full of ways to bring your content to the next level. Marketers from the U.S. should consider taking advantage of a strong exchange rate to come up to Toronto. (It’s like getting a built-in discount.) Want to see what you’re in for first? You can re-live last year’s event with #UFX2016 Encore, a free Flipbook complete with full-talk presentation recordings and slides.

Content Marketing World

When:	Sept 5–8, 2017
Where:	Cleveland, OH
Price:	$$$
Web:	contentmarketingworld.com
Hashtag:	#CMW17

Never mind the instant-cool of Mark Hamill as a headline speaker—non-Jedi keynotes include heavy hitters from Digital visionary Mitch Joel to Content guru Ann Handley: part of a packed four days of 80 sessions and workshops. There will be more new content marketing ideas than you can shake an orange stick at!

INBOUND by HubSpot

When:	Sept 25–28, 2017
Where:	Boston, MA
Price:	$$$
Web:	inbound.com
Hashtag:	#INBOUND17

How big is this conference? Last year, more than 19,000 people gathered for more than 300 sessions. This high-profile event weaves work with play, from workshops on inbound strategy and sales to high-octane keynotes from the likes of Serena Williams and Alec Baldwin.

B2B Marketing Forum

When:	Oct 3–6, 2017
Where:	Boston, MA
Price:	$$$
Web:	mpb2b.marketingprofs.com
Hashtag:	#B2BMARKETINGFORUM

Self-described as a “quirky (not so little) conference,” now in its 11 ^th year, this MarketingProfs event promises belly laughs and shenanigans, in addition to loads of fresh thought leadership and workshops. And Ann Handley. (Full disclosure: we love Ann Handley. And shenanigans, for that matter.)

Forrester B2B Marketing 2017

When:	Oct 5-6, 2017
Where:	Austin, TX
Price:	$$$
Web:	events.forrester.com/b2b17
Hashtag:	TBD

B2B Marketing 2017 promises to equip marketers to look past the hype and fads to make the right decisions on people, processes and technologies that will drive client acquisition, retention and revenue growth. And good news is, you don’t need to be a Forrester client to get access to this event and learn from their expert analysts.

CEB Sales and Marketing Summit

When:	Oct 17–19, 2017
Where:	Las Vegas, NV
Price:	$$$
Web:	cebglobal.com/sales-service/sales-marketing-summit.html
Hashtag:	#CEBSummit

Count on the thought leaders at CEB to bridge the often Grand Canyon-like gulf between Sales and Marketing. This conference promises—and always delivers—a fresh understanding of changes in the way B2B customers buy. Quarry has long been a fan of CEB’s thought leadership, enough so that we’ve earned the status of ’ CEB Challenger agency.’