The Best UX Conferences in 2023 & 2024
Are you a product manager looking to keep your knowledge fresh in the ever-evolving world of user experience? Or a product designer wanting to stay ahead of the curve and the competition? If so, there’s really no better way to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest trends, techniques, best practices, and thought leadership than by attending the best UX conferences coming up in 2023 and 2024.
It doesn’t just give you a chance to network with industry leaders and your peers, but it’s also one of the best ways to gain valuable insights that can revolutionize the way you approach your product work.
Of course, the physical ones are also a great chance to get free swag. I know my supply of notepads and laptop stickers could do with a refresh!
But there are other good reasons for attending UX conferences if you’re a forward-thinking product person:
Why you should attend a UX conference or two
Innovation and inspiration galore
UX conferences are hubs of creativity and innovation, buzzing with fresh ideas and cutting-edge concepts. They’re always pretty immersive and that really helps you to break away from your day-to-day and get some space to think – dare I say it – ‘outside the box’.
With workshops, presentations, and interactive sessions led by some of the brightest minds in the industry, you’re bound to leave with a brain full to the brim with innovative strategies and approaches for you to implement in your product.
Your network is your net worth
Rubbing shoulders with industry leaders, seasoned professionals, and like-minded UX geeks can open doors you didn’t even know existed. UX conferences are a great place to make some sweet connections that could help you build your professional network, and even find potential collaborators for your next big project… or even a side hustle or two.
Stay up-to-date with the latest trends
UX never stops moving, and new technologies and trends emerge at a rapid pace. Attending UX conferences will keep you updated on the latest tools, techniques, and methodologies that are shaping the user experience landscape.
From AI-driven interfaces to immersive virtual reality experiences, you’ll get a comprehensive overview of what’s hot and what’s not in the world of UX.
Skilling up
With a plethora of workshops, masterclasses, and hands-on training sessions, UX conferences are a great place to sharpen up those skillz (intentional z, don’t @ me).
Whether you’re looking to polish your design skills, improve your understanding of user behavior, or learn about the latest prototyping tools, you can often join a specialized session or workshop on whatever interests you most.
Get Inspired
There’s nothing quite like the energy of a room filled with passionate and like-minded UXers who get their kicks out of creating exceptional user experiences. These are good people.
Their stories of success, the lessons from their failures, and the collective passion for creating meaningful products can be a great pick-me-up to help you remember why you love this work. Attending these conferences might just reignite your passion and give you the motivation you need to tackle your next big project.
Now that you know what you’ll be missing if you don’t turn up, here’s our curated list of the most exciting upcoming conferences in 2023 and 2024 that you definitely shouldn’t miss.
Note: Prices are presented in the local currency (or US Dollars when provided) and are correct at the time of publishing.
The top upcoming UX conferences of 2023 and 2024
November 2023
UX Brighton 2023
When: 3 November 2023
Where: Brighton, UK
Tickets: Student: £65.00 + VAT, Last Chance: £250.00 + VAT
Website
Why you should go: We’ll be there! Come say hi at our stand, and delve into the details of how we can help you solve your product management challenges.
Other than us being there (as if you need a better reason!) UX Brighton is always filled with innovative talks and viewpoints that will challenge your preconceptions about UX and design.
Our very own Janna Bastow delivered a keynote here last year and was a massive fan of the vibe. Brighton is a very cool place and the design community is strong.
This year the focus is on encouraging creative thinking and innovation and features impressive industry names like Dr Elizabeth Churchill, Senior Director of UX at Google.
Leading Design London
When: 8-9 November 2023
Where: London, UK
Tickets: Last Chance: £1595 + VAT
Website
Why you should go: Hosted by Clearleft, this UX conference is specifically tailored for people in design leadership positions and is particularly helpful for people stepping up to a new leadership role. This year’s impressive lineup includes Eric Snowden, VP of Design at Adobe.
ReOps Conference
When:16 November 2023
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Student: $39, Regular: $79
Website
Why you should go: More focused on research, this conference is ideal if you’re looking for ways to learn about the more data-driven side of UX. This year’s key topics include recruiting in different contexts and countries, knowledge management in regulated industries, whether you’re upscaling or downscaling, stakeholder management, and different ways of working both in your team and cross-functionally.
Design in Product
When: 29 November – 1 December
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Conference: $449, Workshop: $895, Conference/Workshop Bundle: $1245
Website
Why you should go: This conference is specifically for design professionals working in the Product world, and provides a wealth of resources and vital knowledge about how UX folks can approach, understand, and explain their work in Product terms to help them really make a difference.
January 2024
UX360 Research Virtual
When: 30-31 January 2024
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Early: $99 to $199, Regular: $299
Website
Why you should go: Another research-focused conference, UX360 is all about keeping up to date with the latest in UX and design research from luminaries in the UX research field. The organizers want to provide a space for UX researchers like you to improve your skill set, meet and greet with your peers, and get inspired to improve your own research practices.
Design Matters Mexico
When: 31 January – 1 February 2024
Where: Mexico City, Mexico & Virtual
Tickets: Online: $149, In-person: $299
Website
Why you should go: This socially conscious conference is a must for anyone working in a Latin American context, especially as one of the main themes this year is ‘From Latin America With Love’. The speakers will demonstrate the influence heritage and ancestral knowledge can have on design and tech, and why that matters. They will also be looking at how we can move towards “a future where design is the driving force behind sustainability and social responsibility”.
February 2024
Axe-con
When: 20-22 February 2024
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Free
Website
Why you should go: If you’re looking for ways to improve the accessibility of your design work, then look no further. This year’s topics include accessibility in development, accessibility in design, and organizational success with accessibility. There’s no better place to learn about accessibility best practices from the leaders in the field.
March 2024
Leading Design New York
When: 20-21 March 2024
Where: New York, USA
Tickets: $1,495 to $1,995
Website
Why you should go: The US-based iteration of Leading Design’s UX conferences. If you don’t want to head over the pond for their London conference, then you’ll have just as useful a time here, learning about the best ways to nail your design leadership role.
UX Copenhagen
When: 20-21 March 2024
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark
Tickets: In-person: DKK 6,500, Virtual: DKK 3,000
Website
Why you should go: This year’s theme is ‘Degrowth and Consumerism’ It’s all about breaking our track record of harmful production and development processes. And why consumerism has to amend its ways to ensure the survival of the world as we know it. As the closing keynote speaker said last year, “There is no planet B.”
April 2024
UXinsight Festival
When: 15-17 April 2024
Where: Breda, Netherlands & Virtual
Tickets (2023 prices): Online: €150, In-person: €400 to €1,200
Website
Why you should go: This year’s theme and line-up are yet to be announced – however, if you’ve got a passion for UX research, and how it can be used to not just make better products, but also help people, then this conference will be sure to inspire you.
May 2024
UX360 Research Europe
When: 16-17 May 2024
Where: Berlin, Germany
Tickets: Early bird: €695, Regular ticket: €895
Website
Why you should go: Having swiftly risen to be one the most popular virtual UX conferences since its 2022 launch, 2024 will see the inaugural in-person event for UX360. If you’d rather be boots-on-the-ground instead of attending the virtual conference in January, this is your chance to get the same insights from global thought leaders in the field, with the added bonus of networking and sharing tips with similarly-minded UX pros.
June 2024
Config
When: TBA (21-22 June 2023)
Where: San Francisco, USA & Virtual
Tickets (2023 price): $499
Website
Why you should go: This one comes personally recommended by ProdPad’s own Product Designer Ira Bolshakova, who loves the great range of speakers covering a plethora of important topics, as well as the product announcements made at the conference.
August 2024
UX Nordic
When: 28-29 August 2024
Where: Aarhus, Denmark
Tickets (2023 prices: Online: €275, Regular: €495, Workshop: €850
Website
Why you should go: UX Nordic focuses on providing UX professionals with hands-on experience and knowledge in their talks and workshops. While this year’s agenda is still in the works, they want to provide you with actionable ideas from leading experts, such as last year’s keynote speaker Tobias Bjerrome Ahlin, Principle Design Engineer at GitHub, and Kelly Dern, Senior Product Designer at Google.
September 2024
Disco Conf
When: TBA (Last dates – 19 Sept 2023)
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Free
Website
Why you should go: Disco Conf is a free UX and product design conference that aims to help you learn how a creative, discovery-focused mindset can help you in your product design work. Last year’s speakers include our friend Product Design Coach Tim Herbig, and Sharanya Ravichandran, VP of Design at JPMorgan Chase.
October 2024
UXDX EMEA
When: 16-18 October 2024
Where: Dublin, Ireland & Virtual
Tickets: Online: €199, In-person: €499 to €2,999
Website
Why you should go: The largest and most popular of UXDX’s global range of conferences, the stated focus is on the shift from projects to product teams, and how all the different stakeholders in a product team can come together to work towards common goals.
Let us know your favorite UX Conference!
Hopefully, something on our shortlist of the best UX conferences speaks to the challenges you are facing in your work, or areas that you want to grow in. Let us know what experiences you’ve had, and share your favorites with us in the comments below so we can make sure this list includes all the most important UX conferences to attend in 2023 and 2024.
And don’t forget to come say hi to members of the ProdPad team at UX Brighton this year!