Mark Your Calendar: The Most Important Product Management Conferences of 2023
The world of product management never stops. As trends come and go, it can feel like you’re constantly trying to keep up.
Product management has evolved over the past few years to emphasize data-driven decision-making, user-centric design, and agile methodologies. Additionally, the role of product managers has expanded to encompass broader responsibilities including customer success, revenue generation, and team leadership.
Working in such a fast-moving sector is tough. You never know when the next big trend is coming or when you’ll need to switch things up. Keeping track of new developments with the help of resources like the airfocus blog is a great start.
However, if you need more to stay ahead of your competitors, it might be time to visit a product management conference.
Why should you attend product management events?
Attending product management conferences can be a valuable experience and a lot of fun! These events give you the opportunity to network with other product managers from all sorts of companies and industries. This is a great opportunity to make new connections, discover fresh insights from experts outside your area, and build your professional relationships.
Almost all product management events will have keynote speakers, panel discussions, and other events where you can hear from people at the top of their game. They'll share their knowledge and experience with you, so you can learn about the latest trends and best practices in their respective industries. You might even get to try out some new tools or technologies you wouldn't have known about otherwise.
And, of course, attending conferences is a great way to stay inspired, motivated, and grow your career as a product manager.
Let’s see what’s on the product management calendar for 2023.
7 Product management conferences in 2023
1. The European Chief Product Officer Conference
Location: Berlin
Date: March 20-21
Hosted by Product Network Europe and powered by Amplitude, The European Chief Product Officer Conference 2023 gathers CPOs from across the continent for two days of networking and workshops delivered by internationally-known product leaders.
The ECPOC is one of Europe’s biggest product management events, and 2023’s event promises to be more exciting than ever. ECPOC offers a wide range of workshops and networking opportunities for up-and-coming stars and experts in product management.
With 15 experts and thought leaders in the Product world confirmed to speak and more to be announced, ECPOC 2023 is an unmissable event for European product managers.
2. UX & Product Management Case Study Conference
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: April 26-28, 2023
Few countries can put a giant event together as well as the Americans, and product management conferences are no exception. This year’s UX & Product Management Case Study Conference allows attendees to learn, connect, and share with over 800 other digital product professionals.
This year's event will focus on the newest trends in product management, including the power of design intention, designing accessible interfaces, how to build cross-functional teams, and designing in crisis.
3. Women in Product
Location: Virtual
Date: May 9-10, 2023
Women in Product's mission is to "equip women and non-binary folks to thrive in product management careers at all levels,” and over the past eight years, they’ve done exactly that.
This year’s conference, “Build What's Next,” will be focused on the future and disrupting the industry. Attendees can connect with thousands of other powerful and determined product managers from hundreds of companies. They can learn from product leaders, discover new talent, expand their network, and gain new skills.
4. Leading the Product
Location: Sydney, Australia, can also be attended virtually
Date: May 18, 2023
Leading the Product’s mission statement is, "Where product people discover a path to the future."
This year’s Leading the Product conference will be a hybrid experience, allowing anyone from outside Australia to get involved and gather insights from a new market.
The theme this year is “gnarly products,” and attendees can take part in one of two tracks tailored toward their current goals. These tracks are:
Individual track: Covers seven gnarly product problems.
Leaders track: Covers gnarly problems product leaders face.
5. UX Strat
Location: Amsterdam
Date: June 5-7, 2023
UX Strat is a conference explicitly curated for research, design, product, and data science professionals in European countries.
This year's theme is "Creating Business Value Through Design." It’s set to give attendees the opportunity to get to know each other as well as our speakers and sponsors.
Alongside product design strategy and innovation presentations, this event will feature presentations about how to bring sustainability and humanity-centered design into the everyday work context.
6. Mind the Product
Location: San Francisco (June 14, 2023) and London (Oct 20, 2023)
The world's largest product management conference is back and bigger than ever, holding two flagship events yearly. In the summer, Mind the Product will visit San Francisco, giving you a chance to mingle with some of Silicon Valley’s best minds. The conference then heads to jolly old London for another jam-packed event.
Don’t worry if you can’t make the trip this year — you can also attend Mind the Product events virtually!
7. Product at Heart
Location: Hamburg
Date: June 28-30, 2023
Product at Heart is a spin-off regional conference from the people behind Mind the Product.
This year's conference will include a dedicated event for product leaders, hands-on workshops, and their "big conference" on the final day.
Pre-conference events will take place on June 28 & 29 for those looking for the full experience. Product at Heart promises 600+ product people for a day of invaluable insights from some of the biggest names in product, thought-provoking product discussions, and more.
airfocus's top tips for networking at product management conferences
Your first product management conference will be an eye-opening experience, but it’s tough to make the most of it if you aren't prepared. To help you, here are some tips to keep in mind that to get the most out of your product management conference experience.
Ask questions
It’s almost impossible to learn without asking questions. You shouldn’t be afraid to query anything you don’t understand or ask for further clarification on why someone does something a certain way. This is especially important for first-timers to product management events, as you’ll be making first impressions for yourself and your business.
Keep conversations short but meaningful
While you should be talking to others as much as you can, you should be mindful of people’s time. There’s a lot to do at product management conferences, and everyone’s aching to visit everything they possibly can, just like you. With that in mind, try to make sure your conversations are concise but meaningful enough that you leave a great impression on everyone you speak to. General chit-chat is nice, but it’s not really why we go to these events.
Use your existing connections
Depending on how long you’ve worked in the industry, it’s likely you’ll bump into some familiar faces at product management events. Not only is it nice to see old friends, but they also open the door to new business relationships. Use your contacts to expand your network, and make sure to do the same for those friends too!
Stay updated with airfocus
For more insight into all things product management, be sure to check out the rest of the airfocus blog. We’ve got great articles, guides, and other resources to help you keep learning throughout your product management career.
Nouran El-Behairy
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