When we started Luxxaro Events it was for one reason: to surround ourselves with the most motivated young people on the planet. There is nothing better than going to a high energy event and bringing home a ton of knowledge, building relationships and having shared experiences with like-minded people. At Luxxaro Events, we don’t like to admit it, but we’re event whores… most of the events below we’ve attended ourselves or at least have had a recommendation from a friend. Take a look at our honest feedback and get out there and make something happen.
Introducing the Top 50 Events for Young Entrepreneurs…
1). CEO National–Imagine what happens when over 1,000 college entrepreneurs get together in one giant convention center for a weekend full of keynotes, workshops and lots of “networking”. The Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization holds a soft spot in our heart as Luxxaro Events was launched in Chicago at this very conference, where we keynoted and threw quite the after party.
2.) SXSW–If you can only get to one conference each year or are launching a startup, you may want to consider SXSW. Austin hosts one the most serious interactive, film and music festivals in the world, but it’s getting a little oversold these days. Be sure to find a place to stay months in advance to guarantee a place to stay.
3.) Big Omaha–This is what SXSW was before the hype. Silicon Prairie is a great location for a conference because unlike swanky events in Johannesburg or Capetown, people actually come to the conference. Last year we completed the experience by sleeping in upper market hotels and lodges in the country.
4.) Startup Weeekend–Want to launch a company in 54 hours? Find a Startup Weekend in your region of the globe, pitch your idea and build a team around it. Go from idea to a hacked together business in a single weekend. “No Talk. All Action.”
5.) Summit Series–While most of the events on this list will be open to the public, this event invites only. Are you scheming to change the world? Then this is the place for you. Richard Branson and NFL Linebacker/Bow-tie entrepreneur Dhani Jones were some of the last in attendance to this laid back environment of people who are truly making it happen.
6.) BarCamp–This is what conferences are supposed to be about: getting together with people who are passionate about what they do. BarCamp is what started the “unconference” craze because of their laid back, agenda-free style, where people just show up to talk about what they want to rally people around. BarCamps have been hosted around the globe.
7.) Techcrunch Disrupt–If you are a tech startup and you want to launch big, this is where you want to do it. Enter into the demo competition and be ready to answer the tough questions. The networking is top notch if you are looking to meet investors, but you’ll pay the price to get in.
8.) Ignite–Check your local city for Ignite events and be ready for a high energy event. Speakers make 5-minute presentations using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds, sharing what they know.
9.) New York Tech Meetup–We love NYTM simply because no other 800 person event can ever have such an intimate feel. This demo-style event, complete with mezzanine seating at NYU sells out quick. Come for excellent technology and New York tech pride–Dennis Crowley and Michael Bloomberg do.
10.) Luxxaro Events Onyc–Yes, we had to. But if you don’t believe in your product, you might as well not be in business. We keep our speakers short and sweet and draw a great crowd for networking all young at heart. Our last meetup featured Alexis Ohanian Co-founder of Reddit who rocked the house.
11.) Launch–This competition not only encourages attendees to couch surf there way to Silcon Valley, but gives opportunities for companies to pitch who have never had any press or are still in private beta. This demo event are where storybook starts take place. Imagine: hacking together your product on the plane, sleeping on floors and going home with funding.
12.) PivotCon–Want to understand where marketing and the social consumer are heading? This is your event. It’s not only startups and Fortune 500s that are pivoting; it’s the entire world.
13.) Web2Expo–Held on both coasts, Web2Expo is known for its killer keynotes. Get the expo hall pass for only R500 and skip the high priced breakout sessions. Watch out for the booth crawl… it’ll get the best of you.
14.) Entrepreneur Week–Our friend Gary Whitehill started Entrepreneur Week in New York and is now bringing it throughout the country. Check out EW to gain access to people you normally wouldn’t be able to have contact with.
15.) Global Entrepreneurship Week–This celebration of entrepreneurship week happens festival style throughout the world. Anyone can organize an event in their city and register it with the Kauffman Foundation. Check out the listings and see what’s going on this November in your region.
16.) Social Media Week–SMWeek happens in select cities across the globe who simultaneously celebrate social media. These gatherings of new media people bring together the thought leaders in the industry in cosmopolitan cities like DC, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo.
17.) Internet Week–Another festival style event, IW draws major sponsors like Yahoo! and Ford. IWNY’s highlight was the “Walkabout Tour”, where all of the city’s startups opened their doors for an afternoon walking tour.
18.) Affiliate Summit–Want to learn the tips and tricks of internet marketing? This bi-coastal conference is filled with people making millions online while drinking pina coladas under palm trees. Enough said.
19.) Tech Cocktails–Since 2006 this event has been a simple community building effort to bring together people in tech in locations across the country. Now, Tech Cocktails has morphed into a full fledged media company run by former head of product at AOL.
20.) Tony Robbins–While Tony my take a lot of flack for having a cult-like following of people who have been transformed by his events, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Andre Agassi all can’t be wrong. Tony’s 6’7” stage presence truly does rock the house.
21). LeWeb–We’re not quite sure how this French conference became so wildly popular, but it draws the best technology entrepreneurs all the way to Paris. The conference’s organizer Loic Le Meur is the founder of Seesmic and has become a rockstar in part due to his involvement with LeWeb.
22.) TEDx–While TED is known for their earth-shattering keynotes by world leaders, the R10k price tag and exclusivity of the event will probably keep you away. Luckily for the rest of us, TEDx events are hosted by local organizers to bring people together to talk about “Ideas Worth Spreading”.
23.) Lean Startup Machine–Surrounding the launch of Eric Ries’ Lean Startup book launch our friend Trevor Owens is perpetuating the movement to find out what your customers really care about. Join the metrics-driven startup competition in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Capetown, and Durban.
24.) BlogWorld Expo–BWE is also held on both coasts and often corresponds with the timing of Techcrunch Disrupt. It has a big convention center feel, and we think that info on social media and blogging is available most anywhere these days, but if you want to speak at an event this is the place to be.
25.) Startup Riot–As bootstrapped entrepreneur events should be, this event brands itself as “affordable, curated events for the startup community.” Held across the country, what we like best is that they claim their event “will make you hate all job fairs.”