Virtual conferences are all the rage as we head into 2021

The world of user research was turned on its head in 2020. In-person engagements became impossible overnight and user expectations were changing faster than multinational brands could tweet "We're all in this together".

Many of the most exciting events lined up for 2021 were sadly postponed. As we head into 2021, the outlook is much brighter as many of our favourite events have adopted online platforms for virtual conferences.

Although I'm writing this from December 2020, many of the most exciting events have already sold out their early bird ticket offerings. Book soon to avoid disappointment (from the looks of this list, there's lots of potential disappointment if you miss out!).

This is a living list - as more event organisers add their dates to the calendar, we'll update this post. If you're organising an event and would like to add it to the list, add your details here and we'll get you sorted! Check out the Twitter thread version of this thread here.

User Research Conferences

As of December 2020, most of the UX Research Conferences announced for 2021 are virtual.

QRCA 2021

Summary: QRCA conferences provide immersive opportunities for qualitative professionals to enhance their value through workshops and easy access to support and service providers essential for success. QRCA’s 2021 Annual Conference is the ideal venue to reach leading qualitative practitioners who are seeking resources to maximize the full power of their qualitative. Elite sponsorships add exceptional value in driving interest, increasing top-of-mind awareness and engagement.
Dates: 1-5 February 2021
Location: Online
Price: Starts at $95, increasing from January 4th 2021
Website

UX Lisbon Masters 2021

Summary: 3 days of online learning with UX Masters. Choose from 12 hands-om masterclasses and 2 inspiring keynotes from the greatest industry world-experts and learn from their lifelong knowledge and experience. Masters include Jared Spool (Maker of Awesomeness at Center Centre - UIE), Kim Goodwin (Author of Designing for the Digital Age), Steve Krug (Author of Don’t Make Me Think) and Erika Hall (Author of Just Enough Research).
Dates: 10-12 February 2021
Location: Online
Price: Early bird is already sold out! Standard tickets start at €485.85
Website

UXRConf ANYWHERE 2021

Summary: The world's largest UX Research conference, organised by UXR Collective. Speakers haven't been announced yet but I am EXTREMELY excited for this one after UXRConf Anywhere 2020.
Dates: 24-26 February 2021 (11am to 6pm EST)
Location: Online
Price: Starts at $114.90
Website

The UX Conference

Summary: Organised by The School of UX, the UX Conference features how-to demos in the morning, hands-on workshops in the afternoon, in the safety of your home. Day 1 focuses on UX while day 2 is more UI design focused.
Dates: 1-2 March 2021
Location: Online
Price: Starts at £101.56 for live access
Website

Advancing Research 2021

Summary: Advancing Research is a Rosenfeld Media virtual conference, created by researchers for researchers. The curation team interviewed industry thought leaders to identify three important opportunities to advance the practice of research: (1) Advancing the field, (2) Advancing practitioners and teams, and (3) Advancing the business impact.
Dates: 10-12 March 2021
Location: Online
Price: Early bird one-day tickets start at $495
Website

Design Research 2021

Summary: A three-day virtual event dedicated to design research – from planning and conducting, to analysis and use. This event includes 3 mornings of conference presentations followed by afternoons of workshops. The conference is hosted by UX Australia and will be focused on the Australian design research community, with presentations by local and overseas speakers and opportunities to share experiences with each other. It's aimed at a range of attendee types, with a particular focus on researchers and designers.
Dates: 17–19 March 2021
Location: Online
Price: Early bird tickets are sold out already, standard tickets are available at AU$500
Website

UX Copenhagen

Summary: UX Copenhagen is Denmark’s most inspirational human experience conference, covering subjects like user experience, content, strategy, and research under a new theme for each year. They have planned two days filled with superb content from 20+ speakers, hands-on workshops, inspiration, networking, new knowledge, and new insights. The theme for UX Copenhagen 2021 is “Commoning”.
Dates: 25-26 March 2021
Location: Online
Price: 4000 Danish Krones (approx. $650 USD)
Website

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UX Istanbul

Summary: UXistanbul is the first International User Experience and Usability Conference in Turkey and they have been gathering UX professionals from leading companies together for the past 6 years. The virtual UXistanbul 2021 will bring together sector professionals alongside digital workshops aimed to inspire growth through sharing and connecting.
Dates: 6-8 April 2020
Location: Online
Price: €79 + VAT
Website

Front Utah

Summary: Front is a UX & Product Management Case Study Conference. Taking place in person this Spring in Salt Lake City, the conference brings together with over 1,000 professionals, the talented people influencing organizations around the world and changing the way the industry looks at digital products and the way people use them.
Dates: 7-9 April 2021
Location: Salt Lake City
Price: Starts at $500 with discounts for groups available
Website

UX Research ✹ LIVE ✹

Summary: UX Research LIVE is a 3-day online programme for Researchers, Heads of Design and Product Managers diving deeper into different research approaches – from Atomic Research to structuring ResearchOps and building insight-driven culture.
Dates: 13-15 April 2021
Location: Online
Price: Full price – £499 (Special price for the first 100 sign-ups at £399).
Website

The BAD Conference

Summary: The BAD Conference is the world’s largest online behaviour and design event. It’s going to be webcasting some of the world’s leading UX Psychologists and Researchers direct to your home, to talk about implementation of Behavioural Psychology into User Research and Design. The ambition is to create a dialogue within the User Experience community about Psychology, making the human the centre of the design process.
Dates: 14-15 April 2021
Location: Online
Price: Ticket are £119 but the price will be increasing to £139 soon
Website

North America #gamesUR Summit

Summary: The gamesUR Summit is centred around Games User Research and User Experience, which looks at players’ psychology and their behavior via techniques such as playtesting, analytics, expert analysis, UX design, and others. If you're a User Researcher in the gaming industry or interested to learn how to adopt elements of gaming into your work, I've been told that this is a must-attend event.
Dates: 20-21 May 2021
Location: Online
Price: They haven't released tickets yet, keep an eye on their website for more info
Website

UX Y’all

Summary: UX Y’all is a virtual user experience conference held September 23 & 24. The conference aims to celebrate the North Carolina Triangle area, with its diverse and growing design and technical scene.
Dates: 23-24 September 2021
Location: Online
Price: Starts at $49
Website

CanUX

Summary: CanUX is a four day showcase off modern experience design trends. It's Canada's biggest UX event of the year with over 500 attendees and 20 speakers. CanUX features hands-on workshops and a world-class mix of amazing presentations alongside a whole range of opportunities to find inspiration, learn, exchange ideas and make new Canadian friends!
Dates: 4-7 November 2021
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Price: Tickets haven't been released yet, but they start at $399 CAD + tax
Website

UX Brighton 2021

Summary: This is the 10th year of UX Brighton, a one-day conference for people in product management, ux, research and design will gather to discover what we have to learn from one another. Learn new approaches and glean fresh insights that will bring solid benefits for you, your colleagues and your clients.
Dates: 5 November 2021
Location: Brighton Dome, UK
Price: Early bird tickets start at £145 with group discounts available
Website

User Research Conferences - TBC

If nothing so far has caught your eye or you just have such a big appetite for user research goodness, fear not, as there is a whole roster of other great events still to be confirmed for 2021.

User Research London - Planning for Summer 2021 (website)

X4: The Experience Management Summit by Qualtrics - Planning for Fall 2021 (website)

EPIC2021 Ethnography - TBC (website)

dscout’s People Nerds - TBC

User Research Atlanta - TBC (website)

UserTesting Human Insight World 2021 - TBC (website)

UX New Zealand - TBC (website)

Global Experience Summit - TBC (website)

DesignUp - TBC (website)

User Research and Insights Summit - TBC (website)

DRS2021 - TBC (website)

Other interesting conferences - Announced

Whether it's general UX Conferences, Product Management Summits or Design Research Meetups, there is a whole bucketload of events to keep you on the edge of your seat in 2021. Check out this ultimate list of UX Research generalist conferences:

FusionConf UX @ HOME EDITION

Summary: FusionConf is a quarterly mini-conference focused on the Charlotte tech community.
Dates: 15 January 2021
Location: Online
Price: $49 (with discounts for students and teachers)
Website

NN/g UX Conference

Summary: NN/g's UX Conference is a series of live virtual courses about UX best practices, proven methods, and hands-on exercises led by NN/g experts and world-class invited speakers. Choose from 31 different UX topics, all of which are 100% live with interaction and Q&A between instructors and peers. You also get membership to NN/g's UX Slack Community, a UX Certificate and a mini-keynote on "UX 2050" by Jakob Nielsen as a kickoff event before the main conference.
Dates: 23 January - 5 February 2021 (Pacific), 20-26 February 2021 (West), 15-26 March 2021 (US/EU/ME timezones)
Location: Online
Price: Each course runs for 2 half days, pick up to 7 courses starting at $791
Website: Pacific, West, US/EU/ME timezones

Interaction21: Design in Perilous Times

Summary: Another heavy-hitter on the annual event calendar, Interaction Week is happening online in 2021 for the first time (making it more accessible and global than ever). Engage in conversations about the perils in our world today, what led us to this place and inspiring solutions to dramatically change our path forward. Their amazing speaker line-up will delve into the themes of anger, accountability and action.
Dates: 31 January - 5 February 2021
Location: Online
Price: $500 for a regular ticket, with discounts available for groups and students, plus bonus options for specific workshops
Website

Where UX and Content Strategy Come Together - IxDA Atlanta

Summary: Interaction Design Association Atlanta and Content Marketing Atlanta are welcoming Scott Kubie (Independent Design Consultant and Author, Writing for Designers) for a short presentation and interactive Q&A about the impact of content on UX, the content roles that are critical for the success of a digital team, and various content disciplines that encompass the field.
Dates: 16 February 2021 (6:30pm - 8:30pm EST)
Location: Online
Price: Freeeeeeeeeeeee!!
Website

World Information Architecture Day 2021

Summary: World Information Architecture Day is a one-day annual celebration held in dozens of locations across the globe. Over 226 talks are currently planned.
Dates: 27 February 2021
Location: Various
Price: Watch for free online
Website

Canvas Conference

Summary: Canvas Conf is a multi-day gathering of product people sharing insider stories. The conference is about digital product and experience with a focus on sharing actionable insights from makers, to makers.
Dates: 15-18 March 2021
Location: Online
Price: starts at $191.02
Website

An Event Apart Spring Summit

Summary: Online Together: Spring Summit is a three-day web design conference with an intense focus on digital design, UX, content, code, and more—featuring 15+ in-depth sessions, Q&A with the speakers, and more. You'll get deep insights into where we are now and where things are going next.
Dates: 19-21 April 2021
Location: Online
Price: Starts at $350
Website

IAC21 Anywhere

Summary: The Information Architecture Conference is back in 2021 with the theme of "Emergence". How can society ascend from the destruction, fear and uncertainty of 2020 to forge a new vision for our community? Bring an open-mind and your collaboration hat to IAC21 to find out.
Dates: 28-30 April 2021
Location: Online
Price: $249 USD for the main conference, workshop tickets also available
Website

CHI 2021

Summary: The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is the leading international conference on Human-Computer Interaction. CHI (pronounced ‘kai’ - if you were saying it wrong, you weren't the only one) is a place where researchers and practitioners gather from across the world to discuss the latest in interactive technology. It's considered the most prestigious event in the field of HCI and attracts thousands of international attendees annually. This year's theme is "Making Waves, Combining Strengths."
Dates: 8-13 May 2021
Location: Online
Price: Nothing revealed as of yet, keep your eyes pealed on their site for updates
Website

Cumulus Roma Conference - Design Cultures

Summary: The conference aims to foster the international debate on the current cultural, social, and economic challenges in design. The working title of the Conference is “Design Culture(s)" with the aim of mapping the most advanced research and education in design by reflecting on the idea of design as a form of culture, while drawing its field and opening to new directions.
Dates: 8-11 June 2021
Location: Sapienza University of Rome (with a virtual ticket option also available)
Price: Range from €200 to €500 for early bird tickets (available until Jan 31st)
Website

An Event Apart DC

Summary: An Event Apart DC is a three-day conference with an intense focus on digital design, UX, content, code, and more, giving you deep insights into where we are now and where things are going next.
Dates: 12-14 July 2021
Location: Washington DC, USA
Price: Starts at $600
Website

Product Design Week 2021

Summary: Get inspiration for your current projects and advice on how to build a design team of your dreams. Find out the secrets of what makes products successful and what mistakes companies made when they were building new services. During a whole week, you’ll immerse yourself into London's tech and creative industry exploring the hottest trends and latest inventions. You will have a chance to meet the teams behind the most ground-breaking products and learn how they approach design and UX strategy, work with clients and improve their services.
Dates: 24-27 August 2021
Location: London, UK (30 spots available)
Price: £2,200
Website

An Event Apart Orlando

Summary: An Event Apart Orlando is a three-day conference with 17 sessions and an intense focus on digital design, UX, content, code, and more, giving you deep insights into where we are now and where things are going next.
Dates: 30 August - 1 September 2021
Location: Orlando, Florida
Price: Starts at $600
Website

(Note: Interested in quantifying your user’s biggest problems? Use our solution, OpinionX, to stack rank customer problems and understand what matters to them most. Try it for free!)

UX Strat USA

Summary: Focused on design strategy and innovation, UX STRAT brings together experienced design and product professionals from around the world to share methodologies, innovations, and tools focused on strategic design and innovation. They are one of the few in-person events on the list for 2021, but they have a "no-risk policy that allows simple ticket transfers if plans change before the event" that makes it an even more appealing offer (plus, who wouldn't fancy a trip to Colorado!).
Dates: 13-15 September 2021
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Price: $495 for workshops only, $990 for the conference only, $1,485 for both
Website

Savvy UX Summit 2021

Summary: Savvy UX Summit 2021 is a 3-day summit that provides knowledgeable keynotes featuring industry experts from Google, HP, LEGO, Sony Music Entertainment, Three UK, JPMorgan Chase & Co., UXPA, Super User Studio and more. Last year they had over 1,000 attendees from over 70 countries.
Dates: 17-19 September 2021
Location: Online
Price: $35 - 99 USD
Website

UXConf Brazil

Summary: UXConf Brazil is the biggest Brazilian event on Design for User Experience, with over 32 speakers ALREADY confirmed for their September 2021 conference.
Dates: 24-25 September 2021
Location: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Price: R$ 769.00 (approx. $150 USD)
Website

An Event Apart Denver

Summary: An Event Apart Denver is a three-day conference with an intense focus on digital design, UX, content, code, and more, giving you deep insights into where we are now and where things are going next
Dates: 11-13 October 2021
Location: Denver, Colorado
Price: Starts at $600
Website

An Event Apart San Francisco

Summary: An Event Apart San Francisco is a three-day conference with an intense focus on digital design, UX, content, code, and more, giving you deep insights into where we are now and where things are going next.
Dates: 13-15 December 2021
Location: San Francisco, California
Price: Starts at $600
Website

Other interesting conferences - TBC

Lastly, here are a handful of conferences that have yet to announce dates that I'll be keeping an eye out for:

Interaction Latin America, Interaction Design - TBC (website)

MidwestUX - TBC (website)

Service Design Fringe Festival - TBC (website)

UXPA International, User Experience Professionals Association - TBC (website)

ConveyUX - TBC (website)

UXHongKong - TBC (website)

UX Thailand - TBC (website)

World Interaction Design Day - TBC (website)

This is a living list. If you have a conference, summit, event, meetup or get-together of some kind that you would like to add, simply fill in this form and I'll email you once it has been added.

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This list has been packaged as a beautiful little Twitter thread, if you feel like spreading the word with a retweet:

✌️ — Daniel Kyne, CEO of OpinionX