Upcoming AI and UX Innovation Conferences
The best ideas rarely stay inside one company or one discipline. Conferences are where the AI, UX, and design community comes together to share what is working, what is next, and what still needs to be built. We curated this list of upcoming AI and UX innovation conferences so you can plan your learning, your speaking submissions, and your travel with intention. This guide is maintained by the Nivan team and updated regularly.
Conferences and events worth knowing
| Conference | Date | City | Format | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Half of 2026 | ||||
| HCI International 2026 | July 26 to 31, 2026 | Montreal, Canada | Hybrid | Learn more |
| UX Australia 2026 | August 27 to 28, 2026 | Sydney, Australia | In-person | Learn more |
| UXCon Vienna 2026 | September 16 to 17, 2026 | Vienna, Austria | Hybrid | Learn more |
| HATCH Conference 2026 | September 16 to 18, 2026 | Berlin, Germany | In-person | Learn more |
| Future Product Days 2026 | September 22 to 24, 2026 | Copenhagen, Denmark | In-person | Learn more |
| The AI Conference 2026 | September 29 to October 1, 2026 | San Francisco, USA | In-person | Learn more |
| UXCON26 | October 8, 2026 | Silver Spring, USA | In-person | Learn more |
| FuseCon 2026 | October 14 to 15, 2026 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | In-person | Learn more |
| PUSH UX 2026 | October 22 to 23, 2026 | Munich, Germany | In-person | Learn more |
| EPIC2026 | October 26 to 28, 2026 | Chicago, USA | In-person | Learn more |
| UX Sofia 2026 | November 11 to 13, 2026 | Sofia, Bulgaria | In-person | Learn more |
| Looking Ahead to 2027 | ||||
| ConveyUX 2027 | February 2027 | Seattle, USA | Hybrid | Learn more |
| SXSW 2027 | March 2027 | Austin, USA | In-person | Learn more |
| CHI 2027 | 2027 | Pittsburgh, USA | In-person | Learn more |
| UX London 2027 | Early June 2027 | London, UK | In-person | Learn more |
How to find what is on next
Conference dates move year to year, so the most reliable approach is to follow the organizers directly. Subscribe to the mailing lists or follow the social accounts of the events above, and watch for their calls for speakers if you want to present. Local design and UX communities also share upcoming events with their members, which is often where you hear about smaller gatherings before they fill up.
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You can attend as a guest, submit a talk through a call for speakers, volunteer with a local design organization, or sponsor an event. Attending once is the easiest start, and submitting a speaking proposal is the highest leverage way to build a reputation in the local scene.
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Chicago hosts a range of events including Nivan, AIGA Chicago programming, TECHSPO Chicago, DrupalCon Chicago, The Data Science Conference, the Chicago stop of the Oracle AI World Tour, and Adobe's Create Now series. They span design, UX, web development, data, and AI.
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Watch for each event's call for speakers, which usually opens months before the conference, and submit a short proposal with a clear topic and takeaway. First time speakers are welcome at most local events, so a focused, practical idea matters more than a long speaking history.
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Yes. The Data Science Conference and the Oracle AI World Tour center on data and applied AI, and Nivan covers AI alongside UX and design as part of its Tech, AI, UX, and Design focus.
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Join Nivan Circle, Design Fellowship, AIGA Chicago and your local UX and interaction design groups, attend their regular events, and follow conferences like Nivan to stay close to the wider community between larger gatherings.
That stage is waiting for a story. Maybe yours.
Every Nivan talk lives somewhere on the timeline: lessons from the past, judgment calls happening right now, or the future we should be designing toward. If your work sits at the intersection of Tech, AI, UX, and Design, there is a place in our program with your name on it. Apply Now!