If your LinkedIn feed is anything like mine, it seems like there is a tech conference every weekend. Brand-specific conferences, especially, have been gaining popularity recently. Let’s dive into a few of the biggest design/product conferences running right now and whether or not they are worth attending:
WWDC is one of the oldest running tech conferences, starting back in 1983 with the release of Apple Basic. This conference is unique from most because the features that get announced are relevant to developers for all sorts of products. In fact, it is common practice for tech companies to host watch parties for their iOS engineers. WWDC is a widely anticipated event every summer and is free to attend virtually. Though, a word of caution from 2024: Apple learned the hard way that you need to deliver on your promises. Their Apple Intelligence announcement didn't quite live up to the hype, which has left some folks a bit skeptical about what WWDC 25 has in store.
Like Apple, Google also hosts its own annual developer conference. I/O has been running since 2008, though it receives notably less media attention than WWDC despite having an equal, if not greater, impact on developers across the industry. Personally, I didn’t even know that I/O existed until this year! This difference in publicity may be attributed to Apple's carefully cultivated image of exclusivity and prestige. While the popularity of a developer conference is not a great indicator of a company’s success, this just goes to show that even the most commonly used features need marketing to build user awareness and excitement; sometimes, simply building a good product isn’t enough.
As Figma continues to establish itself as the standard tool for designers, Config is rapidly becoming design’s “must-attend” event. As opposed to WWDC and I/O, the focus is placed more on the in-person experience with tons of merch and networking opportunities available to attendees. But Config got a lot of hate this past summer in conjunction with backlash for their release of UI3 (check out my recap of UI3 here!). Participants complained that they didn’t think Figma was listening to designers and creating features for them. Additionally, at a steep $800 ticket, designers were questioning whether the value of Config justifies the price.
Notion entered into the conference game very recently with Make with Notion. In 2024, they had a ton of new product announcements to share, which aligns with Notion's broader push toward becoming a comprehensive suite of products. Like many, their main event was hosted in SF, but interestingly they held smaller events in five other cities as well. Attendees heard from speakers representing top companies like Figma and Duolingo, while also taking advantage of extensive networking opportunities.
Not wanting to miss out on the action, Webflow also started its own conference last year. Following a typical structure, they had new product announcements and expert talks in collaboration with major tech companies like Adobe and Microsoft. Virtual attendance was free, but in-person tickets were $399!
Compared to other product conferences, Duocon is relatively pared down because the conference does not include any outside speakers or collaborations, and did not have an in-person component.
