Computer industry events provide effective networking, public relations and educational opportunities for your business. A computer industry seminar or event not only helps you stay abreast of the latest computer industry advancements, but allows you to exchange ideas with colleagues. Plus, it gives your company significant name recognition among current and future business prospects or clients.

There are a wide range of conferences for computer industry workers, with topics ranging from software and communications to information technology and security. To get the most value from a computer industry conference, evaluate the following:

1. Is the computer or software industry convention designed for computer industry professionals in your specialized field?

2. What special exhibits, workshops or keynote speakers do the computer and software industry conferences offer to expand your knowledge base or increase your business profitability?

3. How much should your business pay for computer or software industry events?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select computer industry conferences geared towards professionals in your field

Choose a computer industry event that focuses on your specific computer industry discipline. If your focus is on computer software development, select a specialized software industry conference rather than a general computer industry event. Find out if the computer industry convention is designed for management, technical workers, consultants or entry-level employees, and select events most appropriate to your occupation.

I recommend: NVISION is a national visual computing conference for visual computing professionals, computing developers, mobile developers, gamers, graphic artists and technology researchers. At Baptie & Company, choose conferences geared to your specialty, with a marketing focus series for CEOs and senior executives in the computer industry, a direct focus series for hi-tech vendors focused on internet and direct marketing, a channel focus series for vendors in the hi-tech industry and a net focus series for large organizations addressing e-commerce risk, control, compliance, business risk and personnel policies. The International Conference on Computational Intelligence for Modelling, Control and Automation enables theoreticians and practitioners to exchange ideas.

Attend computer or software industry events with informative workshops and reputable speakers

Select events for computer industry professionals that offer a selection of classes, exhibits and workshops relevant to your career. For the most beneficial learning experience, look for classes and seminars focused on specific topics rather than broad generalizations. Choose computer industry conferences with successful, reputable and credible speakers who are known for their computer industry expertise.

I recommend: The Interop information technology conference offers a range of detailed courses addressing topics in application delivery, cloud computing, automation, security and wireless technology. CSI is a computer security conference featuring seminars in application security, control systems, identity management and network security. COMPSAC is a software technology event that features keynote speakers who are executives with leading software companies and professors from esteemed universities.

Choose computer industry events in your price range

Register for computer or software industry conferences that fit within your company's budget. In addition to the conference fees, factor in costs for travel, lodging and meals. To save money, consider smaller local or regional events for software industry and computer industry professionals, rather than larger national or international events.

I recommend: The IEEE Global Communications Conference offers full and limited conference registration packages, as well as one-day and workshop registration options. The Future Trends conference sponsored by the Institute for International Research features several packages ranging from single symposiums to bundled conference events. The ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security provides separate conference registration and workshop fees at competitive prices.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To save on travel fees, consider attending computer industry events online. While you may not benefit from the networking opportunities that come with attending a computer industry conference, you will still receive the same valuable educational information from the comfort of your home or office.