thought starters for thought leaders

by Angela Jones and Adam Siegel

Innovation conferences continue to be powerful spaces for uncovering fresh perspectives, strengthening capabilities, and sparking ideas that lead to meaningful breakthroughs. For marketers, innovators and insights professionals, 2026 is shaping up to be another standout year—offering a strong lineup of events worth adding to your calendar.

Below is a curated look at the top innovation conferences of 2026, organized in chronological order and designed to help you identify the events that best match your goals.

Top 6 Innovation Conferences of 2026

1. Natural Products Expo West

Date: March 3–6
Location: Anaheim, CA

Natural Products Expo West is the natural and organic industry’s defining event, bringing together visionaries, innovators, and changemakers to shape the future of conscious products. Attendees experience a dynamic mix of education sessions, robust exhibit halls, and unique networking opportunities—from concerts and happy hours to the inaugural CPG Innovation Summit. This immersive format empowers participants to discover emerging trends, connect with industry leaders, and tailor their experience to align with their business goals and professional interests.

Attending from our team: Maggie Liddell and Lori Noel

2. Creative Problem Solving Institute Conference (CPSI)

Date: June 14–18
Location: Buffalo, New York

As the world’s longest-running creativity conference, CPSI has been inspiring attendees and elevating creative capabilities for more than 60 years. The 2026 theme—“elevate”—focuses on strengthening creative skills through experiential programs, hands-on workshops and inspiration from renowned speakers. Participants gain techniques they can apply immediately to help their organizations stay competitive in a fast-changing world.

Attending from our team: Troy Geesaman

3. Fast Company Innovation Festival

Date: September 14–17
Location: New York, New York

The Fast Company Innovation Festival celebrates creativity and transformation across business, technology, design, leadership and social impact. Attendees enjoy a mix of mainstage talks from high-profile leaders, immersive workshops and “Fast Tracks”—behind-the-scenes tours at some of New York City’s most innovative companies. The flexible format lets each participant tailor an agenda that aligns with their personal interests and professional focus areas.

4. Future Festival World Summit

Date: September 29–October 1
Location: Toronto, Canada

Hosted by Trend Hunter, the Future Festival World Summit is consistently rated among the top global innovation events. Its 2026 theme—“How to Innovate in the Era of AI Super Agents”—explores the evolution of artificial intelligence and how it will reshape the ways organizations work, create and compete. The three-day program includes presentations, data-driven insights, trend safaris, team workshops and personalized assessments designed to translate future-facing ideas into actionable strategies.

5. IMPACT

Date: TBD
Location: Boston, Massachusetts

IMPACT is widely recognized as one of the most useful events for professionals working in strategy, innovation, design, R&D and emerging technology within large organizations—including private companies, nonprofits and government agencies. The event features fireside chats, case studies, workshops, breakouts and one-to-one meetings that explore innovation best practices and new approaches for solving complex challenges. Past speakers have included leaders from Google, 3M, Lyft, General Mills, NASA, Bose, IBM, Ralph Lauren and more.

6. Epic International Summit

Date: April 27–29
Location: Santa Barbara, California

The Epic International Summit is designed to help attendees disconnect from digital noise, break from routine and rethink how they approach innovation. The event blends experiential learning, pause, creativity, interviews, community engagement and innovation awards—creating space for fresh thinking and deeper discovery. Participants can expect interactive sessions, cross-industry dialogue and inspiration tailored to personal, professional and social innovation.

More Great Innovation Conferences to Explore in 2026

Front End of Innovation

TBD
Bringing together innovation leaders and corporate change-makers to advance progress through human ingenuity. Learn more.

Attending from our team: Eric Tayce

American Food Innovate Summit

February 24–25 – Atlanta, GA
Case studies and insights into formulation, technology, R&D and regulation across the food industry. Learn more.

TechConnect World Innovation Conference & Expo

March 10–12 – Raleigh, NC
Applied research and early-stage innovation spanning nanotech, manufacturing, biotech, mobility, defense, AI and more. Learn more.

Shoptalk

March 24–26 – Las Vegas, NV
A major gathering for retail, consumer brands and commerce innovation, featuring 10,000+ attendees and 200+ speakers. Learn more.

SNX

March 29–31 – Dallas, TX
A strategic networking and collaboration forum for snack manufacturers and solution providers. Learn more.

SupplySide Connect

April 14–15 – Secaucus, NJ
Ingredient discovery, science-based sessions and global networking for health and nutrition innovators. Learn more.

Social Innovation Summit

June 2–3 – Atlanta, GA
Top leaders from technology, philanthropy and business convene to drive next-level social impact. Learn more.

Global Summit — The Consumer Goods Forum

June 23–26 – Vienna, Austria
A CEO-led gathering focused on global collaboration, consumer trust and the future of retail and CPG. Learn more.

BevNET Live

TBD – New York, NY
A longstanding event for beverage industry founders and innovators, featuring “Beverage School” and trend discovery. Learn more.

Summer Fancy Food Show

June 28–30 – New York, NY
The largest specialty food event in the U.S., offering product discovery, education and category insights. Learn more.

Groceryshop

September 22–24 – Las Vegas, NV
A premiere event for grocery retail and CPG leaders exploring the future of consumer behavior and product distribution. Learn more.

HLTH

November 15–18 – Las Vegas, NV
More than 12,000 attendees from across the health ecosystem gathering to shape the future of care and innovation. Learn more.

SupplySide Global

October 26–30 – Las Vegas, NV
20,000+ participants and 1,500+ exhibitors across supplements, food, beverage, pet health and personal care. Learn more.

Innovation Roundtable Summit

TBD – Copenhagen, Denmark
The world’s largest gathering of innovation executives from multinational companies. Learn more.

NOSH Live

TBD – Los Angeles, CA
Educational programming, pitch slams, product sampling and strategic networking for the packaged food industry. Learn more.

Closing Thoughts

The 2026 conference season offers exceptional opportunities for innovation-focused professionals to connect, learn and be inspired. Whether your focus is consumer insights, AI, retail transformation, food and beverage, social impact or organizational change, the events above provide rich environments for new thinking and new relationships.

Want to learn more about how our teams can help you grow through innovation? We’d love to partner with you! Reach out to us at ajones@seedstrategy.com or asiegel@seedstrategy.com.

 

Looking for more on conferences? Be sure to check out our article on how to get the most out of any conference for some time-tested tips and tricks to make the most of your conference-going experience.