Top Innovation Conferences of 2025

Innovation conferences offer a unique chance to gain insights, forge connections and get the inspiration you need to hatch your next breakthrough innovation. Fortunately for marketers, innovators and insights professionals, 2025 boasts a wealth of excellent options to choose from.

Here’s a look at some of the top innovation conferences to consider in 2025, listed in chronological order.

  

Expo West (March 4-7) Anaheim, California
70,000+ people attend this annual conference in Anaheim to get a glimpse of the latest natural and organic offerings in the food, beverage, health and beauty categories. This show-stopping event combines a massive 550,000 square feet of product exhibition together with rich education sessions to provide incredibly fertile ground for insights, inspiration and discovery of the latest trends, ingredients, technology, consumer tensions/need-states and category disruptors. Organizers have optimized the show schedule for 2025 to increase ROI for Exhibitors, reduce crowding, allow space for more buyer-only hours, and simplify the product discovery journey.

  

American Food Innovate Summit (March 25-26) Atlanta, Georgia
This summit brings innovators in the food industry together for networking, learning and collaborative discussions about improving the way food is thought about, created, distributed and enjoyed. Attendees will hear leaders from large companies share case studies and valuable lessons on innovation, technology, R&D, formulation and regulations that promise to help improve product-launch success rates. Eventgoers will also get the opportunity to meet solution providers and attend rich networking events.

 

Shoptalk (March 25-27) Las Vegas, Nevada
Shoptalk represents an ideal intersection of retail, technology and innovation. Here, 10,000+ innovators and changemakers from retail, consumer brands and retail tech come together to define the customer-centric future of the retail industry. The event covers the latest industry innovations, technologies, trends and business models, as well as the rapid transformation of what consumers discover, shop for and buy—everything ranging from apparel and electronics to beauty and grocery. With 200+ senior-level speakers and the world’s biggest and most efficient retail meetings program, attendees are promised to have unprecedented access to giants and trailblazers in AI, retail media networks, supply chain, logistics, store operations, marketing and more.

  

SupplySide Connect (April 8-9) Secaucus, New Jersey
SupplySide Connect is where health and nutrition innovators and industry professionals from across the globe come together to connect with 280+ suppliers and service providers, network with more than 3,000 industry experts, discover the newest and most innovative ingredients on the market, and dive into the latest science and trends in key categories like food and beverage, pet supplements and women’s health.

 

Front End of Innovation Conference (May 19-21) Boston, Massachusetts
This long-running event has been bringing together innovation disciplinarians and corporate changemakers to drive progress with human intelligence for more than 20 years. With the rise of AI, this year’s summit will have a special focus on unlocking the power of collective intelligence (the combination of human and artificial intelligence). Attendees will learn how collaborative use of AI can help balance current success with the need to innovate and adapt to emerging trends through disruptive technology—producing the next generation of great products, services and markets for a better and brighter future.

  

Social Innovation Summit (June 3-4) San Francisco, California
This annual event brings the world’s top leaders, thinkers and practitioners to tackle one simple yet audacious goal: to catalyze inspired partnerships that spur next-level social impact. Attendees convene for two days of top-tier programming, discussions, debates and unique VIP networking opportunities. The summit attracts leaders in technology, investment, philanthropy, international development and business to investigate solutions and facilitate inspired partnerships that are committed to disrupting history. Past speakers include Ja Rule, Al Roker, Shaquille O’Neal, Selena Gomez, John Calipari and Percy “Master P” Miller, as well as senior representatives from Tesla, YouTube, Nike, Lyft, Starbucks, PwC, Sephora and more.

 

FounderMade Innovation Show (June 5) New York, New York
FounderMade is a highly curated experiential tradeshow where attendees can discover 1,500+ of the world’s most innovative brands, buyers, investors, press, influencers and resource partners in the consumer brand industry. This one-day live event features a curated discovery lounge with 150+ innovative disruptive brands, a main stage showcasing strategy-filled panels with industry thought leaders and founders of successfully scaled brands, and intimate networking opportunities. 

  

TechConnect World Innovation Conference & Expo (June 9-11) Austin, Texas
This unique conference brings together top applied research and early-stage innovations from universities, labs and startups with corporations that can help commercialize, adopt, buy, re-sell and invest in those technologies. The 2025 event will include the annual SBIR/STTR Innovation Conference; more than 35 world-class technical symposiums; and the Nanotech Conference, the world’s largest and longest running nanotechnology event. The conference features eight different program areas to explore and covers a wide variety of sectors (including advanced materials, advance manufacturing, energy, biotech/medical, electronics and microsystems, AI innovation, space technology, defense technology, logistics & communication, mobility/transportation and agriculture/food & personal care).

 

Global Summit—The Consumer Goods Forum (June 10-13) Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This event is hosted by The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF)—a unique CEO-led group that focuses on helping the world’s retailers and consumer goods manufacturers collaborate alongside other key stakeholders to secure consumer trust, drive positive change and redefine a collective future in the consumer goods industry. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to engage with hundreds of fellow CEOs and C-Suite executives from across the globe for a series of unmissable plenary sessions, networking events, special breakouts and more. This year’s summit will focus on five key topics: Connecting with the Consumer, Driving Profitable Growth, Leveraging Technological Advancements, Collaborating for Sustainability and Addressing Retail-Specific Challenges.

 

BevNet Live (June 11-12) New York, New York
For more than a decade, BevNET Live has convened CPG leaders, trailblazers and next-generation brand founders to network, attend “Beverage School,” sample innovative beverage offerings and discover the latest trends in the beverage industry. The group also offers a winter version of the conference December 8-10 in Los Angeles.

  

Creative Problem Solving Institute Conference (June 22-26) Buffalo, New York
Creativity breeds innovation and there is no better way to sharpen your creativity than by attending CPSI. The CPSI conference has been inspiring minds and elevating ideas for over 60 years—making it the longest-running creativity conference in the world. This year’s theme is “STRETCH” and attendees will be able to choose from several experiential programs that will help them stretch their creative limits via hands-on workshops and inspiration from renowned speakers—providing them and their organizations with the skills needed to stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing world.

  

Summer Fancy Food Show (June 29-July 1) New York, New York
Summer Fancy Food Show (the largest trade-only specialty food event in the U.S.) attracts nearly 30,000 makers, buyers, brokers, distributors and other industry professionals for three days of product discovery, trend spotting, networking and business opportunities. In addition to seeing thousands of the newest and most innovative specialty food and beverage products from more than 40 different categories, attendees will have access to education and main-stage sessions that promise to provide rich insight into consumer research, product trends, transformational technological advancements and innovative marketing techniques.

  

Fast Company Innovation Festival (September 15-18) New York, New York
Billed as a celebration of innovation and creativity, the Fast Company Innovation Festival features a full slate of talks by A-list leaders in business, media, entertainment and beyond, as well as immersive hands-on workshops and Fast Tracks field trips—intimate, behind-the-scenes tours of some of the most dynamic companies in NYC. The flexible format of this weeklong conference allows attendees to craft their own inspiring agendas, mixing creativity, design, leadership, social good, tech and more for a uniquely customized experience.

 

Future Festival World Summit (September 23-25) Toronto, Canada
Rated as one of Inc.’s best innovation conferences and described as a place where the world’s top innovators come together to experience and create the future, this three-day, AI-infused conference is hosted by Trend Hunter and features engaging presentations, fresh data-driven insights, team workshops, trend safaris, personalized assessments and one-on-one consultations. The theme for this year’s event is, “How to Innovate in the Era of AI” and the agenda promises to help attendees immerse in the future, translate ideas into action, change the way they work and prepare to thrive in an AI-enabled world.

  

Groceryshop (September 28-October 1) Las Vegas, Nevada
Groceryshop dives into the future of grocery retailers (supermarkets, mass merchants, convenience stores, drug stores, club/warehouse stores, discount stores and ecommerce players) as well as the rapid changes in the production and distribution of consumer products, including fresh and packaged foods and beverages along with beauty, personal care, household and health products. The conference promises 165+ speakers sharing never-before-seen research, in-depth case studies that walk step-by-step through successful initiatives, analyst presentations with smart frameworks for tackling major business problems, and global grocery and CPG perspectives from practitioners around the world. Attendees are sure to walk away with the ultimate playbook for transformation and innovation that addresses the evolution of how consumers discover, shop and buy products in the digital age.

 

HLTH (October 19-22) Las Vegas, Nevada
This conference brings together more than 12,000 top-level leaders, innovators and visionaries from across the entire health ecosystem (payers, providers, employers, investors, startups, life sciences, policymakers and innovation centers) to push the boundaries of health and care by finding innovative solutions to the industry’s most pressing problems. This year’s theme is Heroes and Legends and features four days full of mission-driven initiatives, unparalleled experiences with industry-leading speakers, learning sessions facilitated by top health and political leaders, and plenty of opportunities to collaborate and network.   

  

IMPACT (October 20-22) Boston, Massachusetts
Organizers call this “the world’s most useful event for anyone working in strategy, innovation, design, R&D and emerging tech inside a large organization” (including private and public companies; nonprofits and NGOs; and government agencies). The event features fireside chats, workshops, case studies, breakouts and one-to-one meetings focusing on innovation best practices, emerging technologies and new experiments, and professional development. Previous speakers include senior executives from Google, 3M, Dole Sunshine, Lucasfilm, General Mills, Lyft, Kickstarter, Williams-Sonoma, IBM, Bose, Converse, Citi, Samsung, Tiffany & Co., Ford, Hain Celestial, Ralph Lauren, Kellogg’s, Walmart, NASA, Harvard Business Review and more.

  

SupplySide Global (October 27-30) Las Vegas, Nevada
SupplySide Global brings together 20,000+ participants from the dietary supplement, food and beverage, pet health and personal care industries to learn from industry experts about the hottest topics shaping the future of the health and nutrition category. Attendees can also explore 1,500+ exhibiting companies with a diverse range of offerings including food, beverage and supplement ingredients; flavors and fragrances; equipment and machinery; packaging and labeling; legal and regulatory services; lab testing and analytics; contract manufacturing; and wholesaling, distribution and brokerage services.

 

Innovation Roundtable Summit (November 4-6) Copenhagen, Denmark
Started in 2014, the Innovation Roundtable Summit has rapidly become the world’s biggest gathering of innovation executives from large multinational firms—providing a unique setting for in-depth dialogue and valuable networking among corporate peers. Attendees experience three highly interactive days of peer-to-peer exchange and learning on key innovation topics and can tailor their experience around eight different themes. This already-largest-of-its-kind event has grown further to also include dedicated programs for corporate executives working in HR and Marketing. All three summits are held at the same venue and are accessible with the same ticket, facilitating cross-domain learning that promises to spark innovation and transformational growth.

 

NOSH Live (December 4-5) Los Angeles, California
Members of the packaged food industry attend NOSH Live to collaborate, connect and come up with innovative solutions. Attendees will have the opportunity to go through an educational “Boot Camp,” hear all-star speakers provide actionable insights that help food businesses grow responsibly, participate in one-to-one meetings with potential partners from the supply, investment, retail and services community, get expert help perfecting their all-important elevator pitches, attend energizing pitch slams and of course, sample plenty of new products.

  

Epic International Summit (TBD)
The Epic International Summit brings professionals from a wide range of industries and locations together to disconnect from technology, disrupt the status quo and discover new ideas that will ignite professional, personal and social innovation. This event provides an immersive opportunity with a combination of experiential learning, pause, ingenuity and community engagement designed to spark creative leadership for the increasingly complex world. Here, attendees will have the opportunity to cross-pollinate with dynamic experts during interactive experiential sessions, exclusive interviews, focused panels and innovation awards—all purposefully designed to inspire and celebrate ingenuity.

 

Retail Innovation Conference & Expo (TBD) Chicago, Illinois
Join 5,000+ senior leaders and experienced executives for inspirational discussions about the most pressing topics in retail, including the evolution of the customer journey, and how new marketing channels, community platforms and commerce technologies are embedding commerce into everything we do. The agenda for 2025 features three content tracks as well as a variety of innovative technology case studies. Whether you want to meet fellow industry leaders and organizations to accelerate business outcomes, stay ahead of emerging trends, connect with industry colleagues or advance your career, RICE 2025 promises to provide a rich, dynamic environment to explore promising new business possibilities.

 

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

 

Looking for more great conferences to explore? Be sure to check out our article on the top creativity conferences of 2025 and read 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.

 

Written by Adam Siegel. Adam is the editor of The Accelerator and a Senior Strategist at Seed Strategy where he draws upon his diverse experience in advertising, research, brand management, new product development and copywriting to help clients craft breakthrough innovation and brand strategy.

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