The world of web design is always charging forward, so having your ear

to the ground when it comes to the latest trends and topics is critical to your success as a web designer. Checking out international conferences, for instance, is a great way to network with others in your industry. It also refreshes your training, and gives you a glimpse into what’s popular

in the rest of the world.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of some conference standouts of 2013 –

past, present, and future – to help you get a jump on travel planning. You can also use this list to plan ahead for 2014, when they all come back around again.

January

New Adventures in Web Design

took place at Nottingham Albert Hall in the UK in late January, and

showcased eight talks from celebrated speakers that inspired the crowd.

Topics ranged from iOS design, content, layouts and building trust with

your audience.

February

Altitude, an event located in the Spinnaker Tower located

100 meters above sea level, offered presentations on four unique topics

from four leading industry leaders in a single day.

March

Designers,

developers and managers came together for two days at the UX Munich

2013 Conference to collaborate on how to make great products as a team.

April

Industry, at The Turbine Hall in Newcastle, provided attendees

with the chance to get practical advice from eight different speakers on

their experiences, and what they’ve learned in producing their work.

With exhibitors onsite and catered lunches and breaks, conference goers

were able to pack in a lot in just one day.

May

An Event Apart is a great conference for anyone in the web

field—designers, developers, managers, marketers and even clients. With

twelve different speakers and sessions and the option of a multi-device

web design workshop, attendees had lots of options to gain knowledge.

June

The goal at Webinale 2013 in Berlin, Germany was to focus on the

web as a cohesive and complete entity instead of individual pieces of

the big picture. Attendees were able to get a well-rounded view of all

topics and expand their knowledge beyond their field.

July

Mobile Design Uprising focused on the popular third screen, with a combination of talks and workshops with talented professionals

from the area and abroad.

August

The IDSA International Conference in Chicago focused on

learning all the right ways to break the rules. Fun, energetic and

thought provoking, this four-day event kept designers on their toes, and

inspired them to try something new.

September

A conference for coders, designers or anyone interested in

creating something new, Reasons to be Creative was held in Brighton, UK,

in September. This event is a great networking opportunity and is sure

to leave you inspired.

October

With over a decade of experience, the Future of Web Design

Conference (New York, October 7-9) will engage its audiences with powerful content and cool interactive presentations. They have a two-track

system in place that allows attendees to choose the route that’s right

for them and catch anything they miss on video later.

November

The fifth annual Interaction South America 2013 conference takes place November 13-16 in

Recife, Brazil. The weekend is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of

interactivity, and realizing the impacts that new ideas will have on

society and the way designers create new work.

And, plan ahead for 2014!

It’s not too early to start planning ahead with the SXSW Interactive Festival coming up March 7-11 in

Austin, Texas. With presentations, panels, sessions and networking

events, anyone interested in any part of web design will find something

that appeals to them.

The Next Web Europe Conference happening next April 24-25 in Amsterdam,

Netherlands is sure to amaze their audience. Expecting to “co-invent the

future,” this event promises lots of energy, insight, diversity and the

chance to accelerate your entrepreneurship.

Which conference are you most looking forward to? What’s missing from this list? Let us know. Wishing you safe travels and wonderful web design!