Partially updated October 23, 2019

Conferences provide the opportunity to assemble like-minded people together to share and disseminate knowledge and ideas. They provide a place for people to meet face to face and learn about what each other are doing and thinking through formal presentation and informal dialog. They serve as a catalyst for ideas to re-combinate and minds to meld and often result in the advancement of research or commercialization.

There are a number of conferences around the world that are focused on different aspects of Augmented Reality. The number of events and their far flung locations point to the fact that AR is truly a global phenomenon. Some of these are commercially oriented, some are scientific while others are focused on the social aspects of the technology. I have listed conferences that are either centered on augmented reality or feature AR prominently in their program. In my research I found that there are many other conferences that are adding sessions and topics on augmented reality in order to introduce their audiences to the future of what’s to come within the context of their respective industries and disciplines. These conferences where AR is a merely tangential topic are not listed here. All in this list are known to be currently active.

There are now over 30 conferences listed here in alphabetical order. I will continue to update this information periodically by updating dates and links, adding new events, and removing the defunct and those that may no longer have a significant AR focus. If you have information about other conferences I may have missed please tell me about them in the comments. I thank all conference listees to kindly link back to this site.

AR & VR World Summit

AR & VR World at TechXLR8 draws industry professionals together from right across the world to discuss how Virtual and Augmented Reality will transform the way we live, work and interact, and to educate the business community on how they can beneﬁt their internal and external operations by utilising these technologies themselves. AR & VR World is the only practical conference and exhibition dedicated to serving the community. It deliveres a blue print for enterprise attendees who are thinking of utilising AR & VR technology and walks current users through the next stage of their application development with the goal of spearheading commercialisation.

First Held: (new)

Last Held: June 2018 in London

Next Scheduled: June 12-13, 2019 in London

ARVA Symposium (Augmented Reality Visualization and Art)

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The ARVA Symposium is part of the Information Visualisation International Conference which aims to focus on the interdisciplinary methods and affiliated research done among various science disciplines, medicine, engineering, media and commerce. This four day event will focus on the research and developments conjured to meet the roaring demand of today’s “Information Transfer” through the medium of computing, accentuating on the linkage that shapes academia and industry with the goal of stimulating views and providing a forum where researchers and practitioners can discuss the latest developments linked to Information Visualisation.

First Held: 2012 – ARVA (1996 – IVIC)

Last Held: July, 2018 in Salerno

Next Scheduled: July 2-5, 2019 in Paris

& July 16-19 in Adelaide, Australia

ARVR Innovate

This conference has a focus on networking, the commercial side of AR, and lots of hands-on opportunities to try Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Wearables technologies. It will appeal to Product Managers, Brand Managers, Category Managers. Digital Specialists, App Developers, IT Consultants, IT Project Managers, Architect Practices, Government Planning Agencies, App Developers, Software Companies, Graphic Designers, Business Owners, CMOs, Marketing Directors, Heads of Marketing, Marketing Managers as well as agency employees in Advertising, Digital, PR and Marketing.

First Held: 2014

Last Held: May 10, 2018 in Dublin

Next Scheduled: May 10, 2019 in Dublin

Augmented Human International Conference

Focuses on scientific contributions towards augmenting humans capabilities through technology for increased well-being and enjoyable human experience. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Brain-Computer Interfaces, Muscle Interfaces and Implanted Interfaces; Wearable Computing and Ubiquitous Computing; Augmented and Mixed Reality; Augmented Fashion, Art and Tourism; Human Augmentation, Sensory Substitution and Fusion; Hardware and Sensors for Augmented Human Technologies; Safety, Ethics, Trust, Privacy and Security Aspects of Augmented Humanity.

First Held: 2010

Last Held: March 16-18, 2017 in Seoul

Next Scheduled: March 11-12, 2019 at University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne

Augmented Reality & VR Show Conference

Co-located with the wearable technology show, it is one of Europe’s biggest events for augmented reality, VR and smartglasses as well as the latest apps and software. The program gives delegates a unique opportunity to get inside AR and VR, view the latest product demonstrations and network with the industry. Features keynotes by industry luminaries, classes and tutorials, product and start-up demos, as well as detailed real life use cases from businesses both large and small. This is for anyone working in or around augmented or virtual reality, including designers, developers, senior executives, futurists, manufacturers, analysts, investors, and press.

First Held: 2013(?)

Last Held: March 2018 in London

March 12-13, 2019 in London

Augmented World Expo (AWE)

Showcases the best in augmented experiences covering all aspects of life: health, education, emergency response, art, media and entertainment, retail, manufacturing, brand engagement, travel, automotive, urban design, and more. It is the largest exposition to bring together technologies for augmented humans in an augmented world. Organized by Augmented Reality.ORG which is a global non-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing augmented reality.

First Held: at least 2009

Last Held: May 2018 in Santa Clara, CA

October 2018 in Munich

November 2018 in Tel Aviv

May 2018 in Santa Clara, CA October 2018 in Munich November 2018 in Tel Aviv Next Scheduled: May 29-31, 2019 in Santa Clara, CA

CES (Consumer Electronics Show)

At the Augmented Reality Marketplace, discover where digital information and the real world connect to create a unique and all-inclusive experience. Through specially designed hardware and software full of cameras, sensors, algorithms and more, your perception of reality can be instantly altered in context with your environment: sports scores on TV during a match, path of trajectory overlaid on an image, gaming, construction plans and more. See the exhibitors disrupting today’s world through this superimposed technology.

First Held: 1967

Last Held: January 2019 in Las Vegas

Next Scheduled: January 7-10, 2020 in Las Vegas

Electronic Imaging

Put on by The Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T), the event will feature 20 technical conferences covering all aspects of electronic imaging—from image sensing to display and hardcopy to machine vision in use in transportation systems. Topics include augmented and virtual reality displays and processing; computational and digital photography; human vision, color, perception, and cognition; image and video processing; image and video communication via the web; mobile imaging; imaging sensors; image quality; media security and forensics; and machine vision and machine learning.

First Held: 1989

Last Held: January 2019 in Burlingame, CA

Next Scheduled: January 26-30, 2020 in Burlingame, CA

EuroVR Web3D Conference

The focus is on novel VR and AR technologies, including software systems, display technology, interaction devices, and applications. EuroVR is not only a conference for presenting and publishing applied research, but also a platform for exchange between researchers, technology providers, and end users around commercial or research applications and an opportunity to create collaboration among technicians and users, developers and industrials, knowledge and technology suppliers. Besides papers on new results, there will be industry-oriented presentations (automotive, medical, aeronautic, space, etc.) creating a unique opportunity to see, discuss, and share the latest innovations and developments.

First Held: 2004

Last Held: June 2018 in Poznań, Poland

Next Scheduled: June 24-27, 2019 in Lecce, Italy

Grapp (International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications)

The International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications aims at becoming a major point of contact between researchers, engineers and practitioners in Computer Graphics. The conference will be structured along five main tracks, covering different aspects related to Computer Graphics, from Modelling to Rendering, including Animation, Interactive Environments and Social Agents In Computer Graphics. GRAPP is part of VISIGRAPP, the 13th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications. Registration to GRAPP allows free access to all other VISIGRAPP conferences.

First Held: 2006

Last Held: January 2018 in Funchal, Madeira – Portugal

Next Scheduled: February 25-27, 2019 in Prague

HCI International (Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality at International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction)

International Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality is part of this international forum for the dissemination and exchange of up-to-date scientific information on theoretical, generic and applied areas of Human Computer Interface. The VAMR conference will be centered around the following topics: Applications, Interaction and Navigation, Issues in Development and Use, and Underlying and Supporting Technologies. Co-located with 13 other related conferences.

First Held: 2009 (VAMR); 1998 (HCI)

Last Held: July 2018 in Las Vegas

Next Scheduled: July 26-31, 2019 in Orlando

ICVAR (International Conference on Virtual and Augmented Reality)

Aim is to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Virtual and Augmented Reality. It also provides the premier interdisciplinary forum for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns, practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted in the field of Virtual and Augmented Reality.

First Held: 1999

Last Held: September 2018 in Osaka

Next Scheduled: September 11-12, 2019 in Osaka

Immersed

Immersed is about giving content makers, technology innovators, and professionals the tools and resources they need to build their businesses and excel in their career. These tools and resources include development expertise, media exposure, access to the investment community, and public excitement for the vibrant immersive future we are headed towards. Immersed is designed to meet these critical needs with the vision and ability to make this industry happen. Areas of interest include virtual reality, augmented reality, stereoscopic 3D, gesture technology and more.

First Held: 2014

Last Held: November 2018 in Toronto

Next Scheduled: TBA

International Investment Forum in Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality (Swiss Society of Virtual and Augmented Reality)

Gather the best of VR/AR/MR startups or enterprises and the most serious investors. Meet great startups and established companies. Find high-growth investment opportunities. Get the latest insights into the AR, VR & MR market, so that you can invest with confidence in the most promising businesses. Diversify your technology portfolio. Network with experts, startups and fellow investors to discover new opportunities.

First Held: 2017

Last Held: February 2019 in Geneva

Next Scheduled: TBA

ISMAR (IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality)

Staged by IEEE Computer Society and by Visualization & Graphics Technical Committee (VGTC). The premier international conference on research into the science, technology, applications, and uses of Mixed and Augmented Reality. Conference showcases the diversity and quality of work in Mixed and Augmented Reality, with a top-quality collection of workshops, tutorials, panels, papers, posters, and late breaking results in both the Science and Technology and Art, Media and Humanities programs.

First Held: 1998

Last Held: October 2018 in Munich

Next Scheduled: October 14-18, 2019 in Beijing

ISWC (International Symposium on Wearable Computers)

The 21st International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) is the premier event for wearable computing and technology, and issues related to on-body and worn mobile technologies. ISWC brings together researchers, product vendors, fashion designers, textile manufacturers, users, and related professionals to share information and advances in wearable computing. ISWC is collocated with the ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp’18).

First Held: 1997

Last Held: October 2018 in Singapore

Next Scheduled: September 9-10, 2019 in London

Laval Virtual

Throughout its 20 years of existence, Laval Virtual has become the indispensable catalyst and facilitator for organizations from the VR/AR and Immersive techniques field. Our 9,000 sqm Exhibition space is the largest trade floor dedicated to VR/AR worldwide. The conferences at Laval Virtual highlight the trends and prospective of the technology, you will find all you need to understand AR/VR/MR in the conference Hall. The Laval Virtual Awards recognize solutions that solve problems and emerging actors, projects and programs.

First Held: 1999

Last Held: 2018 in Laval, France

Next Scheduled: March 20-24, 2019 in Laval, France

LDV Vision Summit

Visual Technologies leveraging computer vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing how humans communicate and do business. New innovations are emerging every month and our visual technology market is poised for exponential growth. As a result, companies are struggling to leverage the right solutions to help them adapt and thrive in the new world. Join us for an interactive two-day summit to discuss trends and technologies. Meet the world’s brightest technology innovators – and learn firsthand how their visions will transform visual communication and boost or disrupt your businesses.

First Held: 2014

Last Held: May 2018 in New York City

Next Scheduled: May 22-23, 2019 in New York City

MMSYS (Multimedia Systems Conference)

The ACM Multimedia Systems conference provides a forum for researchers, engineers, and scientists to present and share their latest research findings in multimedia systems. This special session on augmented reality is an opportunity to foster dialogue and interaction between the MMSys community and other research communities — in particular, researchers whose work lies in the intersection of mixed and augmented reality and multimedia systems.

First Held: 2010

Last Held: June 2018 in Amsterdam

Next Scheduled: June 18-21, 2019 in Amherst, Massachusetts

Mobile World Congress

Highlights the impact of mobile on individuals and businesses – in developed and developing markets – across a range of industries. Provides essential insights on the latest technological developments, market opportunities, next-generation services, and devices which are shaping mobile communications. Thought leaders and industry experts participating in conference sessions addressing the most pressing topics in mobile. Includes a forum session dedicated specifically to augmented reality.

First Held: 2009

Last Held: February 2018 in Barcelona

Next Scheduled: February 25-28, 2019 in Barcelona

NexTech

NexTech is a cluster of technology conferences put on by The International Academy, Research and Industry Association (IARIA) which is an non-for-profit non-government organization. Their aim is to promote scientific and industrial interchanges between members of existing associations, standardization bodies, and fora, and to establish bridges between different scientific, academic and industrial cultures. The declared goal is to promote research results of young scientists along with those of well-known experts. UBICOMM is one of the 8 conferences in the NexTech cluster and focuses on Mobile Ubiquitous Computing, Systems, Services and Technologies.

First Held: 2005

Last Held: November 2018 in Athens

Next Scheduled: September 22-26, 2019 in Porto, Portugal

Realities360

Realities360 is a hands-on conference unlike anything you’ve seen before. In order to understand what AR, VR, and other alternate-reality technologies can do for learning, you need to experience them for yourself. Realities360 is specifically designed to allow you to immerse yourself in these technologies, and to engage in conversations that enable you to put those experiences into the context of the work you do in training and development. Realities360 is about more than just exploring the future: It’s about bringing people together to help create it.

First Held: 2017

Last Held: June 2018 in San Jose, CA

Next Scheduled: June 25-27, 2019 in San Jose, CA

SALENTO AVR (International Conference on Augmented and Virtual Reality)

Aims to bring a community of researchers from academia and industry, computer scientists, engineers, physicians together in order to share points of views, knowledge, experiences and scientific and technical results, related to state-of-the-art solutions and technologies on virtual and augmented reality applications for medicine, cultural heritage, education, industrial sectors, as well as the demonstration of advanced products and technologies. Presentations and discussions will span topics from virtual environments and augmented reality to 3D user interfaces and the technology needed to enable these environments to a wide range of applications (medical, entertainment, military, design, manufacture, maintenance, arts and cultural heritage).

First Held: 2014

Last Held: June 2018 in Lecce

Next Scheduled: June 24-27, 2019 in Santa Maria al Bagno (Leece), Italy

SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques)

The SIGGRAPH conference and exhibition is a five-day interdisciplinary educational experience including a three-day commercial exhibition that attracts hundreds of exhibitors from around the world. SIGGRAPH is widely recognized as the most prestigious forum for the publication of computer graphics research. In addition to SIGGRAPH’s leading-edge technical program, the conference’s installations provide close-up views of the latest in digital art, emerging technologies, and hands-on opportunities for creative collaboration.

First Held: 1974

Last Held: August 2018 in Vancouver

Next Scheduled: July 28 – August 1, 2019 in Los Angeles

SXSW (South by Southwest)

Virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality are pioneering new ways to dramatically enhance how we experience the world around us. Discover 2019 sessions such as Better with Friends: The Social Life of VR, Creating Contemporary Art in Virtual Reality, Immersion at Scale: AR/MR Will Change Everything, and more. Browse speakers and explore more programming from the 25 Tracks for the SXSW Conference.

First Held: SXSW began in 1987, 2016 is first year for VR/AR Track

Last Held: March 2018 in Austin

Next Scheduled: March 8-17, 2019 in Austin

The Virtual and Augmented Reality Summit

A series of panel discussions, talks and workshops organized by Victor Harwood, a leading authority on the convergence of the entertainment and technology industries. Digital Hollywood is among the leading trade conferences in its field with over 15,000 top executives in the film, television, music, home video, cable, telecommunications and computer industries attending the various events each year.

First Held: Digital Hollywood began in 1994, 2015 was first year of VARS

Last Held: May 2018 in Los Angeles

Next Scheduled: May 21-23, 2019 in Los Angeles

VRX 2019

VRX 2019 is the world’s premier B2B immersive tech event. The 5th edition is gathering 600+ senior business executives across enterprise, consumer entertainment, gaming, technology and investment to discuss how XR can bring ROI and propel businesses forward. Putting customers at the heart of innovation, speakers and attendees will join forces to cut the noise and reveal the best applications of VR & AR/MR. Discover the types of content proving most popular and relevant in the consumer and enterprise markets and where XR can provide the biggest value. VRX provides a forum for debating the crucial hardware and software requirements for seamless user experience, helping businesses to look ahead, build project pipelines and ultimately drive innovation.

First held: 2015

Last held: December 2018

Next scheduled: December 12-13, 2019 in San Francisco

VRX Europe 2020

VRX Europe 2020 (April 28-29, London) is Europe’s premier immersive tech event, bringing together 300+ senior business leaders across enterprise, consumer entertainment, technology and investment to engage in in-depth discussions and case studies highlighting the key use-cases and revenue opportunities for XR across both consumer and enterprise markets. Supported by the world’s biggest names and a highly curated agenda, this strategic B2B meeting is globally recognised as providing quality business insights, highly profitable partnerships and, ultimately, a return on investment for its attendees.

First held: 2016

Last held: April 2019

Next scheduled: April 28-29, 2020 in London



VRX Immersive Enterprise 2020

VRX Immersive Enterprise 2020 (May 5-6, Boston) is the leading senior-level B2B conference for executives looking to unleash the potential of XR technology across enterprise. Bringing together global business leaders from AEC, Automotive, Manufacturing, Engineering, Retail, Pharma, Healthcare and more, the event is purpose built to look at how virtual, augmented & mixed reality are transforming training, collaboration, design, manufacturing and marketing across industry. With leaders from the most pioneering enterprises and tech companies, you’ll identify where VR, AR & MR content and technology are having a real impact to help companies reduce costs, increase productivity and improve outcomes. Plus you’ll get the latest market insights from top analysts and investors on where the opportunities are now…and what’s coming next.

First held: 2019



Last held: May 2019



Next scheduled: May 5-6, 2020 in Boston

Web3D

The annual ACM Web3D Conference is a major event which unites researchers, developers, entrepreneurs, experimenters, artists and content creators in a dynamic learning environment. Attendees share and explore methods of using, enhancing and creating new 3D Web and Multimedia technologies such as X3D, VRML, Collada, MPEG family, U3D, Java3D and other technologies related to implementing AR. The conference also focuses on recent trends in interactive 3D graphics, information integration and usability in the wide range of Web3D applications from mobile devices to high-end immersive environments.

First Held: 1996(?)

Last Held: June 2018 in Poznań, Poland

Next Scheduled: July 26-28, 2019 in Los Angeles

XRDC

XRDC is the premier conference for augmented, virtual, and mixed reality innovators, focusing on use cases for immersive experiences across industries including games, entertainment, healthcare, education, training, industrial design, brand experience, and more. Join business and technology leaders focused on strategy and innovation, AR/VR/MR producers, technical artists, designers, software engineers, product and UX specialists