At Link Labs, we like to joke that if we attended every Internet of Things (IoT) conference out there, we would never get any work done! With the industry growing as quickly as it is, there are hundreds of industry-specific conferences worldwide we could attend—but the following five are arguably the best of them. If you’re looking to attend a few IoT conferences in 2016, consider these first.
1. Sensors Expo & Conference
The Sensors Expo is “the nation’s leading event focused exclusively on sensors and sensor-integrated systems.” The 2016 event will be the 31st event, which makes it one of the longest-running industry events. It will be held June 21-23 in San Jose, California. Leaders from Apple, Microsoft, Airbus, SpaceX, Tesla, and many others attended the 2015 show. It’s extremely focused on the latest sensing technology and offers many great classes as well. Frankly, it’s one of our favorite events.
2. The Internet of Things World Forum (IoTWF)
The Internet of Things World Forum (IoTWF), hosted by Cisco, showcases “dramatic transformations now gaining momentum across every global sector; a new world of opportunities made possible by the Internet of Things.”
The event was held for its third year in Dubai from December 6-8, 2015. Attendance is by invitation only; in previous years, high-level decision-makers from companies like Boeing, Ericsson, GM, Bell, Toshiba, AT&T, and many others have attended. According to an information sheet from Cisco, the conference boasts more than 30 industry-specific breakout sessions, more than 35 hours of networking opportunities, 13 keynote speakers, and more. We think the IoTWF has the best real-world demos of any of the conferences listed here. If you are invited to the 2016 IoTWF (location TBD), we highly suggest you attend.
3. IoT Evolution Expo
IoT Evolution is another long-running conference that includes five events and a major exhibition floor. The first of its several 2016 conferences will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, from January 25-28. Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder and a past keynote speaker of the event, says the IoT Evolution Expo “is very representative of modern day technology and the new state of the art. It's the people introducing the new things.” It’s also worth noting that this conference and expo typically has good analyst attendance.
4. Internet of Things World Events
Internet of Things World is the largest and most comprehensive IoT conference hosted in the U.S. and in Europe. The focus of the show is on “monetizing the IoT revolution through bringing together ecosystem-wide attendees, stakeholders, and investors.” The shows are large but manageable, and they feature a range of diverse companies from around the globe.
The 2016 U.S. event—scheduled for May 10-12 in Silicon Valley—will host more than 10,000 attendees and 150 exhibitors. Speakers will include:
- Latif Ladid, president of the IPv6 Forum
- Dr. Harsh Kupwade-Patil, staff IoT security engineer at LG Electronics Mobile Research
- Johan Sys, manager of IoT Security at Verizon
- And many other industry thought leaders.
The 2016 European event is scheduled to be held in Berlin from September 26-28. 2016 speakers have not yet been announced, but 2015 speakers included the following:
- Charles Cai, head of data science technology for BP
- François Girodolle, head of product partnerships at Nest
- Hans Dahlberg, vice president global M2M services at Teliasonera
5. LiveWorx IoT conference
LiveWorx is an IoT conference put on by PTC/Thingworx. The 2016 event is scheduled from June 6-9 in Boston. PTC notes that the 2016 event will host “visionary keynotes from industry luminaries, leading manufacturers, pioneering customers and much more.” In addition to its 2015 U.S. conference (which you can watch a highlight reel of here), LiveWorx also held a European conference in 2015 in Germany, which was attended by more than 2500 people.
What IoT conferences are you looking forward to in 2016? Tweet us at @LinkLabsInc, and let us know! 
