U.S.-based conferences that are particularly helpful for strategic foresight and futures research.


Accelerating Change
Multidisciplinary issues and challenges of accelerating technological change. (Sept, occasional)
AGI-08
The first conference on artificial general intelligence
ACM SenSys
Systems issues in the emerging area of embedded, networked sensors.
AlwaysOn: Innovation Summit
Delivering communication, content, and commerce to consumers 24/7. (July)
Abscicon (Astrobiology Science Conference)
The leading conference for multidisciplinary insights in astrobiology.
American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Conference
A leading multidisciplinary AI community. (July)
American Sociological Association Annual Conference
Advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession. (Aug)
Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) Conference
Leading U.S. computational linguistics conference. CUI here we come!
Austin Game Conference
Leading multiplayer game developers conference.
BIL
An open, self-organizing, emergent, and anarchic science and technology conference. (Feb)
Body Computing Conference (U. of Southern Cal.) (Oct)
Implantable devices that wirelessly update the individual (and others) on health history and status.
Brainstorm/Fortune
Fortune magazine's annual gathering on business, technology, and world affairs.
Breakthrough Technologies for the World's Biggest Problems
Arlington Institute conference (Apr)
Business 4Site
One of the leading technology summits for business solutions (Ziff-Davis). (June)
CEBIT
The leading global IT conference. 500,000 attendees! A truly planetary phenomenon. Hannover, Germany.
Comdex
Leading U.S. consumer electronics technology marketplace conference. (Nov)
Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
A major consumer electronics trends conference. Includes Enabling Technology Forums (Jan)
Convergence08
Conference on the future of bio nano info cogno
Demo
Annual technology demonstration prototypes show. Cutting edge. (Feb)
Digital Hollywood
Popular entertainment and technology convergence conference. Getting memes to the masses.
DoD Cyber Crime
Leading US conference for digital forensics, forensic R&D, IT security, and legal issues of cyber crime.
Doors of Perception
Doors prioritises social needs over technology-push on the agenda of design and innovation. Annual international conferences.
Emerging Technologies Conference at MIT
Near term future of science and technology. (Sept)
European Futurists Conference
Networking futurists, analysts, scientists, and long-term decisionmakers in Europe. (Nov)
Federal Forecasters Conference
Interdisciplinary consortium of governmental leaders seeking to improve forecasting for public policy decisions.
FOO Camp
Friends Of O'Reilly. IT developers and world improvers. Wireless in Tents. (Oct)
Foresight (Regents University)
Conference on foresight and futures thinking for spiritual leaders. Ecumenical, but Christian-focused.
Foresight Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology
Near and long-range risks and benefits of nano and technological futures. (Oct)
Foresight Vision Weekend
Interdisciplinary conference on molecular nanotechnology and related fields
Future In Review (FiRe)
A leading technology and business futures conference for tech leaders. Strategic News Service (Mark Anderson) (May)
Future Forward
New England emerging technologies and business summit. Invite only.
Future Trends/IIR
IIR's annual market trends and business futures conference (Nov).
Game Developers Conference/Serious Games Summit
The largest game developers conference, growing but still very minor representation of serious games (Mar)
Genetic and Evolutionary Computing Conference (GECCO)
Near term future of today's first generation self-evolving computers. (June)
Gilder/Forbes Telecosm Conference
Future of computers, networks, and new technologies.
Go!
Outsell's annual IT futures conference. (Sept)
Going
A conference on sustainable transportation and the future of transportation.
Gnomedex
Using IT technology for business, career, and personal life. Geek culture!
Health Care Forecast Conference
Annual political and economic forecasts for U.S. health care industry (Feb).
Idea Festival (Oct)
Exploring innovation from an interdisciplinary perspective (Louisville, KY)
IEET SEMINAR: Preventing Extinction
Day long seminar on existential risks, threats to the future of humanity
INFORMS Annual Conference
Leading U.S. conference on operations research and management science.
International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva
Largest annual international invention conference. 1000 often silly inventions, 55,000 attendees. Started 1972.
International Symposium on Forecasting
Annual gathering of the world's leading forecasting researchers and practitioners.
Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)
The largest annual gathering of statisticians in North America.
Management of Change
Using information technology to improve citizen services and e-Government.
Medicine Meets Virtual Reality (MMVR)
Premier forum for computer scientists and physicians who develop and refine advanced, data-centered tools for clinical care and medical education.
Metanexus (Science and Religion in Context)
Interdisciplinary dialog on the convergence of science and spirituality.
MODSIM World
For the international modeling and simulation community (business, industry, academic, governmental).
NBIC Convergence Conference
Future of Nano, Bio, Infotech, and Cognitive Science (NBIC). (Feb)
New Yorker Conference
Theorists, designers, economists, philosophers, ethicists, animators, inventors, musicians, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, scientists, artists, politicians, engineers, financiers musing on the near-term (5-10 year future).
NextMed
Broad ranging, multidisciplinary exploration of the future of medicine. (Shaun B. Jones MD)
O'Reilly Emerging Technologies Conference
Near term future opportunities for information technology. (Mar)
Outsourcing World Summit
Leveraging the global economy to advance business and technology (Feb)
Performance Measurement for IT in Government
How to maximize the performance of IT investment in large, bureacratic organizations. (Jan)
Personal Democracy Forum
The leading conference on the use of technology to improve transparency, democracy, and political performance.
Planetwork
IT networks, interdependence, social activism, and environmental agendas.
Pop!Tech: The Camden Technology Conference
The impact of technology on people and culture. (Oct)
Portland Internat'l Conference on Mgmt of Engineering and Technology (PICMET)
Topics in E&T management. TF&SC-affiliated, Portland State U.-affiliated.
Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs
International conferences on science, social responsibility, and disarmament.
Push Conference
Culture, commerce, technology, art, science - and their intersection. Future-oriented. (Cecily Sommers)
ROBOlympics
Annual robotic competitions of all types. San Francisco, CA.
RoboNexus
Largest business, development, education, and consumer event. (Oct)
Shmoocon
Leading East Coast hacker and 'technology exploitation' convention.
Siggraph (ACM)
Premiere computer graphics and interactive techniques conference. (July)
Singularity Summit
Annual conference on artificial intelligence and the technological singularity. (Oct)
Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S) Conference
Oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to understanding science and technology. (Oct)
Solutions for a Shrinking Planet
Conference of Engineers for a Sustainable World. Innovative development in emerging nations. (Sept)
SpeechTEK
Leading U.S. forum for computer speech technology products, apps, and services. Moving us toward the conversational interface. (Feb)
Supernova
Exploring the decentralized communications, IT, software, and media future. (June)
National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)
Includes the Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence Conference (July)
National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment
Research and policy on topical issues in environmental policy.
Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS)
Leading machine learning conference. Great applications. (Dec)
SciVestor
Conference on disruptive technologies for the investment community. (May)
State of Play
Leading conference on emerging legal issues in virtual worlds. New York Law School (Oct)
SXSW (South X SouthWest's Southwest Music and Media Conference)
Leading music, film, and interactive media event. Austin, TX.
Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics
Systems theories for understanding planetary and technological futures.
Technosapiens (CBC)
CBC Christians engaging transhumanists in technological futures discussion.
TED
Expensive ($4K) invite-only conference on global trends in technology, entertainment, and design.
TechnoSecurity and TechnoForensics
Latest practices, trends, and threat analysis in digital security and digital forensics.
Telluride Tech Festival
Celebration of the past, present, and future of technology.
The Next Twenty Years (TNTY)
Long range futures in technology, energy, biotech, and medicine. (Orgs only).
TransVision
World Transhumanist Assn. occasional conference. Exploring the use of science and technology to overcome human limitations.
Web 2.0 Conference (O'Reilly)
Emerging business and technology developments on the web.
Winter Simulation Conference
Advanced academic and industry discussion of simulation for automation, scheduling, risk analysis, security, education, and other apps.
Wired's NextFest
Wired's look at how technology and creativity interact to make the future. (June)
Wonderfest
Annual science popularizing debate series. San Francisco Bay area. (Nov)
World Conference on the Future of Science
Top thinkers, great themes, tremendously insightful. Venice, Italy (Sept)
World Future Society
The oldest and best known international futures conference. (July).
World Innovation Forum (HSM)
Expensive ($2K) bicoastal executive conference on innovation trends (April & June)
World Nano-Economic Congress
Premiere intersection of thought leaders in nanotechnology and business.
World Summit on the Information Society
Seeking to maximize the effectiveness of information and communications technologies in global socioeconomic development (UN ITU produced).
World Technology Summit
Multidisciplinary association of scientists and technologists creating new technologies and business processes. Invitation only. (Oct)
World Telecommunications Development Conference (ITU)
International policy for closing the global digital divide. (Organizations only.)

See also this list of Acceleration-Relevant Conferences.


Know any others that should be on this list? Log in and add them yourself. Please follow the same formatting and style you see on these pages, with very brief explanatory sentences. If you can't do that, please put them in the threads section at the bottom of the page, thanks.