HOT Conference Topics & Event Planning Themes for 2021

LIST of HOT Conference Topics for Your Event, Meeting or Convention in 2021

By David Staughton CSP CCEO, Practice Consultant and Award Winning Speaker

Want to know the HOT TRENDING TOPICS FOR 2021?
Need some Great Ideas for your CONFERENCE & ONLINE PRESENTATIONS?
Would you like to improve your Conference CONTENT DESIGN?

The Corona Virus decimated the Speaking, Events & Conference Industry in 2020. Most conferences went Virtual and more mixed or Hybrid Conferences will be popular in 2021.

Event Attendees have been able to attend more Global Virtual Events and see more Global Speakers at locally organised Conferences & Events.

Visit the BLOG POPULAR ONLINE TRAINING TOPICS during Co-VID

HYBRID will be the word of 2021 – blending both the offline and online worlds. Blending working from home (WFH) and the new-look workplaces of the future. Here are some popular ideas for 2021.

Hybrid Events
Hybrid Conferences
Hybrid Training
Hybrid Workplaces
Hybrid Leadership
Hybrid Teams
Hybrid Communication Skills
Online Learning and VR Learning too

Another big opportunity will be solutions to the lack of ROI for Sponsors and Exhibitors at Virtual and Hybrid Events. We need better Small Screen Engagement techniques.

The TOP 20 Conference Topics for 2021

One of the best ways to ensure a record conference attendance is to have the BEST keynote speakers and the hottest topics that will pull a crowd and please your stakeholders. You’ll also need great breakout speakers and workshop presenters that do amazing presentations which ensure repeat attendance at next year’s event.

Every conference needs inspirational and motivational speakers. The audience wants more than just content & lots of information – they want a great personality & presence and prefer an entertaining show as well.

Here is a list of Hot Conference Topics for small business, corporate, government, association and Not for Profit Events.

HOT Topics for Conferences & Events in 2021

Here are the 20 HOTTEST Topics for Conferences in 2021

Resilience & Reinvention – Overcoming hardships and challenges – Motivational Stories and Techniques
Embracing Change & Transformation – Breakthrough Innovation & Creativity, Leading Change, Reengagement
Strategy and Short term Planning – Scenarios and Flexible Planning methods – Pre Mortems
Near-Futurists & Futurists – Short Term Trends & Consumer forecasters. Demographers
Digital Transformation – Web, 5G, AI, Big Data, Online Commerce, Online Sales and Service Delivery
Risk Mitigation and Risk Management – Cybersecurity, supply chain security, risk strategy and scenarios
Leadership in Turbulent Times – Leading a Hybrid Team, Courageous Leadership, CEOs that led in a recession
Mental Health and Wellness – Dealing with Stress, Meditation, Mindfulness, Holistic Health & Spirituality, Mental Health & Safety at Work
Hybrid Engagement Skills – Influencing and presenting to a hybrid audience – live in person and live online at the same time
Small Screen Stars – Visual Storytelling is HOT – Intimate Video presentations to your tribe – Clubhouse, Insta Stories, FB live
Women in Leadership – Pay Equality & Rights #Kamala
Teamwork & WFH Performance Topics – Boosting Productivity & Culture with a Hybrid Workplace and WFH
Harmony & Belonging – Diversity, Inclusion & Gender Fluidity
Technology Updates – Social Media, Marketing Automation, Cybersecurity
Customer Experience CX – Human Experience (HX), Customer Focus & Customer Centricity
Entrepreneurism and Business Growth – Thriving in Turbulent Times
Marketing and Branding Topics – Video, Positioning, Automation, Texting
Digital Disruption – Augmented Humans, Superhumans, Humanicity, Blockchain
Productivity & WFH Work Methods Topics – Get things Done – Better Hybrid Meetings, Time Management
Global Topics – Financial/Risk/Economics Topics – China, Trade Wars, Climate, Economy Updates, Threats

BEST SPEAKERS on the 2021 HOT TOPICS

2021 HOT CONFERENCE TOPICS IN DETAIL

1. Resilience & Reinvention Conference Topics

Being more Resilient and Developing Resilience
Overcoming Rejection
Improving Engagement
Bouncing back & Reinventing
Coping with Stressful Situations
Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Dealing with Obstacles
Overcoming Obstacles
R U Ok?

2. Embracing Change & Transformation Conference Topics

What’s Next?
Dealing with Change
Disruption – being indisruptable
Future proofing business and career
Forever Skills / infinity Skills
Relevance – avoiding being irrelevant
Thought Leadership
Being Unstuck
Thinking better & Decision Making
VUCA world – Uncertain world
Game Changer – Changing the Game
Change ready
Innovation innovative
Transformation/transformative
Evolution not Revolution
Creativity & Innovation
Quests – challenges – journeys
Sticky change
Global restructures

3. Strategy and Short-Term Planning Topics

Strategic Planning
Strategic Thinking and Strategic Mindset
Strategic Leadership
Scenario Planning
A3 Action Planning
Tech tools for Strategy and Planning
Strategy Development
Online Workshopping and Facilitation Tools
Deep dive methods
Agile – scrum – sprint methodologies
Blind spots and Black Swans

4. Near Futurists & Future Conference Topics

Future Trends
What’s Next?
Nanotechnology
Biotechnology
Genomics DNA testing
Facial recognition
Self-drive cars
Autonomous vehicles
Drones & Drone taxi
Sharing Economy

5. Digital Transformation Topics

Hybrid Everything!
Online Commerce & Webmarketing
AI – Artificial Intelligence
5G Impact
VR AR Virtual and Augmented Reality
Hyper connected world

6. Risk & Risk Mitigation Topics

Managing Risk in a CoVid Word
Securing Supply Chains
Cybersecurity
Hacking and Hack Proof

7. Leadership Conference Topics

Hybrid Leadership
Vulnerability
Bravery & Courage
Authenticity
Accountability
Leadership Habits & Hacks
Being Human
Being Real
Neuroscience brain science
Thought leadership
Transformational Leadership
High impact leadership
High performance leadership
Quiet power – the power of introverts
Get me Brene Brown!

8. Mental Health & Wellness Topics

Meditation & Mindfulness
Stress Management techniques
WHS & OHS Health & Safety (at home – WFH)
Better Sleep
FLOW – Getting in FLOW / Body Hacking
Tech free – Device Withdrawal and tech detox (Cal Newport)
Health Hacks and Shortcuts
Changing Habits – Breaking bad Habits
Morning & Evening Routines
Living a Better Life
Spiritualism and Buddhism
Mental Health awareness – R U Ok?
Psychological Safety
The Gut – gut flora – microbiome – probiotics – Vegus nerve tone
Calm & Simplicity
Decluttering – less stuff (Spark Joy!)
Running & Fitness – triathalons & cycling
Sugar free & gluten free

9. Hybrid Engagement Skills

Influencing and presenting to a hybrid audience – live in person and live online
Improv Skills
Small Screen Engagement
Zoom & MS Teams Tech Skills
Hybrid Events
Hybrid Conferences
Hybrid Training
Hybrid Workplaces
Hybrid Leadership
Hybrid Teams
Hybrid Communication Skills
Online Learning and VR Learning too
Hybrid Sales and Sales Management

10. Personal Branding & Influencer / Tribe Building

Visual Storytelling is HOT – Intimate Video presentations
Building your live tribe – Clubhouse, Insta Stories, FB live
Online Confidence
Executive Presence
Video Making & Digital Storytelling
Persuasion
Storytelling
Influence
Charisma
Personal branding
Being an Influencer or Working with Influencers
Going viral & Virality
Insta-famous facebookers
KOL key opinion leaders
Social selling
Linked in
Youtube
Social media – insta stories
Facebook live – pinterest boards
Clubhouse

11. Women in Leadership – Women’s Conference Topics

Women in Business
Gender equality
Pay gap
Breaking the Glass ceiling
#Kamala
Geek girls / Nerdy Girls
Women in STEM
#metoo issues
Bullying
Mansplaining

13.Teamwork/Performance Conference Topics

High performance teams
Sustainable teams
Conflict Intelligence and Fighting Fair
Accountability
Inspiration – motivation
Situational Awareness (SA)
Synergy
Collaboration
Winning teams
Playing a bigger game
Focus – clarity
Difficult people – no assholes
Workplace psychopaths
Talent management
Coaching
Growth/fixed mindset
Goalsetting and planning Ahead
Happiness in the workplace
Gratitude
Useful Belief & Cut The Noise (Chris Helder)
GTD – getting things done
Deliverables & Announceables
KPIs KRAs CSFs OKRs outcome measures
ROI ROE – Return on Investment and Equity
Using Dashboards

13. Harmony & Belonging Conference Topics

Purpose – Simon Sinek’s why how what
Values
Social enterprise
Inclusion
Pay equality
Diversity
Bullying
Say to violence
Gender equality

14. Technology Conference Topics

Cybersecurity
VR AR
Wearables
Mobile friendly
Cloud – MS azure
Apps
SEO SEM SERP
Cracking the code
Crossing the chasm
Innovators dilemma

15. Customer Experience & Customer Service Conference Topics

Customer Service
Customer Loyalty
Customer Centricity
H2H, Humanicity,
The Human Experience

16. Entrepreneurism & Business Growth Conference Topics

Post Covid Opportunities
Growth hacking
10X
Crossing the chasm
Cracking the code
Hockey stick growth
Venture capital VC
Start ups
Entrepreneur – wantrepreneur
Exponential growth
Roll ups – roll outs

17. Marketing Conference Topics

Logos taglines themes
Marketing automation
On trend
Cause marketing
Food porn / Success porn
B2B B2C B2G
Omnichannel
Retail revolution
Channels Content Context
Video making
Podcasting
Narrative Arc
Personas – target market
Style guide
Brand elements

18. Digital Disruption

Big Data – data analytics
Data Lakes
Robotics
IOT – internet of things
Digital assistants
Digital Twins
The Singularity – man machines

19. Productivity & WFH Work Methods Topics

Better Meetings
Time Management
Hackathons
Crowdsourcing
Great game of business GGOB by Jack Stack
Design day / discovery day
Due diligence
Dreamboard – vision board
Brainstorming
Think Tank – summit
Prioritising – 80/20 rule – Richard koch

20. Global Topics – Financial/Climate/Economics Conference Topics

Rise of China & India BICI BRICs
Superpower shift
Future of Money –
Rise of Cryptocurrency – bitcoin ethereum etc
Banking 2.0 3.0
Managing Personal Finances
Peer to peer lending
impact of CoVid on BEACH Industries
Succession – exit planning
Financial literacy
Side hustle
Emerging economy
Brexit Issues
Collaborative consumption
Alternative energy solar – battery wind
Sustainability – Waste and Cleantech
Demographic, Social/Lifestyle and Environmental Trends
Global & Government Trends

X. Character, Ethics & Integrity Conference Topics (was popular during the banking crisis)

Case for Character
Building and Regaining Trust
Integrity and Keeping promises
Doing what You Say
Board governance
Accountability and holding others Accountable
Ethics
Values
Behavioural Models

X. Communications Conference Topics (Less need for in person interaction?)

Listening
Human Lie detection (Steve Van Aperen etc)
Pitching – using pitch decks
Co-creation
Presentation skills
Running Panels and debates
Body language

X. Inspirational Corporate Social Responsibility Conference Topics (Other priorities?)

Corporate social responsibility stories
Good corporate citizen
Corporate giving
Corporate philanthropy
Giving back – making a difference
B Corp movement
Triple bottom line

X. Sporting Success, Coaching and High-performance Topics (Sports Audiences are on hold)

Sports Hero stories
Female athletes
Disabled Athletes
Sports tech
Winning Team Stories (e.g AFL Richmond Football Club)

X. Understanding People – HR Conference Topics (Other priorities to worry about?)

Generational change
Understanding Millenials or Gen Z
Gen X Y Z and Gen Alpha
Baby Boomers
Next Generation
Hipsters
Parenting Strategies
Wage theft
Lifestylers & lifestyle shift

Be on TREND with The Best Sources of Hot Topics for Conferences & Conventions

Where can Conference Organisers find the upcoming hot and trending topics for conferences?

SmartCompany
AFR – Australian Financial Review
Most popular TED talks
US E-Newsletters like Morning Brew and The Hustle
Crikey
Airport bookstands – Singapore airport always has the latest books
Google Trends – search data
International Conferences – speakers
National Association conferences – speakers
Speaker Bureau Showcases of New & Breakout Speakers
Best selling business books lists

The Top NINE Speaking Slots for Conferences & Events

Most conferences benefit from having these different areas covered during the event:

An Opener/Closer – for Inspirational Energy
A Future or Trends Update
Leadership – for Direction & Improved Clarity
Performance/Productivity Improvement – Work/Life Effectiveness
Teambuilding/Culture
Communication/Sales/Marketing Update
Energiser – Change Mood/Pace of event – after lunch or Start of Day 2 or 3
A Hero! Story – the big Finale
MC/Facilitation/Acts – panels, crowdsource, hypotheticals

For some advice on finding the best speakers and entertainers for your event – contact your friendly Speakers Bureau

Here is the most comprehensive guide to Australian Speaker Fees and how much you should expect to pay for different types of Speakers….

2021 Guide to Australian Conference SPEAKER FEES (Click Here)

What were the 2020 HOT Conference Topics?

2020 Speaker Topics and Themes — 2020 HOT Speaking Topics and Themes

Click HERE to DOWNLOAD the 2020 HOT Speaking Topics and Conference Themes PDF by David Staughton CSP

This Blog is a work in Progress for my friends in the Speaking and Conference industry. Your input is welcome. Please connect with me on Social Media or contact me.