2024 HOT Conference Topics & Event Planning Themes

LIST of HOT Conference Topics for Your Event, Meeting or Convention in 2024

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

  • Want to know the HOT TRENDING TOPICS FOR 2024?
  • Need some Great Ideas for your CONFERENCE & ONLINE PRESENTATIONS?
  • Would you like to improve your Conference CONTENT DESIGN?

In person Live Conferences are BACK! 

HYBRID is still with us in 2024 – 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 2024.

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

The TOP 20 Conference Topics for 2024

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 2024

Here are the 20 HOTTEST Topics for Conferences in 2024

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

BEST SPEAKERS on the 2024 HOT TOPICS

2024 HOT CONFERENCE TOPICS IN DETAIL

Mental Health & Wellness Topics

  • Meditation & Mindfulness
  • Breathing Techniques and Breathe work
  • 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
  • Sleep
  • 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

Digital Transformation Topics

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

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?

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

Productivity & WFH Work Methods Topics

  • Dealing with Overwhelm
  • Running Better Meetings (Hybrid)
  • 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

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

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

Risk & Risk Mitigation Topics

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

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!

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

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

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

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

Harmony & Belonging  Conference Topics

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

Technology Conference Topics

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

Customer Experience & Customer Service Conference Topics

  • Customer Service
  • Customer Loyalty
  • Customer Centricity
  • The Human Experience

Entrepreneurism & Business Growth Conference Topics

  • Growth hacking and Scaling Business
  • 10X
  • Crossing the chasm
  • Cracking the code
  • Hockey stick growth
  • Venture capital VC
  • Start ups
  • Entrepreneur – wantrepreneur
  • Exponential growth
  • Roll ups – roll outs

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

Digital Disruption

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

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

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

Communications Conference Topics

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

Inspirational Corporate Social Responsibility Conference Topics

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

Sporting Success, Coaching and High-performance Topics

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

Understanding People – HR Conference Topics

  • 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?

The Top NINE Speaking Slots for Conferences & Events

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

  1. An Opener/Closer – for Inspirational Energy
  2. A Future or Trends Update
  3. Leadership – for Direction & Improved Clarity
  4. Performance/Productivity Improvement – Work/Life Effectiveness
  5. Teambuilding/Culture
  6. Communication/Sales/Marketing Update
  7. Energiser – Change Mood/Pace of event – after lunch or Start of Day 2 or 3
  8. A Hero! Story – the big Finale
  9. 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….

2024 Guide to Australian Conference SPEAKER FEES (Click Here)

 

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.

 

David Staughton CSP CEO B.Sc(Hons)

David Staughton is a Speaker and Business Consultant. He is an Award-winning Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) with over 15 years of professional speaking & consulting experience. David is on the board of E-Speakers, is a past board member of Professional Speakers Australia and was an advisor to a large Australian Speakers Bureau. Speaker Advisor is a useful resource website for Speakers and Event Organisers. If you have ideas for things to add to this website – please contact me