In addition to learning about new trends, technologies and techniques, some web design conferences offer the chance for designers to network, attend workshops, visit expo fairs and more. Learn more about seven upcoming web design conferences for 2026.
The landscape of web design can change dramatically from year to year. Not just because of trendy UI styles or features either. The world is changing fast and, with it, our users. As a result, their needs, desires and preferences when interacting with brands evolves over the years.
To keep pace with everything going on, web designers need to seek out opportunities for education. Reading blogs and books, listening to podcasts and following thought leaders on social media can be helpful. In many cases, though, this kind of content only covers the tip of the iceberg.
For a more comprehensive education and update on what’s happening, industry conferences can be valuable resources.
Every conference is different in terms of theme, availability (in person and online), cost and content. If you’re interested in attending a conference or two this year, keep reading to learn more about what’s available.
One of the nice things about web design conferences is that they’re held throughout the year. Some of them even offer virtual attendance options (if they’re not fully virtual to begin with). So if you miss one, there’s always another one down the road you can attend.
Here’s what you can expect at the following conferences for designers:
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Adobe MAX offers both an in-person and online annual event for designers, developers and creatives of all levels.
More than 150 sessions take place during this event. Sessions are broken up into different tracks, and include:
What’s nice about this conference is that each session will be assigned a technical level. This way, you can choose sessions that align with your interests and level of experience.
Now, if you plan to attend the in-person conference, you’ll have access to keynote speeches, Adobe Labs sneak peeks, 60-minute luminary sessions and creativity super sessions. After the conference, you’ll also be able to watch screen capture and audio recordings of any events you missed.
If you’d prefer to attend online, the programming is slightly different. Online Adobe Live Sessions will be 30 to 60 minutes and give you access to First Takes and Meet the Speaker sessions where you’ll learn more about Adobe products. Online presentations will only be available as replays and will last between 15 to 30 minutes.
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Figma Config is an annual conference for anyone involved in the development of products—designers, developers, marketers, product managers, etc. While some of the sessions revolve around Figma products and features, there are others that focus on the present and future of product design.
The sessions fall under the following themes:
Although the schedule isn’t available yet, you’ll find highlights from 2025 Figma Conf from last year. These keynotes and sessions dig into topics like redesigning the computer mouse, collaborative brand design and creating interactive animations.
If you’re interested in watching the virtual conference, it’s free. You just won’t be able to watch the sessions in real time. The keynote sessions will go up on YouTube the day of and the breakout sessions will appear on YouTube once the conference is over.
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FITC stands for “Future. Innovation. Technology. Creativity.” This two-day conference is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Similar to the other conferences on this list, there will be round table discussions and various session tracks to attend.
One of the biggest differences between this event and the others is its theme:
“This year, FITC Toronto explores the theme of rebirth. In a world moving too fast and overwhelmed by AI and shiny new tools, we want to pause, reflect, and bring back the concepts that inspired us as artists. We want to pay homage to our creative journey, appreciate the small foundational things we learned along the way, and celebrate the essence of our industry.”
If this is something that resonates with you, you have two ways of attending.
In-person attendees get full access to all of the presentations, can take part in the Q&A and are able to attend evening events. They’ll also get six months of online access to the main room sessions.
If you want to attend online and for a discounted rate, you’ll be able to do so in real time. You’ll also get six months’ access to the replays after the event.
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South by Southwest (SXSW) is known for many things. Not only is it the host of popular Music, Comedy and Film & TV Conferences, it concurrently runs an Innovation Conference in March of every year. This is the one you’ll want to pay the most attention to as a web designer.
The Innovation conference has a variety of tracks that may be right up your alley, like Brand & Marketing, Design and Tech & AI. You may also find some interesting content in these tracks:
While AI is going to be talked about a bit, you’ll find other interesting subject matter covered at the conference, like “Meet Gen Alpha,” “10 Truths About Technology That Are Shaping Your Life” and “You Can’t Create Cultural Relevance Without Community.”
This conference is only available to attend in-person, but you do have options. You can buy a Platinum badge for access to all the conferences, one strictly for Innovation, or you can mix and match based on your interests.
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If you’re a UX designer or researcher, then UXDX may be a worthwhile conference to attend. Two conferences are held in May—one in the U.S. and one in Germany. While the content is similar, it’s not identical. So, be sure to check out the agendas for each conference to find the one that interests you most.
Another option is to attend the conferences online. You’ll pay a discounted rate, but only get access to 20 talks instead of the 30 scheduled.
Unlike some of the larger design conferences, there aren’t separate tracks. This conference is solely dedicated to helping product teams deliver better results. So, you’ll find sessions like the following:
The sessions might not be as flashy as other conferences, but they’re meant to be actionable and empowering for UX pros.
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Information isn’t yet available for Web Summit’s 2026 conference. However, this is what we do know about this annual event:
There are 20 tracks to choose from, which include:
There are a lot of sessions going on at the same time, so you’ll want to do some planning ahead of time to make sure you catch the sessions that are most important to you.
Also, don’t forget to look into the meetups available throughout the four-day summit. You’ll find them for all kinds of groups, like Robotics Geeks, Spanish CEOs, CleanTech, Women in Tech and Neurodiverse Folks. These are a great way to fill the gaps in your schedule (if you have any) while enjoying some networking.
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The World Usability Conference is an in-person-only event that takes place over three days in October. Attendees can choose to buy tickets for one day, for the conference or for the conference plus workshops. While there’s no online counterpart, attendees get access to the recordings after the event.
This conference is all about UX strategy and management. During the sessions and workshops, you’ll get a chance to learn about common challenges in UX research and design, and how experts are navigating their way around them.
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If you plan on buying a one-day pass, make sure to look up which tracks are available on each day. The conference organizers do a good job placing related topics together so that you can realistically get the information most relevant to you and your role in a single day.
One of the nice things about having so many conferences to choose from is that you can pick and choose the ones that are best for you.
Do you want to attend online, watch the replay or join in person?
Do you want to go for one day or the whole thing?
Are you interested in the talks or would you find it beneficial to attend the workshops, networking events and other programming?
Also, with most of these conferences planned well in advance, most of them offer special discounted rates for early birds. So, once you decide which ones you want to attend, there are budget-friendly ticket options available.
At the end of the day, there’s something for everyone. It’s just a matter of finding one with the program that interests you most, that fits your budget and that works with your schedule.
A former project manager and web design agency manager, Suzanne Scacca now writes about the changing landscape of design, development and software.