1. San Francisco International Auto Show
#1 Trade Show & Convention
A departure from the tech conferences that usually set up shop in San Francisco’s Moscone Center, the International Auto Show is the ultimate auto mall, boasting more than one-million square feet of the latest model vehicles from the world’s major car manufacturers. While most of the vehicles aren’t set up for test drives, several manufacturers have offered curb-side test-drive pick-up zones in the past, particularly to entice visitors to test electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. It is the largest auto show in the region, and it is the largest exhibition of any kind in Northern California. Next: November 21-25, 2018
A departure from the tech conferences that usually set up shop in San Francisco’s Moscone Center, the International Auto Show is the ultimate auto mall, boasting more than one-million square feet of the latest model vehicles from the world’s major car manufacturers. While most of the vehicles aren’t set up for test drives, several manufacturers have offered curb-side test-drive pick-up zones in the past, particularly to entice visitors to test electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. It is the largest auto show in the region, and it is the largest exhibition of any kind in Northern California. Next: November 21-25, 2018
Photo: Courtesy of San Francisco International Auto Show
2. Winter Fancy Food Show
#2 Trade Show & Convention
Artificial intelligence is maturing, but it still can’t help you taste food. For that, you’ll have to join 25,000 fellow food connoisseurs at the Winter Fancy Food Show. Now in its 42nd year, the food show is the most comprehensive event for exploring new food trends, with more than 1,400 exhibitors from around the world, 80,000 specialty foods and beverages, and thousands of new products. Organizers say it is the largest specialty food and beverage show on the West Coast. Next: January 13-15, 2019
Artificial intelligence is maturing, but it still can’t help you taste food. For that, you’ll have to join 25,000 fellow food connoisseurs at the Winter Fancy Food Show. Now in its 42nd year, the food show is the most comprehensive event for exploring new food trends, with more than 1,400 exhibitors from around the world, 80,000 specialty foods and beverages, and thousands of new products. Organizers say it is the largest specialty food and beverage show on the West Coast. Next: January 13-15, 2019
Photo: Courtesy of Winter Fancy Food Show
3. Watermark Conference for Women
#3 Trade Show & Convention
The Watermark community has lofty goals, like closing the pay gap, eliminating gender discrimination, and achieving parity in company leadership and on corporate boards. The one-day Watermark Conference for Women is trying to advance those goals by educating and empowering women. Over the last four years, the conference has become the largest personal and professional networking event for women on the West Coast. Watermark hosts more than 6,500 attendees, 100 speakers, and 24 breakout sessions, with speakers ranging from VCs to authors to founders and C.E.O.s. Next: February 22, 2019
The Watermark community has lofty goals, like closing the pay gap, eliminating gender discrimination, and achieving parity in company leadership and on corporate boards. The one-day Watermark Conference for Women is trying to advance those goals by educating and empowering women. Over the last four years, the conference has become the largest personal and professional networking event for women on the West Coast. Watermark hosts more than 6,500 attendees, 100 speakers, and 24 breakout sessions, with speakers ranging from VCs to authors to founders and C.E.O.s. Next: February 22, 2019
Photo:Â Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images
4. Hustle Con
#4 Trade Show & Convention
Hustle Con is a conference for the people who found and work for start-ups, but it feels like a start-up in itself. This is not a chichi swagbag, see-you-at-the-Drake-networking-concert event. But what it lacks in polish, it makes up for in information. Speakers are frequently founders and C.E.O.s of successful start-ups (like ClassPass, Movement, and PennyHoarder, to name a few), and the event packs in plenty of do-this-not-that wisdom into an eight-hour day. Attendance is limited to 2,500 guests and usually sells out. Next: Spring 2019
Hustle Con is a conference for the people who found and work for start-ups, but it feels like a start-up in itself. This is not a chichi swagbag, see-you-at-the-Drake-networking-concert event. But what it lacks in polish, it makes up for in information. Speakers are frequently founders and C.E.O.s of successful start-ups (like ClassPass, Movement, and PennyHoarder, to name a few), and the event packs in plenty of do-this-not-that wisdom into an eight-hour day. Attendance is limited to 2,500 guests and usually sells out. Next: Spring 2019
Photo:Â Max Claus
5. Bay Area Tattoo Convention
#5 Trade Show & Convention (up from #6)
Once a symbol of rebellion, tattoos have become mainstream. In 2012, 21 percent of people had at least one tattoo. Among millennials, that number is 40 percent. Similarly, a tattoo convention is no longer a fringe gathering—it’s a major professional development event. Praised by Bay Area tattoo artists, the body-art event brings artists and enthusiasts together at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame to “promote and protect tattooing through dedication to innovation and responsibility.” Next: October 19-21, 2018
Once a symbol of rebellion, tattoos have become mainstream. In 2012, 21 percent of people had at least one tattoo. Among millennials, that number is 40 percent. Similarly, a tattoo convention is no longer a fringe gathering—it’s a major professional development event. Praised by Bay Area tattoo artists, the body-art event brings artists and enthusiasts together at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame to “promote and protect tattooing through dedication to innovation and responsibility.” Next: October 19-21, 2018
Photo:Â John Agcaoili
