For women seeking to connect and advance their IT careers, or those who support diversity and inclusion in technology fields, here are 15 conferences you won’t want to miss. Credit: Matej Kastelic / Shutterstock Diversity is a hot topic in the tech industry — and because it’s discussed frequently, it might be easy to feel like things have already changed. But according to data from a survey from Women Tech Network, women earn around $15,000 less per year than their male counterparts, with an average annual salary of $60,828 for women compared to $85,000 for men. The numbers are worse for Black and Latina women who earn even less with an average salary of $52,000 per year. Moreover, lack of representation of women at senior levels in IT is notable, with women facing more barriers when climbing the leadership ladder. For every 100 men promoted to managerial positions in tech, only 87 women and 82 women of color earned the same promotion, the Women Tech Network survey found. Whether you already have a strong network of women colleagues in your industry or if you’re looking to expand your community, there are several conferences designed for women in IT. And most aren’t just for women — they’re open to allies and anyone who supports diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Here are 15 tech conferences that aim to connect women and other underrepresented groups in technology to build a more diverse community in the tech industry. Black Women Tech Talk The Roadmap to Billions conference held by Black Women Tech Talk is dedicated to empowering Black women tech founders, “offering a wealth of resources and support to help Black women tech founders turn their dreams into billion-dollar realities.” The three-day event includes keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, strategies to build and scale a business, and advice and insights from investors, tech evangelists, and founders who have been through it all. The retreat also includes events and workshops specifically tailored to students, professionals, investors and aspiring investors, and founders and aspiring founders. Date: May 16-18, 2024 Location: Brooklyn, NY Ticket price: $99 for student admission, $399 for general admission, and $599 for the VIP bundle The Global Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference Established by Stanford University, The Global Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference brings together data scientists of all genders worldwide to support women working in the data science field. The main conference and event takes place on the Stanford University campus, with more than 150 partner events held worldwide at other locations. The event consists of several panel and keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and a reception event at the end of the conference. Date: March 8, 2024 Location: Stanford, Calif. Ticket price: TBA Grace Hopper Celebration The Grace Hopper Celebration was co-founded by Dr. Anita Borg and Dr. Telle Whitney in 1994 and is now the world’s “largest gathering of women technologists,” according to the event website. The conference is named after Admirable Grace Murray Hopper, who is considered among the first computer programmers, and whose work is directly responsible for the development of COBOL. The Grace Hopper Celebration is a conference that spans several topic areas, including technology, culture, career transitions, working in the C-suite, emerging and trending technologies, and new workplace trends in the tech industry. Date: October 8-11, 2024 Location: Philadelphia and virtual Ticket price: TBD Pride Summit The Pride Summit is held by Lesbians Who Tech, an organization that cites itself as the “largest LGBTQ professional event in the world,” according to the website — and allies are welcome. The event was designed to bring more exposure to the LGBTQ community in tech, including “LGBTQ women, trans and gender nonconforming individuals, LBGTQ people of color, and demographics that are underrepresented in the tech sector and LGBTQ spaces.” Past speakers include Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Susan Wojcicki, and Glennon Doyle, among others. This years’ event will be a week-long virtual summit that is free to attend, with the aim of making it accessible to everyone. Date: June 10-14, 2024 Location: Virtual Ticket price: Free Simmons Leadership Conference This year will be the 45th annual Simmons Leadership Conference, a professional development and networking conference for women. It’s hosted by Simmons College and features high-profile speakers, with Serena Williams among those scheduled to speak at the latest upcoming event. Past speakers include Michelle Obama, Madeline Albright, Anita Hill, Oprah Winfrey, and Barbara Walters. The conference focuses on uplifting women in leadership positions and empowering more women to seek out leadership positions, especially in industries where they are underrepresented, such as technology. Date: April 3, 2024 Location: Boston or virtual Ticket price: $299-$399 for online virtual attendance; $1,299 for in-person attendees Tech Up for Women Tech Up for Women is a one-day conference that focuses on the advancement of women in technology. Topics include cybersecurity, blockchain, AI, VR, digital transformation, big data, security, entrepreneurship, startups, and healthcare technology. The event encourages women to network and is aimed at helping women to “improve their digital literacy and successfully compete and disrupt gender imbalance in work environments,” according to the event website. This year’s event takes place during International Women’s Week and promises to highlight and encourage the advancement of women in technology. Date: March 6, 2024 Location: San Diego Ticket price: From $74 to $2,750 WeCode 2024 WeCode 2024 is an annual tech conference hosted by Harvard University, which “seeks to promote community and scholarship for undergraduate women in technology worldwide,” according to the website. It’s an event that aims to bridge gender gaps in STEM, develop “concrete initiatives” to support women in tech, and equip women engineers with competitive skills and a network of professionals to turn to. The conference takes place in Cambridge, Mass., on the Harvard campus, with several keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and workshops for attendees. Date: February 17-18, 2024 Location: Cambridge, Mass. Ticket price: $35-$85 Women Impact Tech The Women Impact Tech conferences are a series of events that align “top women in tech with companies who are committed to inclusion and innovation.” The event gives women in tech, namely women engineers, the chance to network with more than 350 tech companies and have one-on-one meetings with companies at seven national events. There is also a virtual conference for those who can’t attend in person. The 2024 events are slated to take place in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver, and New York City between the months of February and November of this year, with an option to attend virtually. Date: Varies by location Location: Several cities across the US Ticket price: $99 Women in Cloud Annual Summit The Women in Cloud Annual Summit is typically held in Redmond, Wash., at the Microsoft Conference Center, but this year’s event is going “on tour,” with events held virtually and in different cities. The event is focused on women’s contributions to cloud computing, empowering women in tech and encouraging inclusion in the industry. You don’t have to be a woman to attend; “all genders and allies of women in tech entrepreneurs and community are welcome to participate in the Summit,” according to the event website. Date: February to March, 2024 Location: Austin, Texas; Atlanta; and virtual Ticket price: $74-$250 Women in Cybersecurity The Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) conference was established in 2012 by Dr. Ambareen Siraj of Tennessee Tech University through a National Science Foundation grant. WiCyS is a nonprofit organization that offers memberships, scholarships, and networking opportunities to women working in security. The conference takes place over two days and gives WiCyS members and nonmembers a chance to network with other women in the industry and get updates on the latest cybersecurity trends. Date: April 11-13, 2024 Location: Nashville, Tenn. Ticket price: $600 for members of WiCyS, $850 for nonmembers; discounts for students, faculty, government workers, and nonprofit employees Women in Tech Festival The Women in Tech Festival is an event to celebrate women in STEM, business and leadership positions, and anyone who supports the advancement of women and diversity. It’s a two-day event with speakers, startup pitches, group discussions, educational workshops, and career mentorship sessions. This year’s event is taking place in London, with the promise to bring together “women across the IT channel” who want to connect, empower, and cultivate women leaders. Date: November 5, 2024 Location: London Ticket price: $377 Women in Tech Global Conference 2024 The Women in Tech Global Conference 2024 Is an event for software engineers, product managers, designers, data scientists, and business managers in the tech industry to come together to connect, collaborate, and grow. Each day of the conference has a different focus. Day one is about leadership and digital transformation, the second day focuses on emerging and future technology, and the last day of the conference centers on career growth and professional development. The conference aims to bring women together globally, create a sense of community, and empower women in the technology industry. Date: April 23-25, 2024 Location: TBD and virtual Ticket price: $99-$150 Women in Tech Summit The Women in Tech Summit is a series of coding conferences that take place across the nation with conferences held in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and West. These conferences help connect women regionally — everyone from executives to students — who are working on both the business and technical sides of the industry students. The event includes speakers, career advice, workshops for professional development, networking opportunities, and a focus on improving DEI in the industry. Date: May 2-3, 2024 Location: Philadelphia and virtual Ticket price: $70-$350 Women of Silicon Valley The Women of Silicon Valley conference is a two-day event that brings together more than 2,700 tech industry professionals from major corporations and startups across the country. The event is packed with activities, and you can choose from a silver, gold, platinum, or diamond pass — each level gives additional perks, such as access to the speaker lounge, free lunch, reserved front row seats, express check-in, access to the speaker’s corner where you can meet main stage presenters, VIP drinks reception, and access to advanced training opportunities. Date: May 15-16, 2024 Location: National Harbor, Md. Ticket price: TBA Wonder Women Tech Wonder Women Tech is a national convention that takes place in Long Beach, Calif., in partnership with the City of Long Beach and the Mayor. The conference addresses topics such as women’s rights, politics, equal pay, diversity, and fostering inclusive and tolerant work environments. The conference celebrates and empowers women by highlighting their accomplishments and achievements in the industry. This year’s events have yet to be announced, but you can opt to purchase a WWT passport, which will give you access to all the events globally for 2024. Date: TBA Location: TBA Ticket price: $449 for the WWT passport Related content feature TransUnion transforms its business with IT On the heels of its Neustar acquisition, the consumer credit reporting agency seeks to give customers access to its troves of consumer data to fuel next-generation services through solutions platform OneTru. 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