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Planning your marketing roadmap for 2025 in San Diego, California? Known for its tech ecosystem, military presence, tourism, and proximity to Mexico, here are 10 events:
1. Social Media Marketing World (SMMW)
Description: One of the world’s largest social media conferences, hosted by Social Media Examiner, focusing on platforms, content, influencer marketing, and more.
Date (2025): Typically Spring (Exact date TBA)
Location: San Diego Convention Center
Website: Social Media Marketing World
Who Should Go: Social media marketers, content creators, brand strategists, and agencies.
Past Speakers: Mari Smith, Jay Baer, Michael Stelzner, and top social platform experts.
2. Traffic & Conversion Summit
Description: Hosted by DigitalMarketer, T&C Summit is a premier conference for performance marketers, focusing on funnels, copywriting, paid ads, and more.
Date (2025): Often early in the year (Exact date TBA)
Location: San Diego Convention Center or nearby hotels
Website: Traffic & Conversion Summit
Who Should Go: Performance marketers, affiliate marketers, digital entrepreneurs, and agencies.
Past Speakers: Ryan Deiss, Richard Branson, Daymond John, and marketing tech founders.
3. Digital Summit San Diego
Description: A West Coast stop for the Digital Summit series, featuring sessions on SEO, social, email, analytics, and content marketing.
Date (2025): Likely mid-year
Location: San Diego Convention Center or prominent downtown venues
Website: Digital Summit San Diego
Who Should Go: Digital marketers, startups, brand managers, and marketing tech enthusiasts.
Past Speakers: Representatives from Moz, LinkedIn, Salesforce, and local SoCal startups.
4. AMA San Diego Art of Marketing Conference
Description: Hosted by the American Marketing Association’s San Diego chapter, highlighting branding, digital trends, and local marketing successes.
Date (2025): Often Spring or Fall
Location: Hotel conference venues in central San Diego
Website: AMA San Diego
Who Should Go: Local marketers, agency professionals, students, and entrepreneurs.
Past Speakers: Regional marketing directors, agency founders, and brand leaders from Southern California.
5. Social Media Day San Diego
Description: Part of the global Social Media Day initiative, focusing on social media strategies, tools, and success stories specifically for SoCal.
Date (2025): June 30 or around that date
Location: Downtown event spaces or hotels near the harbor
Website: Social Media Day SD
Who Should Go: Social media managers, content creators, small business owners, influencers.
Past Speakers: Local digital marketing experts, YouTubers, Facebook ad specialists, and influencer agencies.
6. SEM & SEO Conference San Diego
Description: Smaller, niche event focusing on SEO, PPC, and SEM best practices, sometimes hosted by local marketing meetups or specialists.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: Coworking spaces or smaller conference halls in downtown or La Jolla
Website: Check SEO Meetup San Diego or local marketing directories
Who Should Go: SEO professionals, PPC managers, content marketers, and digital agencies.
Past Speakers: Local SEO consultants, Google Ads specialists, data analysts.
7. Brand ecologies: Marketing & Design Conference (San Diego)
Description: Occasional event blending branding, design, and marketing, featuring creative workshops and brand storytelling sessions.
Date (2025): Irregular schedule
Location: Design studios, Balboa Park venues, or downtown hotels
Website: Listed on Eventbrite or local marketing/design communities
Who Should Go: Designers, brand managers, creative directors, marketing strategists.
Past Speakers: Branding agency founders, local design experts, nonprofit creative leads.
8. San Diego Startup Week (Marketing & Growth Track)
Description: A week of events celebrating the local startup ecosystem, including marketing, branding, and growth-focused sessions.
Date (2025): Likely mid-year
Location: Multiple locations in downtown SD or co-working spaces
Website: San Diego Startup Week
Who Should Go: Founders, marketing leads, developers, investors, and mentors.
Past Speakers: Local tech entrepreneurs, marketing automation vendors, and SoCal VC firms.
9. Convergence Summit (SoCal Marketing & Innovation)
Description: A SoCal-focused event bridging marketing, innovation, and tech, sometimes rotating between San Diego, Orange County, and LA.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: San Diego hotels or UCSD Park & Market
Website: Check local business associations or Connect San Diego for announcements
Who Should Go: Marketers, product managers, startup founders, and creative agencies.
Past Speakers: Biotech marketing leads, local tourism/hospitality execs, and digital innovators.
10. PRSA San Diego/Imperial Counties Conference (Marketing Sessions)
Description: Public relations-centered conference featuring integrated marketing, media relations, and crisis comms sessions.
Date (2025): Likely annual event
Location: Hotels in downtown SD or Mission Valley
Website: PRSA SD/IC
Who Should Go: PR professionals, brand communications teams, nonprofit marketers, and government comms staff.
Past Speakers: Local news anchors, PR agency founders, communications directors from major SoCal organizations.
