HOT Conference Topics & Event Planning Themes for 2020 | Presentation Skills Academy Conference Topics for 2020

LIST of HOT Conference Topics for Your Event, Meeting or Convention in 2020

By David Staughton CSP CCEO, Keynote Speaker on Growth in Tough Times and Small Business Consultant

Want to know the HOT TRENDING TOPICS FOR 2020?
Need some Great Ideas for your CONFERENCE & ONLINE PRESENTATIONS?
Would you like to improve your Conference CONTENT DESIGN?

NOTE – Since March 2020 the Corona Virus has decimated the Speaking, Events & Conference Industry – This HOT TOPICS list has changed radically as some of these topics are deemed less important in the Crisis.

Visit new BLOG POPULAR TOPICS for ONLINE PRESENTATIONS & WEBINARS during the age of the Corona Virus & Lockdown

This Blog contains the TOP 20 Conference Topics for 2020 in detail.

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.

What are the 2020 HOT Conference Topics?

2020 Speaker Topics and Themes — 2020 HOT Speaking Topics and Themes

Click HERE to DOWNLOAD the 2020 HOT Speaking Topics and Conference Themes PDF by David Staughton CSP

HOT Topics for Conferences & Events in 2020

Here are the 20 HOTTEST Topics for Conferences in 2020

Embracing Change & Transformation – Breakthrough Innovation & Creativity
Wellness and Health – Meditation, Mindfulness, Holistic Health & Spirituality, Mental Health & Safety at Work
Character, Ethics and Integrity – especially Values & rebuilding Trust
Resilience & Reinvention – Overcoming hardships and challenges – Motivational Stories and Techniques
Customer Experience CX – Human Experience (HX), Customer Focus & Customer Centricity
Near-Futurists & Futurists – Trends & Consumer forecasters. Demographers
Digital Disruption – Augmented Humans, Superhumans, Humanicity, AI, Blockchain
Harmony & Belonging – Diversity, Inclusion & Gender Fluidity
Leadership – Vulnerability, Bravery, Courage, Daring to Lead (We love Brene Brown!)
Communication – Persuasion & Influence, Charisma & Presence – VIDEO making & Visual Storytelling are HOT
Women in Business and Women in Leadership – Pay Equality & Rights #Metoo
Inspirational Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR and Philanthropy
Teamwork & Performance Topics – Boosting Productivity & Culture
Technology Updates – Social Media, Marketing Automation, Cybersecurity
Financial/Risk/Economics Topics – Climate, Economy Updates, Threats
Entrepreneurism and Business Growth – Thriving in Turbulent Times
Sporting Success & High performance teams coaching Topics
Marketing and Branding Topics – Video, Positioning, Omnichannel, Automation, Texting
Strategy, Productivity & Work Methods Topics – Get things Done – Meetings, Time Management
Understanding People & HR Topics – Generational & Cultural Differences, Profiling, Neuroscience

BEST SPEAKERS on the 2020 HOT TOPICS

Here is the most comprehensive guide to Australian Speaker Fees and how much you should expect to pay for different types of Speakers….

2020 Guide to Australian Conference SPEAKER FEES (Click Here)

2020 HOT CONFERENCE TOPICS IN DETAIL

1. 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

2. Wellness & Health Conference Topics

Health Hacks and Shortcuts
Changing Habits – Breaking bad Habits
Morning & Evening Routines
Better Sleep
FLOW – Getting in FLOW / Body Hacking
Tech free – Device Withdrawal and tech detox (Cal Newport)
Meditation & Mindfulness
Living a Better Life
Bucketlisting
Spiritualism and Buddhism
Mental Health awareness – R U Ok?
Psychological Safety
The Gut – gut flora – microbiome – probiotics
Calm & Simplicity
Decluttering – less stuff (Spark Joy!)
Running & Fitness – triathalons & cycling
WHS & OHS Health & Safety
Sugar free & gluten free
Anti-Ageing
Anti vaxxers

3. Character, Ethics & Integrity Conference Topics

Case for Character
Building and Regaining Trust
Integrity and Keeping promises
Doing what You Say
Accountability and holding others Accountable
Ethics
Values
Confidence
Behavioural Models

4. Resilience & Reinvention Conference Topics

Resilience
Overcoming Rejection
Bouncing back
Dealing with Stress
Mental Health
Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Dealing with Obstacles
R U Ok?

5. Human Experience & Customer Service Conference Topics

Customer Experience
Customer Service
Customer Loyalty
Customer Centricity
H2H, Humanicity,
The Human Experience

6. 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
Globalisation
Superpower shift
Collaborative consumption
Alternative energy solar – battery wind
Sustainability – Waste and Cleantech
Demographic, Social/Lifestyle and Environmental Trends
Global & Government Trends

7. Digital Disruption

Digital Transformation
AI – Artificial Intelligence
5G Impact
Big Data – data analytics
Data Lakes
Robotics
IOT – internet of things
Digital assistants
Digital Twins
The Singularity – man machines
VR AR Virtual and Augmented Reality
Hyper connected world

8. Harmony & Belonging Conference Topics

Purpose – Simon Sinek’s why how what
Values
Social enterprise
Inclusion
Pay equality
Diversity
Bullying
Say to violence
Gender equality
Tribal & tribe building
Ninjas – unicorns

9. Leadership Conference Topics

Vulnerability
Bravery & Courage
Authenticity
Accountability
Leadership Habits & Hacks
Being Human
Being Real
Confidence
Neuroscience brain science
Thought leadership
Transformational Leadership
High impact leadership
High performance leadership
Self leadership
Adaptive leaders
Situational leadership
EQ emotional intelligence
Get me Brene Brown!

10. Communications Conference Topics

Listening
Confidence
Executive Presence
Video Making & Digital Storytelling
Persuasion
Storytelling
Influence
Charisma
Human Lie detection (Steve Van Aperen etc)
Pitching – using pitch decks
Co-creation
Presentation skills
Running Panels and debates
Body language

11. Women in Business – Women’s Conference Topics

Women in leadership
Gender equality
Pay gap
Breaking the Glass ceiling
Geek girls / Nerdy Girls
Women in STEM
#metoo issues
Bullying
Mansplaining

12. 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

13.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

14. Technology Conference Topics

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

15. Financial/Risk/Economics Conference Topics

Future of Money
Banking 2.0 3.0
Cryptocurrency – bitcoin ethereum
Cybersecurity
Hacking
Personal Finances
Peer to peer lending
Succession – exit planning
Financial literacy
Side hustle
Board governance
Emerging economy
Brexit
Quiet power – introverts

16. Entrepreneurism & Business Growth Conference Topics

Growth hacking
10X
Crossing the chasm
Cracking the code
Hockey stick growth
Venture capital VC
Start ups
Entrepreneur – wantrepreneur
Exponential growth
Roll ups – roll outs
Burning man festival
SXSW south by southwest

17. 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)

18. Marketing & Branding Conference Topics

Personal branding
Logos taglines themes
Marketing automation
Influencers
Going viral
Insta-famous facebookers
KOL key opinion leaders
On trend
Cause marketing
Social selling
Linked in
Youtube
Social media – insta stories
facebook live – pinterest boards
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

19. Strategy, Productivity & Work Methods Topics

Better Meetings
Time Management
Strategic Thinking and Strategic Mindset
Strategy Development
Workshopping
Hackathons
Crowdsourcing
Deep dive
Agile – scrum – sprint methodologies
Great game of business GGOB by Jack Stack
Design day / discovery day
Blind spots
Due diligence
Dreamboard – vision board
Brainstorming
Think Tank – summit
Prioritising – 80/20 rule – Richard koch

20. 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
Multiculturalism – Rise of China – India BICI BRICs
WageTheft
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?

SmartCompany
AFR – Australian Financial Review
Most popular TED talks
US E-Newsletters like Morning Brew and The Hustle
Airport bookstands – Singapore airport always has the latest books
Google Trends – search data
International Conferences – speakers
National Association conferences – speakers
Speaker Bureau Showcases of New & Breakout Speakers
Best selling business books lists

The Top NINE Speaking Slots for Conferences & Events

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

An Opener/Closer – for Inspirational Energy
A Future or Trends Update
Leadership – for Direction & Improved Clarity
Performance/Productivity Improvement – Work/Life Effectiveness
Teambuilding/Culture
Communication/Sales/Marketing Update
Energiser – Change Mood/Pace of event – after lunch or Start of Day 2 or 3
A Hero! Story – the big Finale
MC/Facilitation/Acts – panels, crowdsource, hypotheticals

For some advice on finding the best speakers and entertainers for your event – contact your friendly Speakers Bureau

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.