October 2024 Calendar for Marketers

October 2024 marketing calendar: conferences, events, industry gatherings — plus big cultural moments to watch out for 

Groceryshop (Oct. 7-9 – Las Vegas) 

The sugar, spice and everything nice baked into Groceryshop’s annual gathering of industry leaders isn’t a secret recipe: “Just take the most senior gathering of decision makers and combine 30+ hours of bleeding-edge insights, our Meetup platform, epic nighttime parties and finish with a dash of quirkiness,” per the Groceryshop website. Keynote speakers include leaders from PepsiCo, Instacart, Kroger and Sam’s Club. A team from Quad will be in attendance — stop by booth #A1010 to say hello.

Forbes CMO Summit (Oct. 8-10 – Aspen) 

Ahead of its 20th annual CMO Summit, Forbes poses this question: “In a marketing landscape without certainty, what matters most to today’s chief marketers?” Marketing’s global leaders will descend upon Aspen, Colorado, to discuss (and perhaps tackle some black diamond runs).

Shoptalk Fall (Oct. 16-18 – Chicago) 

Bringing together over 4,000 retail industry decision makers, Shoptalk Fall 2024 promises to “break organizational silos” and “fuel retail innovation,” with featured speakers from Target, Kohl’s, Ulta Beauty and more.

Content Marketing World 2024 (Oct. 21-23 – San Diego) 

Celebrating its 14th year, Content Marketing World returns with more than 150 speakers set to take the stage. Actress, writer, producer and Hoorae Media founder Issa Rae is this year’s keynote speaker. 

HLTH USA (Oct. 20-23 – Las Vegas) 

This year, HLTH USA — which, in the past, has welcomed more than 12,000 attendees and 400-plus speakers from the healthcare industry — heads to Las Vegas. Sponsors include 23andMe, AbbVie and Accenture. A team from Quad will be in attendance — visit #MP-5558 to say hello.

The Millennium Alliance Transformational CMO Assembly (Oct. 22-23 – Atlanta) 

The Millennium Alliance celebrates the 29th edition of its Transformational CMO Assembly this year — an event that, per the advisory firm’s website, 76% of Fortune 100 companies attend. 2024 event partners include RetailWire and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, with marketing leaders from Cisco, NBA, Kellanova and others taking the stage. Quad’s Aaron Horowitz and Marcus Lancaster will be hosting “Can Your Brand Deliver What Consumers Expect?” — a workshop aimed at helping marketers break through the noise and masterfully bridge digital and physical marketing. A team from Quad will be in attendance — detail TK.

ANA Masters of Marketing Conference (Oct. 22-25 – Orlando)

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Masters of Marketing Conference returns this October, bringing together marketing leaders to “address the industry’s most pressing challenges and opportunities.” Speakers include leaders from Mars, Incorporated; Walmart Connect; Google; Disney; and more, as well as recording artist Daryl Hall. Be sure to check out The Female Quotient’s Oct. 23 panels “Generation Money: Investing in Women, Maximizing Impact” and “Power of the Pack: Bridging the Gap: Harnessing the Power of Intergenerational Teams,” hosted by Quad’s Julie Curie and Rachel Winer, respectively, and taking place at the Rosen Shingle Creek Penthouse Suite. A team from Quad will be in attendance — detail TK.

Velocity Institute Sustainability Summit (Oct. 23-24 – Phoenix)

Dubbed “the Private Brand Sustainability Event,” the Velocity Institute Sustainability Summit celebrates its fifth year by once again bringing together leaders in the retailer-owned brands and sustainability sectors. This year’s cast of speakers includes representatives from Walmart, Whole Foods and Quad. Quad’s Shannon Anderson and Kelly Burt will host “Packaging Perception: What Does it Take to Get a Consumer’s Attention?” — a session in which they’ll explore how consumers interact with private-label packaging and how Quad uses eye-tracking technology to measure attention most effectively. A team from Quad will be in attendance — detail TK.

Money 20/20 (Oct. 27-30 – Las Vegas)

Money 20/20 USA “is the world’s biggest, most influential gathering of the global money ecosystem, including banks, payments, tech, startups, retail, fintech, financial services, policy and more,” per the event website. The 2024 edition returns to Las Vegas with speakers from Anthropic, Fiserv, IBM, Experian and more.

The New Yorker Festival (Oct. 25-27)

Now in its 25th year, The New Yorker Festival brings “the World’s Most Interesting People” to the stage in New York City, including Emmy award–winning actress Jean Smart, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, comedian and late-night host Seth Meyers. This year’s sponsors include Cathay Pacific, National Geographic and Tourism Australia.

LavaCon (Oct. 27-30 – Portland)

Returning to Portland this year, the LavaCon conference on content strategy and technical communication management helps organizations “use state-of-the-art authoring technologies to reduce publication and support costs, generate revenue and improve the customer experience.” Speakers include content strategy and UX leaders from Google, Meta, Adobe and JPMorgan Chase.

World Series (Late October – early November)

Major League Baseball’s (MLB) main event will look to bounce back this year after a record low 9.11 million average TV viewers watched the Texas Rangers defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks last year. The 2023 World Series had partnerships with 35 brands, ranging from $60 million to $1.6 million. This postseason, each batting helmet will feature the name and logo of German apparel company Strauss, marking the first time the MLB has allowed helmet ads in the postseason.