Best Data Science Conferences in 2026 and 2027: Dates, Cities and Who Each Suits

Last updated: October 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson. This comparison is based on each framework’s official documentation and release notes, the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey and developer discussions, all read in October 2026. See our review methodology.

The best data science conferences still to come in 2026 are ODSC AI West (San Francisco, October 27-29) and NeurIPS 2026 (Sydney, December 6-12). For 2027, the big dates are the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit (Orlando, March 8-10), ODSC AI East (Boston, May 10-12), Snowflake Summit (June 7-10) and the Databricks Data + AI Summit (June 21-24), both in San Francisco.

Every date below comes from the organizer’s own website, read on 14 October 2026. The 2022 version of this page listed only 2022 events, so we replaced all of them. Where an organizer has not yet published its next dates, we say so rather than guess.

What is a data science conference?

A data science conference is a multi-day event where practitioners, researchers and vendors share new methods, tools and case studies. Most mix keynotes, technical talks, hands-on workshops and an expo floor. They split into three kinds, and knowing which kind you are buying saves money:

• Practitioner conferences (ODSC, posit::conf, AI Loves Data) focus on tools and techniques you can use next week.
• Research conferences (NeurIPS, KDD, ICML) present peer-reviewed papers. They are where new methods appear first, and they are dense.
• Vendor and leadership events (Data + AI Summit, Snowflake Summit, Gartner) center on a platform or on strategy. They are excellent if you use that platform or manage a data team.

Students and early-career data scientists can usually take part beyond attending: most conferences run calls for speakers, poster sessions, volunteer programs or student discounts. Check each organizer’s site for the current options.

Are data science conferences held virtually?

Many are hybrid. ODSC AI West 2026 adds a virtual-only day on October 26 and sells a virtual conference pass. Data + AI Summit 2027 runs in San Francisco and online, and NeurIPS 2026 spreads across a main venue in Sydney and satellite events in Atlanta and Paris. Gartner’s summit and Big Data LDN are in-person events.

A virtual pass costs less and saves travel, but you lose the hallway conversations and the expo-floor meetings that make conferences useful for job hunting. If you can attend only one event in person, choose the one where your target employers send people.

What are the topics covered in a data science conference?

In 2026 and 2027 the agendas are dominated by generative and agentic AI, but the core data science topics are still there. Expect sessions on:

• machine learning and deep learning, including LLMs, fine-tuning and evaluation
• AI agents and applied AI in production (ODSC calls itself an “AI builders” conference)
• data engineering, warehousing and governance (the focus of Data + AI Summit and Snowflake Summit)
• MLOps and deploying models reliably
• data strategy, AI governance and team leadership (Gartner’s focus for CDAOs and heads of AI)
• open-source tools in Python and R (posit::conf and PyData events)

Which are the top data science conferences happening in 2026 and 2027?

Here is every event at a glance, in date order, then what each one is like.

1. ODSC AI West 2026

The Open Data Science Conference (ODSC) runs its West edition on October 27-29, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency SFO, with a virtual-only day on October 26. It bills itself as “the #1 AI builders conference”: 3 days, 9 tracks and 250+ speakers, with a mix of talks, workshops and training sessions. ODSC has run since 2015 and is one of the most practitioner-focused events on this list. Passes include an in-person conference pass and a cheaper virtual pass; ODSC runs time-limited discounts, so check the price on the day you buy. ODSC AI West.

2. AI & Big Data Expo Europe

Part of the TechEx event series, AI & Big Data Expo Europe takes place on October 19-20, 2026 at the RAI in Amsterdam. It is a large expo with co-located events, aimed at enterprise teams evaluating AI and data tools. AI & Big Data Expo event series.

3. AI Loves Data events (formerly Data Science Salon)

Data Science Salon now runs as AI Loves Data: its old website redirects to ailovesdata.com. Upcoming events include an Enterprise AI Builders conference in San Francisco on November 5, 2026, an agentic AI in finance and banking event in New York on December 11, 2026, and an Enterprise AI Awards showcase in Miami on February 3, 2027. Some events ask you to apply to attend. The format is smaller and industry-focused, which makes it easier to meet speakers. AI Loves Data.

4. NeurIPS 2026

The Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems is the largest machine learning research conference. The 40th edition runs December 6-12, 2026 at its main venue in Sydney, with satellite events in Atlanta and Paris on December 9-13. Attend if you read papers or want to recruit researchers; skip it if you want practical tooling sessions. NeurIPS 2026.

5. AI & Big Data Global

The London edition of the same TechEx series runs on February 3-4, 2027 at Olympia London. AI & Big Data Expo event series.

6. Gartner Data & Analytics Summit

Gartner’s North American summit takes place on March 8-10, 2027 in Orlando, Florida. It is built for chief data and analytics officers, heads of AI and data and analytics leaders, with sessions on data management, AI and agentic AI, governance and organization design, plus a track for people new to the CDAO role. It is a leadership event, not a hands-on one. Gartner Data & Analytics Summit.

7. ODSC AI East 2027

ODSC’s East edition returns to Boston on May 10-12, 2027 at the Menino Convention and Exhibition Center, with the same 3-day, 9-track format. ODSC says its first wave of 2027 speakers is coming soon. If you can only travel to the East Coast, this is the practitioner event to pick. ODSC AI East.

8. Snowflake Summit 27

Snowflake’s user conference runs June 7-10, 2027 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Snowflake describes four days with over 500 sessions, hands-on labs, and training and certification opportunities. Snowflake posted 40+ of the most popular 2026 sessions, including the keynotes, on its site to watch afterward. Snowflake Summit.

9. AI & Big Data Expo North America

The North American edition runs June 16-17, 2027 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The organizer expects 8,000+ attendees, 250+ speakers and 250+ exhibitors across seven co-located events. A free Expo Pass gives access to the expo and free-to-attend sessions; the Gold Pass was listed at $499. AI & Big Data Expo North America.

10. Data + AI Summit 2027

Databricks’ Data + AI Summit takes place on June 21-24, 2027 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and online. Databricks lists 800+ sessions across data engineering, warehousing, governance, analytics and AI, plus half-day instructor-led training and certification exams. Attendees come from more than 160 countries. Data + AI Summit.

11. Big Data LDN

Big Data LDN runs on September 22-23, 2027 at Olympia London, with 130+ exhibitors. It is one of the largest UK events for data and analytics teams. Big Data LDN.

Worth watching: annual events without published next dates

• posit::conf, the R and Python community conference, ran September 14-16, 2026 in Houston. The 2027 dates were not posted on 14 October. posit::conf.
• ACM KDD, the leading data mining research conference, held KDD 2026 in Jeju, Korea on August 9-13. KDD 2027 details were not yet published. KDD 2026.
• WiDS Worldwide (Women in Data Science), started at Stanford, now runs mostly through regional conferences organized by local ambassadors; find one near you on its site. All genders can attend. WiDS Worldwide.
• PyData holds community conferences in many cities each year; check its events calendar. PyData.

We removed four 2022 entries: the Healthcare NLP Summit 2022, Convergence 2022 and the 2022 DataConnect conference were one-off or dated events, and the DataConnect page now returns “Not Found”.

Benefits of attending in-person and virtual sessions

• Learn what is new before it reaches courses. Conference talks cover tools and methods months before they appear in online courses.
• Hands-on training. ODSC, Data + AI Summit and Snowflake Summit all sell workshops or training, and the vendor summits include certification exams.
• Ask the experts directly. Q&A sessions and office hours let you put your own problem to the people who built the tool.
• Recordings. Many organizers post talks afterward, so a virtual or expo pass plus recordings covers much of the content.

How will a data science conference help me in my career?

Conferences help most with the parts of a career that courses cannot give you: people, timing and visibility.

1. Network

You meet people who do the job you want. A 10-minute conversation with a hiring manager at a booth is worth more than an application sent cold.

2. Upgrade

You hear which tools teams are actually adopting. Use that to decide what to learn next instead of chasing every new framework.

3. Innovations and discoveries

Presenting a poster or a short talk forces you to finish and explain a project, and the feedback shows you where it is weak.

4. Connection

Follow up within a week with the people you met. One connection that leads to a referral repays the cost of the ticket.

Can I attend a data science conference online for free?

Yes, with limits. The AI & Big Data Expo North America offers a free Expo Pass that covers the expo floor and free-to-attend sessions. Snowflake posts its keynotes and 40+ popular sessions online after the event, and NeurIPS papers are published openly. For full multi-day programs, expect to pay; look for student, academic and early-bird pricing, and ask your employer, since many training budgets cover conference passes.

How will a data science conference help me to get a job?

Treat a conference as a short job search sprint:

• Pick the right event. Choose the conference where your target employers speak or exhibit. A vendor summit is ideal if the jobs you want list that platform.
• Research before you go. Read the agenda, note three speakers whose work matches your goals, and look up the companies exhibiting.
• Prepare a short pitch. Two sentences on what you do and one project you can show on your phone.
• Use the expo floor. Exhibitors are often hiring; ask what their data team works on before you ask about openings.
• Follow up. Connect on LinkedIn the same week with a note that mentions your conversation.

If you are still building the skills, a course will do more than a conference. Start with our best data science courses, and read how to become a data scientist without a degree.

Build the skills first: IBM Data Science Certificate →

How to choose the right data science conference

Then check three things on the organizer’s site: whether the agenda is published yet, what each pass includes (workshops are often extra), and the refund or transfer policy.

Best data analytics conferences in 2026 and 2027

If your work is analytics and BI rather than machine learning, three events on this list fit best. The Gartner Data & Analytics Summit (March 8-10, 2027) covers data management, governance and analytics strategy for leaders. Big Data LDN (September 22-23, 2027) and the AI & Big Data Expo events lean toward analytics platforms and the teams that buy them. Data + AI Summit and Snowflake Summit also carry large analytics and data warehousing tracks, so they suit analysts who work on those platforms.

For analysts early in their careers, a community event is often more useful than a leadership summit. Look for a local PyData meetup or a WiDS regional conference, where talks are shorter and speakers are easier to reach.

Data science conferences outside the U.S.

Europe has the busiest calendar after the U.S. AI & Big Data Expo Europe comes first (Amsterdam, October 19-20, 2026), then AI & Big Data Global (London, February 3-4, 2027) and Big Data LDN (London, September 22-23, 2027). NeurIPS 2026 also runs a satellite event in Paris on December 9-13.

In Asia-Pacific, NeurIPS 2026 holds its main conference in Sydney on December 6-12, and KDD 2026 met in Jeju, Korea in August. WiDS regional conferences run across India and other countries; WiDS India 2026 included a Bengaluru conference. PyData groups host events in cities worldwide, which makes them the easiest option if you cannot travel far.

If you want to speak rather than attend, watch each organizer’s call for speakers. ODSC lists one on its site, and research conferences such as NeurIPS and KDD accept papers months ahead of the event.

How to spot a conference that is not worth the money

Practitioners who have been sent to bad events describe the same warning signs. Watch for them before you register:

• No track record. You cannot find anyone who attended a past edition, or past programs and speakers are not published.
• Broad, vague scope that lumps machine learning, data mining and unrelated fields together to attract any paper.
• Pay-to-present offers that accept talks or papers almost immediately, with a high fee.
• Mostly sponsor sessions. Even good commercial conferences include some sales pitches; check how many agenda slots are vendor demos.

Every event listed on this page is run by a long-standing organizer, an academic society or a major platform company. If you are unsure about another event, ask a colleague or professor which conferences people in your field actually attend.

Tips for your first data science conference

• Plan a schedule, then leave gaps. Mark the five sessions you cannot miss and leave the rest open for conversations.
• Choose workshops over keynotes. Keynotes are usually recorded; hands-on workshops are where a paid pass earns its price.
• Don’t book sessions back to back all day. Attendees often say more than two talks in a row is too much to absorb; use the gaps to talk to people.
• Bring a project you can show. A notebook or dashboard on your phone starts better conversations than a business card.
• Sit with strangers at lunch. Shared tables are the easiest place to meet people outside your company.
• Write notes the same day. List the tools, people and ideas you want to follow up on before they blur together.
• Check the refund policy. Many passes can be transferred to a colleague but not refunded, so read the terms before you buy.

What are the takeaways from a data science conference?

You should come home with a short list of tools worth learning, two or three new contacts, and a clearer idea of which roles and companies fit you. Write those down on the flight home; a conference you do not follow up on is an expensive few days of talks you could have watched online.

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Conference dates, venues and pass types come from the official pages linked in this article, read on 14 October 2026. They change every cycle, so confirm on the linked page before you apply or pay.

Frequently asked questions

What are the biggest data science conferences in 2027?

By dates published on 14 October 2026: the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit (March 8-10, Orlando), ODSC AI East (May 10-12, Boston), Snowflake Summit (June 7-10, San Francisco), AI & Big Data Expo North America (June 16-17, San Jose), Data + AI Summit (June 21-24, San Francisco) and Big Data LDN (September 22-23, London).

Which data science conferences are left in 2026?

ODSC AI West runs October 27-29 in San Francisco, AI & Big Data Expo Europe October 19-20 in Amsterdam, AI Loves Data holds events on November 5 (San Francisco) and December 11 (New York), and NeurIPS 2026 runs December 6-12 in Sydney with satellites in Atlanta and Paris.

Are there free data science conferences?

AI & Big Data Expo North America offers a free Expo Pass for the expo floor and free sessions. Snowflake posts its keynotes online, and NeurIPS papers are open. Full conference passes are usually paid.

Is ODSC worth attending?

For practitioners, yes: ODSC runs 3 days and 9 tracks with 250+ speakers and a heavy training component. It runs West (San Francisco) and East (Boston) editions each year, plus a virtual pass.

What is the difference between NeurIPS and ODSC?

NeurIPS is an academic research conference built around peer-reviewed papers. ODSC is a practitioner conference built around tools, workshops and applied talks.

Is Data Science Salon still running?

Data Science Salon now runs as AI Loves Data; its old website redirects to ailovesdata.com, which lists events in San Francisco, New York and Miami for late 2026 and early 2027.

How do I get my employer to pay for a conference?

Pick sessions tied to a current project, estimate the cost including travel, and offer to share notes with the team. Many organizers, including ODSC, publish a guide for convincing your manager.

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