Top EdTech Conferences to Attend in 2026

The education technology landscape moves fast, and staying connected to the latest innovations, partnerships, and trends requires getting out from behind your screen. Whether you're looking to discover cutting-edge solutions, meet potential partners, or understand where the industry is heading, the right conference can accelerate your impact.

This guide highlights five essential EdTech conferences in 2026, carefully selected to serve different regions and professional focuses. No matter where you work or what sector you serve, you'll find an event here that fits your needs.

1. Bett UK – London, United Kingdom

January 21-23, 2026 | London, UK

When people talk about "the biggest EdTech event," they're usually referring to Bett. This three-day London gathering is where the global education technology community converges each January. Educators rub shoulders with policymakers, technology providers showcase their latest innovations, and deals that shape the industry get made in the exhibition halls and side rooms.

Bett's strength lies in its scale and diversity. Whether you're a primary school teacher looking for classroom tools, a superintendent evaluating district-wide systems, or a university administrator exploring learning management platforms, you'll find relevant sessions, exhibitors, and networking opportunities. The event sprawls across multiple tracks covering everything from early years education to continuing professional development.

For European educators and EdTech providers, this is the non-negotiable event of the year. For international visitors, it's worth the trip—Bett attracts attendees from over 130 countries, making it one of the few truly global gatherings in the sector.

Best for: European educators, institutional leaders, EdTech providers serving K-12 and higher education
Website: uk.bettshow.com

2. ASU+GSV Summit – San Diego, California, USA

April 12-15, 2026 | San Diego, California, USA

If you want to understand where EdTech investment and innovation are heading, ASU+GSV is your destination. This isn't your typical education conference with vendor booths and teacher workshops. ASU+GSV brings together education leaders, workforce development experts, and venture capitalists to discuss scalable solutions for learning and talent development.

The summit attracts everyone from early-stage startup founders pitching their first products to CEOs of billion-dollar education companies mapping their next decade. You'll hear from university presidents reimagining higher education, corporate learning leaders transforming workforce development, and investors deciding where hundreds of millions of dollars flow next.

What makes ASU+GSV distinctive is its focus on the business of education transformation. Sessions dive into market trends, funding landscapes, and strategies for scaling impact. The GSV Cup competition showcases promising early-stage companies, while main stage presentations feature education luminaries and business leaders tackling big questions about the future of learning and work.

Best for: EdTech entrepreneurs, investors, executives focused on workforce learning and scalable education solutions
Website: asugsvsummit.com

3. ATD International Conference & EXPO – Los Angeles, California, USA

May 17-20, 2026 | Los Angeles, California, USA

Corporate learning and development professionals have their own world, and ATD (Association for Talent Development) is its epicenter. This conference speaks directly to people building training programs, developing talent pipelines, and measuring learning ROI in business contexts rather than academic settings.

ATD gathers thousands of L&D practitioners, instructional designers, and talent development leaders who deal with challenges like onboarding effectiveness, leadership development, sales enablement, and compliance training. The expo floor features learning platforms, content libraries, and tools specifically designed for workplace learning rather than classroom education.

If your work involves corporate training, employee development, or organizational learning, ATD offers more relevant content and connections than general EdTech conferences. You'll leave with practical strategies, proven frameworks, and a network of professionals facing similar challenges in developing workforce capabilities.

Best for: Corporate L&D professionals, talent development leaders, workplace learning specialists
Website: atdconference.td.org

4. Bett Asia – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

September 30 - October 1, 2026 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

While western EdTech events dominate the conference calendar, the fastest growth and most interesting innovations increasingly come from Asia-Pacific markets. Bett Asia brings this dynamic region's education ecosystem together in Kuala Lumpur for a leadership summit focused on education policy, institutional strategy, and technology deployment across diverse contexts.

This isn't Bett UK transplanted to Southeast Asia—it's designed specifically for the region's needs and challenges. Sessions address topics like scaling technology across archipelago nations, multilingual learning platforms, and education policy in rapidly developing economies. You'll meet ministers of education, university rectors, and school network leaders shaping how millions of students learn.

For anyone working in or with Asian markets—or interested in understanding how technology spreads in emerging education systems—Bett Asia provides insights and connections you won't find at western conferences. The Asia-Pacific region now represents the largest education technology market globally, and this event puts you at its center.

Best for: Institutional leaders in Asia-Pacific, EdTech providers targeting Asian markets, policy professionals
Website: asia.bettshow.com

5. eLearning Africa – Accra, Ghana

June 3-5, 2026 | Accra, Ghana

Africa's education technology landscape is exploding with innovation born from necessity, such as mobile-first learning, offline-capable platforms, and solutions designed for resource-constrained environments that often leapfrog traditional approaches. eLearning Africa is the continent's premier gathering for digital learning, training, and skills development.

This conference brings together an ecosystem you won't find anywhere else: education ministers implementing national digital strategies, NGO leaders scaling literacy programs across rural communities, entrepreneurs building solutions for African contexts, and technology providers adapting products for markets where connectivity and infrastructure look nothing like the Global North.

What makes eLearning Africa valuable isn't just its focus on African markets—it's the creativity that emerges when constraints force innovation. Solutions developed for intermittent power and limited bandwidth often prove more robust and accessible than products built for well-resourced schools. Ideas tested in multilingual classrooms with diverse learning needs inform better pedagogy everywhere.

For educators and policymakers working across Africa, this conference connects you with peers tackling similar challenges and solutions proven in comparable contexts. For international participants, it offers perspective on how education technology adapts and innovates when assumptions about infrastructure, resources, and user behavior don't apply.

Best for: Educators and policymakers in Africa, EdTech providers targeting African markets, development professionals focused on digital learning
Website: elearning-africa.com

Making the Most of Conference Attendance

Conferences represent significant investments of time and money. Maximize your return by:

• ‍Setting Clear Objectives: Before registering, define what success looks like. Are you seeking specific knowledge, potential partners, market intelligence, or new customers? Your goals shape which sessions you attend and how you network.‍
• Researching Ahead: Review speaker lists, exhibitor directories, and session schedules before you arrive. Identify the 5-10 people you most want to meet and reach out in advance to schedule time.‍
• Going Beyond Sessions: The real value often happens outside formal programming—in exhibition hall conversations, over coffee, or at evening events. Leave space in your schedule for serendipitous connections.‍
• Following Through: The conference ends when you get home and follow up with the people you met. Send those emails within a week while conversations remain fresh.

Choose Your Conference Strategically

You don't need to attend every conference—you need to attend the right ones for your goals. A corporate L&D professional gets more value from ATD than from an event focused on K-12 classroom technology. An educator working in Africa finds more relevant content at eLearning Africa than at a conference addressing European or American policy contexts.

Review the year's upcoming conferences on our EdTech Conference Calendar, consider your professional focus and geographic context, and invest your time where it generates the most return. The connections you make and insights you gain can shape your work for years to come.