TOP 10 tech conferences in Ukraine in 2020: main event guide in the country with 300,000 IT professionals

According to an estimate of editors of AIN.UA, Ukraine boasts 300,000 tech specialists. The country is developing towards becoming a hotspot for outsourcing and R&D centers of major international players. The number of product companies, such as Grammarly, GitLab, Depositphotos, and CleanMyMac, has also grown significantly in recent years.

AIN.UA editors handpicked 10 most important events of the year 2020 that will get you acquainted with the Ukrainian tech scene – find employees, customers, startups, investors, journalists, and much more.

Type of event: The second largest technical conference in Ukraine where speeches are delivered only in English. Held annually since 2015. In 2019 the event gathered 5,000 attendees.

At IT Arena attendees can choose from five streams, an exhibition area for startups, a competition with a prize fund and 40 closed meetups on the last day. 

What to expect: Many top managers and decision-makers come to Lviv – it is a good chance to mingle and make new acquaintances. The conference throws a huge private party annually: an informal networking ‘without ties’ for company owners and C-level executives.

Type of event: The largest IT-conference in Ukraine with preparations beginning six months in advance. In 2019, the event brought together 13,000 attendees from all over Ukraine as well as other countries. The conference is eventful. The conference is held for only one day.

At iForum, there are 6 streams to choose from and a huge exhibition area, where both startups wishing to make themselves known, as well as successful companies collecting leads are represented. 

What to expect: If on the day of the conference you plan to be in Kyiv and want to meet with someone, you can’t avoid a trip to iForum – all the representatives of the creative class will be there. On iForum you can meet almost anyone – even the President of Ukraine, and chat in an informal setting. The main thing is to know where to look – and for this, we recommend that you check out the event schedule.

Type of event: The main event of the year for Software-as-a-Service businesses. It has been held annually since 2017. It will be interesting to SaaS-founders, top managers, investors and anyone engaged in the development of product companies.

What to expect: First of all, check out the speeches. SaaS Nation has a lot of useful information for SaaS industry representatives, practical cases and highly specialized networking. 

Type of event: Games Gathering is the largest event in Eastern Europe devoted to the development and publication of games, as well as the creation of game content. The gathering is held annually since 2015. 

The conference gathers more than 3,000 attendees. There you can listen to about a hundred interesting speeches and presentations on game development, as well as demonstrate your own product in one of the free stands for indie teams.

What to expect: First of all, it presents an opportunity to meet new business partners – publishers, investors and service providers. And also listen to interesting presentations and ask questions to experts. After all, it was in Ukraine where such game masterpieces were born as S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Metro, Cossaks, Warface, Sherlock Holmes, etc. 

Type of event: The largest analytics conference for multichannel projects in Ukraine. The presentations are done in two streams: Business and Technical. Here they tell how to make the site successful using real-life case studies, as well as workshops and discussions.

What to expect: Analyze! is traditionally attended by the top representatives of Ukrainian e-commerce projects, market managers and leading experts of leading promotion agencies, Google representatives, including the directors of the company’s office in Ukraine. Here you can learn a lot, and at the same time get to know savvy people who can become your partners in the future.

Type of event: The Kyiv International Economic Forum in 2019 brought together 2,000 attendees and 110 speakers from 30 countries. It is a discussion platform that aims to formulate a strategy for the economic development of Ukraine. The event brings together large businesses and officials, bankers and lawyers. 

What to expect: At KIEF you can talk with senior Ukrainian officials. At the last forum, among the speakers were the prime minister, both deputy prime ministers, the finance minister and the president himself. However, the platform is also suitable for business networking.

Type of event: The largest developer conference in Ukraine and the world. Previously held under the brand name JavaDay, but then it joined the global community of Devoxx (17,000 attendees, 14 cities in Belgium, the UK, France, Poland, Morocco, and Ukraine). It has been held annually for the past 7 years.

What to expect: Learn the latest development trends, chat with colleagues and find new partners. In a nutshell, Devoxx is a universal international networking platform for programmers of all trades and specialties. There you can meet top developers, even the creators of programming languages and other development tools.

Type of event: Outsource People kicked off in 2013 in Kharkiv. Since then, from a small local meeting, the conference has grown into an annual two-day event with 1,000+ attendees and has become the largest in Europe in the field of service software development. Outsource People was held in Minsk and Krakow, and in the past few years, the conference was held in Kyiv.

What to expect: Most of the attendees are owners and managers of IT companies, and it can be useful to get to know them. Outsource People is also attended by top managers, sales representatives, marketers, developers, and other stakeholders. In 2019, at Outsource People 2019, they also organized a bonus third day and arranged tours of the offices of Kyiv IT companies.

Type of event: The event is held since 2011 on the coast of the Black Sea. The event is designed for CMO and Internet Marketers – SEO, PPC, Affiliate, PR&Brand.

What to expect: In addition to networking and insightful presentations, the main advantage of 8P is that it is held in Odesa. Over the years, the organizers threw pool parties, beach parties and came up with activities for attendees that you will not find at any other industry conference. 

Type of event: ITEM is an international conference held in the central part of Ukraine and is devoted to the development of a successful IT business. The conference has been held for the 8th season in a row twice a year – in Kyiv and Dnipro. It brings together attendees from more than 200 IT companies and speakers from around the world. 

What to expect: The main thing the conference has to offer is networking and mingling. Therefore, ITEM organizers promote networking in every possible way, come up with suitable formats, and at the end of the event the attendees are invited to an afterparty with a bar and live rock music.