Top 10 iOS Conferences in 2015

4) NSConference

NSConference is one of the oldest iOS conferences in Europe, and always draws top-notch speakers.

“NSConf – the best conference outside of WWDC for me. The conference attracts the best speakers and because of that, a top quality attendee base. The conference is really set up to meet new people and you find yourself sitting at a new table every day. Fantastic!” –Matt Galloway

“NSConference feels like a mini WWDC set in Leicester, the location is a concert, auditorium setting with round tables. The organizers encourage a lot of networking in between sessions and this helps if you like meeting and chatting with fellow developers. The talks have a wide-range of topics, from the outright weird keynote to the former Apple Developer Evangelist giving you marketing advice. And if you like alcohol, the evening drinks are fun to be at :-)” –Tope Abayomi

“You can’t call 360|iDev the most important indie conference in the world, because it shares that title with NSConference, and you’re not seeing the whole world of Apple unless you go to both. Everybody love NSConference, but I think what’s most amazing is that the organizers have been expanding and evolving the production every year, yet it somehow keeps getting better.” –Mike Lee

• When: March 16-18, 2015
• Where: Athena, Leicester, UK
• Team members planning to attend: Kyle Richter
• Websites: NSConference

5) iOSDevUK

iOSDevUK is a conference located in a university in Wales. It is extremely technical, and its remote location encourages attendees to bond and make good friendships. I’ve heard great things about this conference from many folks on the raywenderlich.com team and am attending myself this year.

“iOSDevUK shouldn’t really work, but somehow it totally does. Forget the ritzy hotels, grand keynotes, packed ballrooms, and big city nightlife – iOSDevUK is really just a bunch of loveable devs shacking up together on a quaint University campus near the scenic Welsh seaside… and it is phenomenal! If you truly want to connect with world-class speakers, chat with all the attendees, and be fully immersed in iOS for a couple of days, then you must attend this conference. You’ll feel like nothing matters in this world except for iOS :]” –Ricardo Rendon Cepeda

“The first thing you will enjoy about iOSDevUK is the location, if you enjoy remote landscapes and seeing the ocean. The conference itself is set in the University of Aberystwyth so it instantly gives you a scholarly feel. The talks are very technical so you do get to learn a lot. The dinner too is amazing.” –Tope Abayomi

“As pretty much everyone is want to remark – this conference is not the easiest to get to. However, for me, that just adds to it’s charm; there are few routes in to Aberystwyth, the most convenient form of transport being by train. Inevitably this leads to a gathering of attendees all heading for the same train which takes on a geek equivalent of the ‘Hogwarts Express’. The conference is held at Aber’s University campus which seems to get moved a bit further up the hill every year! Accommodation is available on site in student rooms which are basic but transport me back to Uni days. Late nights & one or two drinks serve only to reinforce that feeling.

Conference sessions are held in parallel in two lecture theatres, so there’s always a decision to make over which to attend. There are plenty of breaks for coffee & biscuits between sessions, giving great opportunities to catch up with old friends & to make new ones. This is one conference which has regular attendees year-on-year with good reason. Sessions cover a wide range of subjects & every one I attended taught me something new. Despite the walk back up the hill I have no hesitation in recommending iOSDevUK. For me it feels like being back at Uni & I come away each year feeling that I’ve learned something as well as having a great time.” –Mark Brindle

• When: September 7-10, 2015
• Where: Aberystwyth, UK
• Team members planning to attend: Darryl Bayliss, Ricardo Rendon Cepeda, Matt Galloway, Ryan Nystrom, Mic Pringle, Marin Todorov, Ray Wenderlich
• Websites: iOSDevUK

6) MDevCon

MDevCon is a mobile conference in Amsterdam. It focuses on more than just iOS – if you also think Android and Google Glass development is cool, this is the conference for you!

“If you’re crossing an ocean for NSConference, there’s a good chance you’re stopping in Amsterdam. Come a week early and check out Mdevcon. It’s a great scene, and the perfect warmup, but it’s also worth it just to see the most beautiful venue in the most livable city in the world. You can even attend some Appsterdam events while you’re in town. ;)” –Mike Lee

“Mdevcon is held at the fabulous Tuschinski Theater in Amsterdam. It’s a great location, right downtown. The conference is very well organized, usually in multiple tracks, covering both design and development topics related to mobile platforms. Attendees are very very friendly and I had great conversations during breaks and dinners. Definitely a conference that I recommend.” –Cesare Rocchi

“mdevcon was an amazing experience: a technical conference that covered more than just code in the heart of Amsterdam. Held in a beautiful old-time movie theatre, there was this really cool feeling listening to people discuss topics they were truly passionate about. One of the speakers even live-coded an iBeacons app. Amazing.” –Ash Furrow

• When: March 5-6, 2015
• Where: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Team members planning to attend: Cesare Rocchi, Marin Todorov
• Websites: mdevcon

7) #Pragma Conference

#Pragma Conference is a conference in Italy that has both technical and design tracks, and covers both iOS and OS X development. Another one I’ve heard great things about!

“I can’t recommend enough Pragma Mark – the guys organizing this event always manage to create a very special feeling about the conference. It’s an event happening usually just few weeks after the new version of iOS comes out so you can count on attending interesting and entertaining sessions and meeting cool people. Pragma Mark really puts Italy on the conference map by attracting people from around the world to come and meet up in Milan.” –Marin Todorov

“I really enjoyed Pragma Mark. I both gave a presentation and held a workshop, so I got to meet a tonne of people. Pragma Mark was a great relaxed environment. Being held in the heart of the beautiful Milan doesn’t hurt, either. It was like an Italian version of UIKonf.” –Ash Furrow

• When: 9-10 October
• Where: Florence, Italy
• Team members planning to attend: Marin Todorov
• Websites: #Pragma Conference