PAY ATTENTION ROCHESTER - With CES Underway, NRF Next Week, and the World Economic Forum Later This Month, Global Conversations are Shaping What’s Next for Business.

Rochester, N.Y. - From CES to Davos, a handful of global conferences shape what business will look like next. Rochester founders should be paying attention.

Each year, thousands of executives, policymakers, founders, investors, and technologists converge at a small number of global conferences. These are not trade shows in the traditional sense. They are agenda-setting forums, places where industries align, capital finds direction, and narratives about the future of business are established.

For Rochester-based founders and business leaders, attending these events may not always be practical or necessary. But ignoring them entirely is a mistake.

What comes out of these rooms, keynotes, partnerships, product launches, policy signals, often shapes the markets, technologies, and business models that reach regions like Rochester months or even years later.

Connected Know tracks these events not as destinations, but as early indicators of what’s

coming next.

The Top Tier: Where Global Business Sets Direction

While hundreds of conferences happen annually, only a few consistently operate at the highest level of influence. These are the events where cross-industry conversations happen and where signals matter most.

CES (Consumer Electronics Show) — Las Vegas

CES has evolved far beyond consumer gadgets. Today, it is a global launchpad for artificial intelligence, mobility, healthcare technology, fintech, and enterprise platforms.

Why it matters locally: Many of the technologies that eventually reach mid-sized markets like AI tools, automation platforms, connected systems, are introduced or framed at CES. Rochester founders don’t need to attend to benefit, but they should be watching which problems technology companies are trying to solve next.

NRF: Retail’s Big Show — New York

NRF is the most influential annual gathering in global retail, spanning physical stores, e-commerce, payments, logistics, and consumer behavior.

Why it matters locally: Retail, e-commerce, and consumer brands are a growing part of Rochester’s economy. NRF often sets the tone for how retailers think about customer experience, omnichannel strategy, pricing, and AI adoption—insights that apply just as much to regional brands as global ones.

World Economic Forum (WEF) — Davos

Davos and the World Economic Forum remains the most visible convening of global political, business, and civic leadership.

Why it matters locally: WEF discussions influence regulation, labor trends, climate policy, AI governance, and capital flows. Even when outcomes feel abstract, they often translate into real-world shifts that affect hiring, funding, and compliance for U.S.-based companies.

For founders and executives, Davos is less about headlines and more about understanding where global priorities are aligning.

Forbes Global Forum — Rotating Global Location

The Forbes Global Forum convenes CEOs, founders, and investors around growth, leadership, and global expansion.

Why it matters locally: This event reflects how top executives are thinking about scaling companies, managing risk, and entering new markets. For Rochester-based leaders with national or global ambitions, the insights coming out of Forbes events often mirror what investors and boards will expect next.

SXSW — Austin

SXSW sits at the intersection of technology, culture, media, and startups. It is often where emerging ideas gain momentum before entering the mainstream.

Why it matters locally:

SXSW frequently surfaces early signals around consumer behavior, creator economics, media, AI tools, and startup culture. For founders, marketers, and product leaders, it provides a preview of where attention and opportunity is shifting.

Milken Institute Global Conference — Beverly Hills

While less consumer-facing, Milken plays an outsized role in shaping conversations around capital markets, public policy, healthcare, and economic growth.

Why it matters locally: Milken often bridges the gap between policy and private capital. For regional founders and operators, it’s a useful lens into how capital allocators are thinking about risk, opportunity, and long-term investment themes.

Why Rochester Founders and Leaders Should Care

These conferences matter for three reasons:

1. Industry Insight: The ideas presented at these events often become the strategies businesses are expected to adopt next.

2. Business Happens There: Partnerships, acquisitions, investments, and platform decisions are frequently shaped in these rooms long before they are announced publicly.

3. Networks Are Built There: Even if you are not in the room, understanding who is there and what they are discussing helps founders position themselves intelligently within broader ecosystems.

For Rochester’s innovation community, this is about awareness, not attendance.

A Resource for What Comes Next

Connected Know has built a dedicated resource page that tracks the full list of global, agenda-setting conferences across technology, finance, retail, healthcare, sports, mobility, and manufacturing.

VIEW THE LIST

That list serves as a reference point for:

• Founders deciding where to pay attention

• Operators tracking industry direction

• Investors watching where narratives and capital converge

Understanding what comes out of these events helps local leaders anticipate change instead of reacting to it.

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Connected Know will continue to monitor these forums and translate what matters most for the Rochester region—because the future of business is global, even when companies are built locally.