Many engineering managers get one conference a year in their training budget. If they spend it on a developer conference, they come back with notes on frameworks and nothing for the next performance review, reorg or hiring plan.
Leadership events cover different ground: managing managers, staff-plus career paths, team structure, and rolling out AI tools across a department. CTOs at smaller companies need some of each. This page lists the 2027 events built for that audience. For other subjects, see our top conferences list.
For each event we give the 2027 dates, the city, and the starting ticket from the organizer's site. Confirm the live figure before you pay, since pre-sale prices rise as tickets go. Our method is on How we review tools.
CTO Craft Con London
CTO Craft Con London is CTO Craft's conference for CTOs and engineering leaders. The 2027 London edition runs March 15-17. In-person.
Best for: CTOs, VPs of Engineering and engineering managers at startups and scale-ups in the UK and Europe.
Dates and city: March 15-17, 2027. QEII Centre, London. In-person. Official ticket page.
What you actually get: Conference sessions for CTOs and engineering leaders.
Notable limitations:
- The £549 rate is a pre-launch price for tech leaders. Vendors pay £2,499 plus VAT.
- The 2027 agenda is not on the calendar page yet.
Tickets: Pre-Launch Tech Leader Ticket £549 plus VAT. Vendor ticket £2,499 plus VAT.
LDX3 London
LDX3 London is LeadDev's engineering leadership conference in London. Two days in late June 2027. In-person.
Best for: Engineering managers, directors and staff-plus engineers. Senior leaders who qualify for the free DirectorPlus upgrade.
Dates and city: June 28-29, 2027. London. The event and ticket pages do not list a venue yet. In-person.
What you actually get: Two days of engineering leadership talks. A DirectorPlus Pass, a free upgrade for Heads of, Directors, VPs and CTOs. Supported tickets for people who need help with cost.
Notable limitations:
- Pre-sale is limited. The page gives no closing date.
- LeadDev may void a DirectorPlus Pass if you do not meet the role criteria.
Tickets: Pre-sale ticket £800 plus 20% VAT. DirectorPlus Pass: free upgrade for eligible senior leaders. Supported tickets are offered.
Who qualifies for the DirectorPlus Pass?
Engineering leaders with a Head of, Director, VP or CTO role. It is a free add-on at checkout, and LeadDev checks eligibility.
LDX3 New York
LDX3 New York is the New York edition of LeadDev's engineering leadership conference. Two days in September 2027. In-person.
Best for: US engineering managers and directors. Teams sending four or more people, who get the group rate.
Dates and city: September 8-9, 2027. New York. The event and ticket pages do not list a venue yet. In-person.
What you actually get: Two days of engineering leadership talks, the free DirectorPlus upgrade for senior leaders, and supported tickets.
Notable limitations:
- Pre-sale prices rise once the allocation sells. The page gives no date.
- The page does not mention sales tax.
Tickets: Standard Ticket $1,195 in pre-sale. Group Ticket $995 each, minimum four. DirectorPlus Pass: free upgrade for eligible leaders. The page shows the 2026 standard ticket at $1,995 for comparison.
CTO Craft Con Europe
CTO Craft Con Europe is CTO Craft's European edition, held in Amsterdam. Two days at the end of September 2027. In-person.
Best for: Engineering leaders based in mainland Europe who would rather not travel to London.
Dates and city: September 28-29, 2027. Amsterdam. In-person. Listed on the official CTO Craft events calendar.
What you actually get: Two days of sessions for CTOs and engineering leaders.
Notable limitations:
- It falls three weeks after LDX3 New York. Few teams fund both.
- The 2027 agenda is not on the calendar page yet.
Tickets: Not announced. No venue or price is published yet.
Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo
Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo is Gartner's conference for CIOs and senior IT executives. The 2027 Orlando edition runs four days in October. In-person. The 2027 agenda is not published yet.
Best for: CIOs, CTOs and IT leaders at larger companies who want Gartner analyst access and a vendor exhibition in one week. Engineering managers at startups will find LDX3 or CTO Craft Con closer to their daily work.
Dates and city: October 18-21, 2027. Orlando, Florida. The event and registration pages do not list a venue. In-person. Official event page.
What you actually get: Four days of Gartner sessions and an exhibition. Session details for 2027 are not out yet, so check the agenda before you register.
Notable limitations:
- The standard rate is $8,525 per person, so start budget approval early.
- It is aimed at enterprise IT leadership. The fit is weaker for a small engineering team.
Tickets: Standard $8,525. Public sector $6,125, with proof of public-sector status required. All USD.
CTO Craft Con New York
CTO Craft Con New York is CTO Craft's US edition. Two days in New York in October 2027. In-person.
Best for: US CTOs and VPs of Engineering who want a CTO-focused event in the autumn.
Dates and city: October 19-20, 2027. New York, venue not announced. In-person. Register-interest page only so far.
What you actually get: Two days of sessions for CTOs and engineering leaders.
Notable limitations:
- Six weeks after LDX3 New York. Compare the two agendas when they are out.
- The 2027 agenda is not on the calendar page yet.
Tickets: Not announced. The event page takes registrations of interest only.
Still to come in 2026
LeadDev Berlin runs November 9-10, 2026 at the Estrel Congress Center in Berlin. Final Wave 5 tickets are on sale, and the event page says they save up to €400. The base price is on the ticket page. No 2027 Berlin date is listed.
Other tech leadership conferences worth considering
CTO Craft Con Toronto runs June 1-2, 2027, per the CTO Craft events calendar. A good fit for Canadian engineering leaders.
CTO Craft Con: Fintech runs November 9-10, 2027 in London. It is for technology leaders at fintech companies.
ELC Annual from the Engineering Leadership Community ran October 13-14, 2026 in San Francisco. No 2027 date is listed yet.
LeadDev's events page also lists online webinars and free online workshops, for teams without a travel budget.
How we picked these conferences
We listed conferences built for engineering and technology leaders, up to CIO level, whose 2027 edition has exact dates on the organizer's own site. Developer and architecture conferences are covered on other pages. A missing price did not exclude an event. Dates and prices were checked on the organizers' sites on 5 Nov 2026. Where a price excludes VAT, the table says so.
FAQs
Which conference suits a new engineering manager?
LDX3, in London or New York. It is built around engineering leadership, and pre-sale prices are public. CTO Craft Con, as the name says, is aimed at CTOs. Check each 2027 agenda when it is published.
Is there a virtual option?
LeadDev runs online webinars and free online workshops, listed on its events page. The six events in the table are in-person.
Are there discounts?
CTO Craft Con London has a pre-launch tech leader rate of £549 plus VAT. LDX3 New York has a group rate of $995 each for four or more. LDX3 offers supported tickets, and the DirectorPlus Pass is a free upgrade for senior leaders.
Can I combine LDX3 New York and CTO Craft Con New York?
Not on one trip. LDX3 is September 8-9 and CTO Craft Con is October 19-20, 2027, six weeks apart.
Why is LeadDev Berlin not on the 2027 table?
Its next edition runs November 9-10, 2026. No 2027 Berlin date is on the official site yet.
Bottom line
Start from the job you need help with in 2027. For engineering managers and directors, start with LDX3 London or New York, where pre-sale prices are already public. For CTOs and VPs, start with CTO Craft Con in London, Amsterdam or New York. For enterprise CIOs with a large budget, Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo is the October option. If travel is out, LeadDev's online sessions are free to join.
