Note (September 2026): This article was written in March 2021 and described five events that have all since taken place; it has been updated in the past tense with each event’s current status as of September 2026.
Virtual marketing events are online conferences where marketers attend keynotes, workshops and networking sessions from anywhere. This page covers five that ran in 2021: Hubilo’s Restart, Inc42’s The Makers Summit, Adobe Summit, Ad World and FinCon. As of September 2026, Adobe Summit and FinCon continue as in-person conferences, Adobe with an online option, while Ad World’s site now offers on-demand recordings.
Key Takeaways
- All five events in this article took place in 2021; none of the 2021 dates are current.
- Adobe Summit 2027 is scheduled for March 22 to 25, 2027, in Las Vegas and online, according to Adobe.
- FinCon 2027 is scheduled for October 18 to 20, 2027, in the Dallas area; FinCon’s site does not mention a virtual pass.
- Hubilo, organizer of Restart 2021, was acquired by Brandlive on September 16, 2025.
- Inc42’s events page lists no Makers Summit after the March 2023 edition.
2020 was a year of uncertainties with regard to health, jobs, and finances. The predictions of most industries went down the drain.
But as we know, ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ the past year saw many sectors making their adjustments and innovations to tide over the challenges thrown by the pandemic. The events industry pivoted to organizing virtual meets and conferences. The trend continued through 2021, when many major marketing conferences were still held online.
Although many of us want things to return to the way they were pre-COVID, when face-to-face interactions were a way of life, things will not be the same, at least for a very long time.
With people realizing the convenience of virtual events, they may likely become a permanent fixture for future marketing strategies.
Five Virtual Marketing Events and What Became of Them
Restart 2021
Organized by Ahmedabad and San Francisco-based hybrid events platform Hubilo, Restart 2021 was billed as bringing together over 4,000 marketing professionals and 40+ heads of marketing from across the globe to share their experiences about the marketing world’s future.
Hubilo was a platform that helped businesses of all sizes host virtual events. Brandlive, a video and virtual events company based in Portland, Oregon, acquired Hubilo on September 16, 2025, according to the acquisition announcement on GlobeNewswire; as of September 2026 the hubilo.com address redirects to VirtualPro, an enterprise virtual and hybrid event platform. Restart 2021 was aimed at marketers who wanted to learn about the capabilities of experiential digital events and how to add them to their marketing mix, while the 40+ industry heads shared how to use virtual events to engage customers.
The two-day event was scheduled for March 23 and 24, 2021, and has long since ended. Registration was open.
The Makers Summit 2021
The Makers Summit 2021, organized by the Indian startup media company Inc42, was promoted as a gathering of over 10,000 product founders, leaders, and makers sharing insights on building high-growth products for India. According to Inc42’s events page, it ran virtually from March 12 to 14, 2021.
The program included keynotes, breakout sessions, panels, and hands-on masterclasses from people driving product design and marketing in India. Speakers shared their experience with the country’s maker community. Inc42 held later editions on April 22 and 23, 2022 (in person) and March 24 and 25, 2023 (virtual). As of September 2026, its events page lists no newer Makers Summit; Inc42’s current events include its AI Summit and its D2C & Retail Summit.
Adobe Summit 2021
With over 200 training workshops and sessions on content creation, campaign management, digital commerce, and Adobe Experience Platform, the free 2021 virtual edition gave a chance to aspiring and emerging digital marketing enthusiasts to hone their skills.
According to an event guide published by the consultancy Bounteous in April 2021, keynote speakers included Serena Williams, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and producer Dan Levy, across more than 200 sessions in 11 tracks. The event was aimed especially at CX experts responsible for creating, optimizing, or monetizing customer experiences.
Adobe Summit 2021 was held online, free of charge, in late April 2021 (this article originally listed April 27 to 29). Adobe has since returned to Las Vegas while keeping an online option: as of September 2026, Adobe Summit 2027 is scheduled for March 22 to 25, 2027, with preconference training on March 22 and the main conference on March 23 to 25 in Las Vegas and online. Adobe lists the regular in-person pass at $2,295, with early-bird discounts until December 31, 2026.
Ad World 2021
Ad World 2021 aimed to bring the “world’s brightest minds in advertising” online and ran as a virtual conference from May 3 to 5, 2021. Over three days, Ad World 2021 offered more than 11 digital advertising tracks of speeches, panels, and live Q&A sessions on SEO/SMM, lead generation, media buying, content, and influencer marketing.
The host was iStack (named on the Ad World Prime site as iStack Holdings Limited), whose Ad World Prime site also features Ecom World and Affiliate World events for the digital and affiliate marketing industry.
Organizers promoted speakers from companies such as Google, Ogilvy, Canva, Reddit, and Facebook. In 2021, tickets were advertised at close to $799 after an early-bird sale ended. As of September 2026, the old Ad World web address redirects to Ad World Prime, an on-demand membership of recorded masterclasses priced at $99 a month, or $39 a month billed yearly ($468).
FinCon 2021
With the tagline of ‘Where money and media meet,’ FinCon 2021 offered a platform for personal finance content creators to connect with like-minded people creating new media (blogs, podcasts and social media posts) on financial topics.
Attendees could also network with brands for advertising collaborations. Freelance writers, podcasters, financial bloggers, vloggers, and content marketers could pick up business strategies and ideas at the panel discussions and workshops.
Experts and influencers discussed creating, promoting, and profiting from money-related content, and the trends attendees should watch. FinCon 2021 ran from September 22 to 25, 2021, in Austin, Texas, as a hybrid of an in-person event and an online one. As of September 2026, FinCon 2026 took place on September 16 to 18, 2026, in Palm Springs, California, and FinCon 2027 is scheduled for October 18 to 20, 2027, at the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center; the official FinCon site does not mention a virtual pass.
Conclusion
Many marketing events ran online in 2021, and several of them have since changed format or ended. Restart 2021 was promoted as one of the most technologically advanced digital experiential events of that season. For any current event, confirm dates, format and pass prices on the organizer’s official site before registering.
Where Are These Virtual Marketing Events Now?
The table below summarizes what happened to each of the five events as of September 2026, based on the organizers’ own websites and announcements.
| Event | 2021 edition | Status as of September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Restart (Hubilo) | Online, March 23-24, 2021 | Hubilo acquired by Brandlive on September 16, 2025; hubilo.com redirects to VirtualPro |
| The Makers Summit (Inc42) | Online, March 12-14, 2021 | Last listed edition March 24-25, 2023 (virtual); no newer edition listed |
| Adobe Summit | Online and free, late April 2021 | Adobe Summit 2027: March 22-25, 2027, Las Vegas and online |
| Ad World (iStack) | Online, May 3-5, 2021 | Website redirects to Ad World Prime, an on-demand membership from $39 a month billed yearly |
| FinCon | Austin, Texas, and online, September 22-25, 2021 | FinCon 2027: October 18-20, 2027, Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center |
What Is a Virtual Marketing Event?
A virtual marketing event is a conference, summit or workshop delivered over the internet, usually with live-streamed keynotes, breakout sessions, recorded replays and online networking. A hybrid event combines an in-person venue with an online pass, as Adobe Summit does for its 2027 edition. An on-demand library, such as Ad World Prime, has no fixed event dates at all: members watch recorded sessions when they choose.
How Do You Choose a Virtual Marketing Event?
Choose a virtual marketing event by matching its tracks to a skill you need now, then checking the format, time zone, cost and replay access. Use this checklist before registering:
- Topic fit: read the agenda, not just the headline speakers. An event built for customer-experience teams, like Adobe Summit, serves different goals than one built for money content creators, like FinCon.
- Format: confirm whether the event is fully online, hybrid or in person only. Some conferences that went online in 2021 no longer mention a virtual pass.
- Time zone: check whether live sessions fall within your working hours and whether recordings are included.
- Total cost: compare the pass price, early-bird deadlines and, for in-person events, travel. Prices change each year, so rely only on the organizer’s current page.
- Networking: look for scheduled meetups, brand meetings or community groups rather than a single chat window.
- Organizer track record: prefer events with several past editions and published agendas from earlier years.
Planning ahead helps: adding shortlisted events to a marketing calendar keeps registration deadlines and early-bird prices from slipping past.
How to Get the Most Out of an Online Conference
- Pick three to five sessions in advance and block the time as you would for an in-person meeting.
- Write down one question per session and use the live Q&A, which is often the most direct route to a speaker.
- Download slides or resources while they are available; access to replays and speaker materials can be time-limited.
- Follow up with people you met within a few days, using the event’s community group or professional networks. Our guide to networking in the digital age covers this step.
If you run events rather than attend them, see our ideas for organizing virtual events, how to keep a virtual audience engaged, and webinar tips for beginners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adobe Summit still available online?
Yes. According to Adobe, Adobe Summit 2027 runs March 22 to 25, 2027, in Las Vegas, with the main conference days, March 23 to 25, also available online. Adobe’s page did not state an online pass price when checked in September 2026.
When is the next FinCon?
FinCon 2027 is scheduled for October 18 to 20, 2027, at the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center, according to the official FinCon site. The previous edition, FinCon 2026, was held September 16 to 18, 2026, in Palm Springs, California.
Is Ad World still a virtual conference?
As of September 2026, the Ad World conference address redirects to Ad World Prime, an online membership with more than 500 recorded masterclasses. Its site says content is curated from recent Ad World, Ecom World and Affiliate World events, and plans cost $99 a month or $39 a month billed yearly.
What happened to Hubilo?
Brandlive, based in Portland, Oregon, acquired Hubilo on September 16, 2025. As of September 2026, the hubilo.com address redirects to VirtualPro, which describes itself as an enterprise virtual and hybrid event platform.
Does Inc42 still run The Makers Summit?
Inc42’s events page lists Makers Summit editions in 2021, 2022 and 2023, the last on March 24 and 25, 2023. No newer edition was listed in September 2026; Inc42’s recent events include its AI Summit and D2C & Retail Summit.
