3p Weekend: 15 Fall Conferences We Can't Wait to Check Out

With a busy week behind you and the weekend within reach, there’s no shame in taking things a bit easy on Friday afternoon. With this in mind, every Friday TriplePundit will give you a fun, easy read on a topic you care about. So, take a break from those endless email threads, and spend five minutes catching up on the latest trends in sustainability and business.

Just like everyone else, we're sad to see the summer go. But the good news is: With the fall season comes loads of thought-provoking conferences to get the creative juices flowing. Here are 15 we can't wait to hit this year.

1. NewCo San Francisco

For a third consecutive year, San Francisco’s most innovative companies will open their doors to executives, entrepreneurs, investors and future influencers during NewCo San Francisco. Notice is a bit short for this one (the SF event takes place next week), but Newco is going around the world with similar conferences in host cities like New York, Los Angeles and London.

September 11-12 in San Francisco Click here to register (discount to VIP reception with code "TriplePunditSF2014"), or follow along at #NewCoSF

2. Corporate Social Media Summit

The Corporate Social Media Summit San Francisco is a two-day event that welcomes some of the world's most social brands. Senior-level speakers like Lisa Anderson of Southwest Airlines and Jennifer Lashua of Intel offer insight into how social can drive business growth and competitive advantage.

September 15-16 in San Francisco Click here to register ($200 discount with code "TP200"), or follow along at #CSMSF

3. Social Good Summit

Presented by the tech gurus over at Mashable, along with the United Nations Foundation and the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), the fifth annual Social Good Summit focuses on how innovation and new media can be leveraged to benefit people everywhere, to create a better world by the year 2030. Speakers include Mashable founder Pete Cashmore, Helen Clark of UNDP and Yael Maguire of Facebook -- just to name a few.

September 21-22 in New York City Click here to register, or follow along at #2030Now

4. SB New Metrics 2014

Hosted by Sustainable Brands, this conference includes three days of in-depth discussion with thought leaders seeking to expand "the way business creates, quantifies and manages the value it delivers through the metrics it adopts," SB says on its website. This year's speakers include Bahar Gidwani of CSRHub, Tom LaForge of Coca-Cola and Lindsay Clinton of SustainAbility, among others. If you're into topics like lifecycle analysis or using the web to drive sustainable innovation, this is the conference for you.

September 24-26 in Boston Click here to register (discount code: "NW3pNM14"), or follow along at #NewMetrics

5. SxSW Eco

This eco-centric spinoff of the popular South by Southwest (SXSW) conference is now garnering just as much attention as the original. The lineup includes sessions on topics like climate change, social impact and urban planning, as well as learning and collaboration opportunities like mentor sessions, an eco exhibition and Startup Central, which features up-and-coming startups.

October 6-8 in Austin, Texas Click here to register (discount code: "reg-eco-tpr_5kp0hnngrt"), or follow along at #SXSWEco

6. We First Brand Leadership Summit

The annual We First Branding Summit brings together more than 200 leaders from the most influential brands and nonprofits in the world to learn how brand storytelling and the latest social and mobile technologies can help build their business sustainably. This is no ordinary conference: It’s a hands-on executive training summit focused on helping companies protect their brands against compounding social crises, fast-changing technology and rising consumer activism and establish themselves as leaders in the social business marketplace.

October 7-8 in Los Angeles Click here to register (code "TRIPLEPUNDIT" saves $500), or follow along at #WeFirst14

7. Commit! Forum

The annual Commit! Forum attracts C-suite executives, sustainability directors and nonprofit leaders to discuss topics like corporate responsibility, balancing sustainability and profit, and building sustainable workforces and supply chains. This year's speakers include New Balance CEO Rob DeMartini, CVS Caremark CEO Larry Merlo and Ecolab CEO Douglas M. Baker, Jr.

October 8-9 in New York City Click here to register, or follow along at #CommitForum

8. SharingValueAsia Summit

The SharingValueAsia summit, developed by the PublicAffairsAsia network, is the region’s leading forum on shared value. This full-day, corporate-led conference will "examine how the 'era of empowerment' can be seized to drive Asia Pacific’s next wave of social, economic and environmental advance," SharingValueAsia says on its website.

October 9 in Singapore Click here to register, or follow @SharingValue for the latest.

9. Bioneers Summit Conference

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Bioneers Summit Conference, a leading conference on biomimicry and resilient communities. Biomimicry thought leaders from all over the world will share their thoughts and explore how going back to nature can create a more sustainable world.

October 17-19 in San Rafael, California Click here to register, or follow along at #Bioneers14

10. Greenbuild International Conference and Expo

With New Orleans as a host city, it makes sense that the theme for this year's Greenbuild is 'Leadership Jazz.' Featuring three days of speakers, networking opportunities, showcases, LEED workshops and tours of green buildings in New Orleans, Greenbuild offers a place for thousands to gather and find out what's new in the world of green building. (The U.S. Green Building Council also turns 21 this year, and we couldn't think of a better place than the Big Easy to toast their success.)

October 22-24 in New Orleans Click here to register, or follow along at #Greenbuild

11. Verge San Francisco

Hosted by GreenBiz, the annual Verge conference in San Francisco explores the technologies and systems that accelerate sustainability solutions across sectors. It focuses on transformative but practical, scalable solutions for a climate-constrained world. From next-gen buildings and resilient cities to food systems and smarter supply chains, this six-program gathering is sure to impress.

October 27-30 in San Francisco Click here to register, or follow along at #VergeSF

12. Sustainatopia 2014

Consisting of five conferences and a broad-ranging festival, Sustainatopia brings together the global ecosystem of social, financial and environmental sustainability in one of the most varied ways out there. Whether you're interested in impact investing, healthy living or sustainable strategies, there's truly something for everyone.

October 29 - November 2 in Los Angeles
Click here to register, or follow along at #Sustainatopia

13. SB London 2014

The international Sustainable Brands community is gathering in London this fall to reimagine what's possible and look for opportunities to redesign every aspect of their business. Speakers this year include James Goodman of Forum for the Future, Phil Townsend of Marks and Spencer, Karen Little of Kiva and many, many more -- discussing topics that range from sustainable brand innovation to consumer engagement. So, if you happen to be across the pond this November (or wouldn't mind making the trip), this is definitely one to check out.

November 3-5 in London, U.K. Click here to register (discount with code: "NW3pSB14L"), or follow along at #SB14London

14. BSR Conference 2014

The 2014 BSR Conference is all about transparency and transformation. It focuses on how transparency can transform things like supply chains, energy and climate, and consumer engagement, and how businesses are managing differently in a fully transparent world. The three-day conference includes more than 40 sessions with over 100 speakers, including the likes of Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, and Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline.

November 4-6 in New York City Click here to register, or follow along at #BSR14

15. Net Impact Conference 2014

Net Impact is a nonprofit that empowers a new generation to use their careers to drive transformational change both inside and outside the workplace. Its annual conference features more than 350 speakers in 100 interactive sessions, as well as an expo that connects attendees with more than 90 companies, nonprofits and social enterprises. This one's sure to get you inspired.

November 6-8 in Minneapolis Click here to register, or follow along at #NI14

Of course, there are plenty more, but we don't want to keep you here all day. Which upcoming conferences are you most excited about? Tell us about it in the comments section!

Based in Philadelphia, Mary Mazzoni is a senior editor at TriplePundit. She is also a freelance journalist who frequently writes about sustainability, corporate social responsibility and clean tech. Her work has appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, the Huffington Post, Sustainable Brands, Earth911 and the Daily Meal. You can follow her on Twitter @mary_mazzoni.