The Search Engine Strategies (SES) conference series, founded by industry pioneer Danny Sullivan, was the foundational event that brought the burgeoning field of search engine marketing to life. Sullivan launched the first SES conference in San Francisco on November 18, 1999, marking a historic moment as the first formal occasion where website owners could meet directly with representatives from search engines .
The conference series quickly became the central hub for SEO and SEM professionals, fueling the industry’s growth and expanding internationally in 2000 with its first London event, followed by conferences in Denmark, Germany, and beyond throughout the early 2000s. SES experienced significant corporate changes and eventual decline, culminating in its shutdown in 2016.
History of Conferences by City
SES London
The SES Conference & Expo was the leading global event series that educated delegates in search and social marketing, putting a special focus on tactics and best practices.
SES Toronto
The last SES Toronto conference in June 2012 provided Canadian marketers with definitive strategies on core SEM, global expansion, and the emerging shift toward integrated social, local, and mobile marketing.
SES Hong Kong
The last SES Hong Kong conference in 2013 focused on practical, actionable strategies for the Asian market, emphasizing core SEO and PPC while reflecting the industry’s wider integration of social media and data analytics into the digital marketing mix.
SES San Jose
The last SES San Jose conference in August 2009 served as the final West Coast venue before the series moved to San Francisco, delivering a comprehensive curriculum focused on the foundational yet rapidly evolving tactics of advanced SEO, PPC, social media, and conversion optimization.
SES Paris
AThe inaugural SES Paris Forum in January 2008 introduced a new, more intimate format for the series, focusing on delivering actionable SEO, PPC, and social media strategies specifically tailored for the French and European digital markets.
SES San Diego
The final SES event in San Diego was the one-day “SES Accelerator” in February 2012, delivering an intensive curriculum designed to help marketers move beyond the basics and integrate core SEM, SEO, and analytics with emerging trends in social, video, and local search.
SES Milan
The final SES Milan Forum in May 2008 provided a key European platform for practical education in foundational and advanced SEO, ethical link building, and high-ROI PPC, with a clear emphasis on creating user-centric content to avoid search engine penalties.
SES New York
The final Search Engine Strategies (SES) New York Conference in 2012 marked the end of a flagship event that had, for over a decade, served as the central hub for digital marketers to master the evolving mix of SEO, PPC, social media, mobile, and analytics.
SES San Francisco
The last SES San Francisco conference in April 2014 marked a definitive evolution of the industry, structured around integrated tracks that moved beyond core search to emphasize data-driven strategy, content marketing, and marketing automation.
SES Chicago
The annual SES Chicago conference was a key industry event throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, consistently delivering advanced education on evolving SEO, PPC, social media integration, and conversion strategies up until its last recorded edition in November 2012.
SES Tokyo
The last SES Tokyo conference in April 2008 specialized in adapting core global SEO and PPC principles to Japan’s unique digital landscape, with a strong focus on platforms like Yahoo Japan and the burgeoning local influence of social media and blogs.
SES Hamburg
The SES Hamburg Forum in 2009 represented the final iteration of the conference’s European expansion, offering a focused and practical curriculum of SEO, PPC, and interactive advertising tailored specifically for the German and regional markets within a more intimate networking environment.
SES Singapore
The last SES Singapore conference in December 2013 provided a vital regional hub for digital marketers, blending practical, foundational strategies in SEO and PPC with advanced, localized insights into emerging trends like social search and mobile optimization.
SES Muncich
The last SES Munich conference in March 2008 concentrated exclusively on the core disciplines of search engine marketing, delivering focused training on foundational SEO strategies and PPC advertising best practices.