Designing for the web means being creative, talented, and able to envision something beautiful when starting from scratch, but what’s a web designer to do when the rules keep changing? Staying abreast of the latest techniques is crucial to any successful designer’s career, and the web is not only not an exception; it proves that rule better than any other medium.

As the web grows and evolves, so do the standards behind it, and that requires every web designer worth their salt to stay on top of the game if they want to stay fresh and competitive. To that end, here are five web design events to visit this year:

1. Mobile + Dev Web Conference

No matter the flavor of design that you stick to most, there is no way that you can avoid working with mobile platforms in mind. With the mobile revolution continuing to sweep the industrialized world, billions of people are turning to smartphones, tablets, and other mobile form factors to browse the web, and that means that your designs need to be friendly to even the smallest of screens.

Enter the Mobile + Dev Web Conference, the only event that you need to attend in order to learn exactly how to combine your design skills with mobile platforms. Over the course of three days, you’ll learn everything from the basics of mobile design to advanced techniques and protocols that make designing for the mobile web easier than ever, helping you to take your business well into the future.

When and Where: This year’s Mobile + Dev Web Conference is set for July 16-18, 2013 at the Hyatt Harbor Side Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, giving you the opportunity to explore New England’s largest city while you improve your credentials!

2. Mobility and the Modern Web Conference

Sticking with our mobile theme for a moment, the Mobility and the Modern Web Conference is another event that takes an unabashed look at the true future of the web – and the future is mobile!

Whether designing for mobile devices is your main goal, or you simply want to be sure that you’ve got all angles covered when it comes to your general design business, this is another event that will help you to round out your skills in every way imaginable.

When and Where: Give yourself an excuse to explore the campus of the University of California in Los Angeles from September 10-12, 2013, in order to take in this year’s Mobility and the Modern Web Conference.

3. Web Visions Chicago

While the future of web design may lie in great part in the mobile revolution, there is much more to the business than that, and the Web Visions Chicago event takes things a step further by exploring all of the skills that you’ll need to design with tomorrow in mind.

Besides the standard fare of keynotes and workshops, this particularly fun conference also throws a party or two into the mix, giving you ample opportunity to mingle with your colleagues and potential clients alike!

When and Where: The 2013 Chicago stop of the popular Web Visions conference is set for September 25-27, 2013, in the Windy City, allowing you access to one of the most explorable cities in the United States!

4. Future of Web Design

Staying on top of your web design game means keeping an eye to the future at all times, and that is the goal of the organizers behind the three-day Future of Web Design conference, set for later this year in New York City.

When and Where: Pay a visit to New York City from October 7-9, 2013 in order to take in everything that the Future of Web Design conference has on tap! If you’d like to stay a little longer in order to check out the Big Apple, visit NewYorkHotels.org for awesome rates on beautiful hotel rooms around the city.

5. Big Design Conference

Go big or go home! The Big Design Conference aims to cover every aspect of what it takes to be a creative and effective web designer over the course of four days, making it a great event to to visit if you’re only able to take in one this year.

When and Where: You’ll need to check out the town of Addison, Texas, just outside of Dallas, in order to take in the 2013 iteration of the Big Design Conference, set to be held from October 17-20, 2013.