The largest gathering of automation professionals in (at least) North America is the Rockwell Automation Fair and its associated meetings, like PSUG (the Process Solutions User Group, the Automation Perspectives global media event, and the actual event itself.
The INSIDER team is listening, learning, and delivering the information that you need to be an automation insider. You will be able to read all about it in the INSIDER the week after Thanksgiving, and you can also read it as it happens on Walt’s Soundoff!! blog, at waltboyes.livejournal.com.