My First Time at VidCon

My First Time at VidCon

Between being a mom, editing videos and writing blog posts of my travels, this past week my family and I traveled to Anaheim, CA to attend VidCon, a convention/expo created for video and media creators. The primary focal platform being Youtube, but it’s also a hub for users + creators on Facebook, Snapchat, musical.ly and many many more. It gives everyone the ability to meet in one place to meet with their favorite creators; buy merchandise; hang with some of the biggest companies in social media; and attend the many workshops offered for individuals who qualify. You’re either a community member (Meet & Greets + Various Community Speakings), a creator (Creator talks + Workshops) or an industry member (Industry Discussions + Tools). Tiered ticket pricing packages applied.

What to expect at Vidcon

Our Day 01 didn’t start until Day 02 because we went as ‘Creators’ and creator designated workshops and speaking’s didn’t begin until Day 02. We were floored immediately as we made it to the convention center. Food vendors lined up outside, mixed with a Live.me Ferris wheel + ball pit stage and an Awesome Audition performing stages. The action outside was super stimulating! The music, the food, the fans!!! Once we entered the convention center, the chaos actually had a little organization. The first floor was strictly for the community members; second floor was for creators; third floor was for industry members. We went as creators and although our access wasn’t limited, the offerings upstairs were strictly creator based. You had creator panels discussing channel management, workshops and networking rooms, creator meetups + chats, Dunkin Donuts, TBS & FameBit Lounges. It was nice taking a break in the Dunkin Lounge throughout the day. Long days need caffeine!

While at VidCon both my boyfriend and I split our time and maximized on as many opportunities as we could. We would divide the rooms and sponge up as much knowledge as we could. He took on the business end of panels and workshops. My primary focus was the networking and speaking/engagement time slots. He was really eager to learn more about the business and mechanics side of my business; I took full advantage of networking and picking up tips to better construct my creator business. The week’s agenda provided a full range of resource for creators new and experienced. Including learning copyright laws and limitations, turning your channel into a business, channel specific networking rooms, research and ideas, channel management and so much more. There honestly wasn’t a corner of the ‘creators’ spectrum’ that wasn’t touched on. Although they weren’t fully involved, you the creator left with the generalized info- enough to comfortably go back to your creator space to utilize and build upon.

Ways Vidcon can improve

What did I take away from my first VidCon trip? While we are STRONGLY considering a return next year, we might plan ticket a littler differently. The price point difference between creator and industry is steep, but maybe the $400+ per. person gap is valuable in knowledge? I don’t want to sound like my 7,000+ subscribers was better than anyone else, but I did have an issue with the hundreds of others who had creator passes who weren’t full fledged creators with firm accounts where they distribute their media. The benefits of like figures is far greater in my opinion than mixing a bunch of creators into a room with people who MIGHT only be there to have a better chance at meeting their favorite creators. There were ALWAYS crowds of young kids hanging around the corridors while everyone was in the rooms; crowds of young kids hanging around the lounges; running back and forth down the halls screaming. It was distracting. There should be better regulations on accessing specific passes. It would also be more beneficial for the GROWTH of creators there to further blossom their businesses. Not to mention the number of ‘personalities’ that were there to cause problems, act rambunctious and play around…it honestly looked like one big babysitter service.

I HAD A GOOD TIME THOUGH. Through the negative I truly found a positive side and feel I benefited strongly from the tools I had picked up, the people I met and the memories I made. We’re anxious to begin utilizing the tid-bits we picked up on and creating an even stronger platform to build our businesses on! Thank you VidCon…and hopefully we’ll see you in 2018!

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