Last updated on June 14th, 2024
VidCon is coming! This next Thursday, June 23, through Saturday, June 25, video marketers (and lots of fans of YouTubers), will converge on the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California to talk about all things social video.
VidCon was created and is run by Hank and John Green, the Vlogbrothers, who have done so many incredible things for the online video community. VidCon is an amazing experience but one of the strangest conferences you will ever attend. For me it’s a lot like trying to do a PowerPoint presentation at a One Direction concert. Because there are guys like me, who geek out about things like YouTube analytics and using YouTube and Facebook video better for business, but then there’s also 13,000 screaming teens and tweens excited to see their favorite video stars. So it’s extremely unusual but an indispensable conference for those working in the video space, because of the education and networking opportunities there.
There are three tracks at VidCon:
1) Community is for the fans and enthusiasts, the expo floor and the concert hall.
2) Creator is for YouTubers and other social video creators who want to expand their skillsets.
3) Industry is for those like me who do YouTube and Facebook video for brands, MCNs, platforms and so on.
It’s key to note here that while those in the Industry track can also see the Creator or Community tracks, and you definitely should. For instance, I’m going to see as many sessions I can given by on of my gurus, Matt Gielen of Frederator Networks. Even though two of his sessions are in the Creator track I’ll try to see those as well. I actually attend conferences by who is giving them, not by the subject matter, and if you want to really geek-out on the inner workings of meta-data, Matt’s panels are great.
This conference, in my mind, has been all about YouTube in the past. But a lot has changed this year, and you’re going to see info about many different video platforms: Facebook, SnapChat, Vine, Musical.ly and more. Didn’t see anything about Instagram video, though.
Check out the industry sessions on VidCon.com (Click “Filter by Ticket Type”). They must have expanded the seating because there are still tickets available, and last year it was total madness.
Jim Louderback and his team have done an amazing job they have done with the industry track since he took over last year.
The best pre-party is the Tubefilter party at the K1 Speed Raceway in Anaheim. It’s Wednesday, June 22, 2016 7 pm to 10 pm. All ages allowed, must RSVP.
Jeremy Vest will be giving a session called “Advanced Video Discoverability Optimization Using Nested Keywords” on Thursday June 23 at 930am in ROOM 304CD. The title doesn’t sound very sexy but it really means “make lots of extra money using the same assets you’re already using.”
Right after Jeremy in the very same room is Tim Schmoyer with “Convert New Viewers Into Subscribers: How To Design Your Channel To Hook Viewers And Keep Them” on Thursday June 23 at 930am in ROOM 304CD.
In that same room (304CD) the next day, Friday June 24 at 930am, I’ll be on the panel:
“Working With Hundreds – Or Even Thousands – Of Digital Influencers At Scale”. It’s moderated by Joshua Cohen, with Ricky Ray Butler, Tonie Shin, Eugene Lee and myself. A little about these great panelists:
- Josh Cohen, the moderator – co-founder of Tubefilter.
- Ricky Ray Butler built Plaid Social Labs which was bought by Bill Gates’ Corbis, now called Branded Entertainment Network.
- Eugene Lee from ChannelMeter, an MCN management platform that also helps brands manage their creators.
- Tonie Shin – she’s the creator of the NYX Face Awards.
- Dane Golden (me from VidAction.tv) – I’ll be sharing about my former company Octoly and its marketplace for mid- and long-tail creators to get free products for reviews on their YouTube channels.
My Equipment Tips For VidCon
- Note-Taking
I always hit VidCon with my iPad and matching keyboard. I usually sit up front and take extensive notes and photos that I put into Evernote. There’s lots of pros and they talk very fast with a lot of good info, and I don’t want to miss it. - Phone Charger
The days are long and I always make sure I have my Mophie phone charger so I don’t run out of juice. There are usually charging stations but I bring my cable charger, too, just in case. - Snacks and Water
Never know when you might get hungry. Also I have a refillable coffee mug that doubles for my water bottle. - Podcast recording
Like last year I’ll be interviewing newsmakers for TubeTalk at VidCon just using the Voice Memos app – nothing fancy. - Business cards
I have a business card with my photo on the back so people remember who they’ve met.
Also, I’d just like to say that if you want to talk to someone, just walk up and say hi. People at VidCon are quite nice, so you can feel comfortable being nice, too. I love VidCon and I hope you’ll enjoy it as I do. It’s totally worth it. Enjoy! – Dane