What you REALLY need to know about VidSummit

If It takes a village to raise a child then it takes VidSummit to raise a creator. That is how I describe VidSummit, an annual YouTube focused summit that takes place in Los Angeles. This event has secured a reputation for being the must-attend event for anyone who is serious about growing their YouTube audience, increasing their revenue, and networking with fellow creators.

If you didn’t attend this year or are thinking about VidSummit 2020, here is what you REALLY need to know about VidSummit:

Note: this article is not sponsored by VidSummit. It’s my personal take on the event

Who Attends VidSummit

VidSummit is not a YouTuber fan event. It is aimed at YouTubers/ Content Creators who want to grow their channels, earn more money from their content, and bounce ideas off fellow creators.

While not strictly a “fan” event, you will get to chat with some of the biggest names in the YouTube industry and takes that obligatory selfie for social media. You will also hear keynotes and workshops lead by the best-of-the-best with a ZERO sales-pitch.

Attendees flock to the event from around the US and from countries such as Poland, Pakistan, England, Germany and more. Most people are YouTubers who have every channel imaginable across every niche. Most are also very active on other platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Sessions REALLY Are Invaluable

To be a speaker at VidSummit, you have to be selected. You have to be vetted. You have to be able to give value to the audience. It’s not a simple “speaker submission” form on a website.

VidSummit is made up of Keynotes and breakout sessions. This is done so you can tailor your experience to where you will get the most value.  And Value you will get. Not only are these speakers the top of their game, but most are absolutely approachable during the summit to chat.

Pro Tip: Seriously, buy the replays. Yes, it’s more money, but so worth it. When you buy the replay you have access to the sessions that you can watch at your convenience in your pajamas. This way you never suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and begin to mildly-panic when you want to attend all the sessions at once that are scheduled at the same time.  Replays solve this problem. 

The Hallway-Track:

Don’t forget to attend the Hallway-Track. This is what we call the learnings and chats that happen in the hallway (and everywhere else around the hotel.)

On Tuesday evening at the hotel lobby, a friend and I were casually chatting with another YouTuber. Afterward, I asked her if she knew who that was. “Not really, he is just a really nice guy” was her reply. You can imagine her reaction when I told her this person has a channel with over 1.5m subscribers! Yes, that’s the nature of VidSummit.

Typically, “how many subs do you have?” is NOT how conversations start. It’s just not that kind of event and you just never know who you run into in the hallways.

I constantly heard and overheard were “oh wow it’s you – I follow you on Twitter” and “I watch all your stuff this is awesome to meet in person” and “can’t believe we get to hang out.”

Creators meeting in real-life is magical. Love it!

Don’t be shy and get famous!

You must look for opportunities to BE interviewed and not just about the content you will create! For every interviewer, there is an interviewee. Just like you are looking to create content and feature other creators on your channel, other creators are looking for the same thing.

Take advantage of those opportunities.

Get featured on other people’s channels. Offer them your story, your ideas, and your tips. You will be a good fit for some and not others and that’s ok too. Find your people.

Talk to the vendors

Yes, vendors are there to sell you a product or service, however, vendors offer services that you actually do need. Take advantage of product demos, exchange business cards (yes these are still a thing!) and get some free swag.

I was at VidSummit with vidIQ and offered free channel audits. These booked out within the first couple of hours! All for free with no strings attached – you didn’t have to be a customer and everyone was welcomed. [Disclaimer: I work for vidIQ]

So in summary:

By the time you leave this event, you feel validated by an accepting community.

You feel like you are on the right track. Like you can do it. You feel like you are not alone. Like you aren’t crazy. You feel like hundreds of other creators are just like you. You feel like you are a better creator, just by having invested in yourself to learn, to teach others, and to make life long friends.

The founders and owners of Vidsummit, along with their teams, somehow manage to outdo the previous year’s event – not sure how that’s possible. Derral Eves, Shonduras, Sean Holladay and now Mr. Beast are indeed making a serious impact on creator’s lives.

BIG BONUS: There is a super-duper early bird special on VidSummit 2020 ticket right now!

Here is what people are Tweeting when I asked about VidSummit: 

“Vidsummit was all about learning for me. Learning from creators at all different levels..left there feeling inspired, refreshed, and more confidence to be a better creator!”  – @BrianVlasich

“I started this hashtag – The #PowerOfVidSummit is Real Meaning through @vidSummit. So much has been accomplished and so much is yet 2 b accomplished all through the connections made. I had some great interviews including @DeeNimmin  and @robactis – how else would that be possible?” –  @U_Do_It

“The best part of VidSummit was being able to meet all of my friends from the YouTube community in person!” –  @PeckDryWall

“VidSummit was awesome for making and building relationships with othe content creators.” – @DougHewsonYT

“Getting my selfie with Casey Niestat! It’s always great when you get a chance to meet your heroes in real life!” – @anthonyambriz

Some of my pics with some incredible people: