Don’t Go to Conferences... Unless You Want a Bag of Gold

Sitting in the back at my first conference as a content creator, I heard the following tip that would have a long-lasting impact on my life: “Remove the word ‘that’ from your sentences.”

Somehow a tip about removing unnecessary words from written articles stuck with me, and it eventually changed how I edit podcasts!

More gold nuggets have come from attending conferences since then. None saw an instant return on investment, but the accumulation of them helped to create an income that supports my family.

This past January I spent $2,175 to attend an in-person conference. #YIKES! That’s a lot of money!

This leads to the big question on everyone’s mind: Does attending conferences make sense?

Podcons are under attack

Some of my peers and friends say they won’t go to conferences anymore. They’ve written articles on LinkedIn and posted their feelings on YouTube:
• They are too expensive
• The sessions aren’t for me
• They happen at times when I am unavailable

These are all valid points. Attending conferences requires much when you don’t have an employer allowing you time off and footing the bill.

So why bother? Because of the GOLD you’ll collect along the way.

Collecting Nuggets Along The Way

Gold nuggets come in a variety of forms.

For me, seeing a live demonstration about fixing cross-talk can help make a podcast better (thanks, Corey Coates, for the gold nugget at Podcast Movement 2015).

Relationships can blossom in the weirdest places - like when you see someone wearing the same lanyard in the elevator.

And bumping into online acquaintances at an in-person event can turn into business opportunities later.

• Paula Pant knew me from FinCon12, but didn’t NEED me until three years later. She asked if I would help edit and launch her new podcast. I had no intention of editing for someone else, but couldn’t say no to THE Paula Pant! A new side hustle was born.

• Also in 2012, Joe Saul-Sehy met me in front of the main lobby elevators. He knew me from my podcast, and I was already a big fan of his. Four years later, he needed help engineering his 3-days-a-week Stacking Benjamins Show. My side hustle was growing!

• As for podcasting, I had a BIG BUMP in downloads of my podcast after Joshua Sheats from Radical Personal Finance released a recording we did in the hallways at FinCon13. His audience was exposed to me, and they came to check out other content I was sharing. Maybe gold can come from exposure?

• At Podfecta, a 100-person event in Nashville hosted by David Hooper, I met some Facebook friends: Bryan Entzminger, Jennifer Longworth, and Daniel Abendroth. They became good friends and a big influence on the Podcast Editors Conference and Podcast Editor Academy I co-founded with Mark Deal.

• Speaking of Mark Deal: We met on the shuttle bus on the way to PM14. We became business partners in 2019 and co-founded the Podcast Editor Academy a year later.

All these little happenstances amalgamated into a superior knowledge across industries, relationships that built experiences, and opportunities that led to a career that now supports my family.

The Cost of a Conference: How can anyone afford this?

Let’s address the biggest argument for attending conferences: The EXPENSE.

In January, I spent $2,175 USD to attend the Podfest Expo:
$385 for airfare
$1,200 hotel lodging
$270 meals
$80 gas and airport parking
$240 event pass & conference t-shirt (because everyone needs a souvenir)

If you assume the same amount is spent for every out-of-state conference I’ve attended, then we’re looking at over $65,000 USD. #YIKES!

The second argument is “the SESSIONS aren’t for me.”

This can be true for anyone. I almost never attend sessions because they are about topics I already know or relate to me. However, I got to sit with Dallas Taylor from Twenty Thousand Hertz, Chris Curran from Podcast Engineering School, and Jason Sheesley from Abridged Audio. We talked for more than an hour about Dolby Atmos and spatial audio.

THERE WAS GOLD AT THAT TABLE! Don’t limit the learning to the conference schedule.

Finally, there is the cost of TIME.

Many podcasters have 9-5 jobs and find it difficult to attend a conference during the week. You won’t get any arguments from me - I was in the same boat!

Anyone can be a prospector, but only those who get in the water will find the gold!

Making Conferences Affordable

Do you have a strong desire to go for the gold but worried about the expenses? Here are five tips to make it a little easier on your wallet or get a bigger Return On Investment (ROI):

1. Start small: Get involved with local meetups, networking, or one-day event you can drive to. Podnews has a great list on its website.

2. Volunteer: Work a few hours, then go to sessions for a few hours. A friend of mine volunteers to staff the registration booth every year. Not only does he get to attend for free, but he meets even more of the attendees than the conference organizer!

3. Split a room: Split the cost of lodging by getting a roommate - or a few if you get an off-site AirBNB.

4. Bring the family: They can go to the pool or local attractions while you attend the conference, then you all spend a couple days together after it ends. It’s an efficient use when vacation time away from work is limited.

5. Stuff the fridge: Run to the local store and stock up on breakfast items and snacks like granola bars to avoid buying at least one meal a day. I spent $46 on the hotel breakfast buffet. #neveragain!!! Bring a water bottle to avoid purchasing drinks throughout the day.

6. LobbyCon: The greatest ROI comes in the hallways and hotel lobby. Doug Nordman calls it
“LobbyCon”, where conversations continue in the hotel bar long past midnight. You are more likely to get gold nuggets from an in-person conversation over drinks than a 30-minute slideshow.

Dan Miller of 48 Days often attended conferences that had nothing to do with his business, yet he always took something valuable away from it. However, you don’t need to go to all of them.

I encourage you to look at your calendar and your resources to find one in-person event to attend this year. Start saving your money, find your tribe, and hang with them in the hallways at an industry conference. Go get some gold nuggets!