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Night Light | VidCon Felt Different

Night Light | VidCon Felt Different

Why VidCon Felt Different This Year

I went to my fifth VidCon this past week, and I gotta say, VidCon just doesn’t feel the same anymore. Part of me feels like it never really came back after COVID, with 75K in attendance in 2019 compared to 50K in 2023, but there are other reasons why it felt different. We don’t have numbers for this year yet, but judging the conference center and the vibe around Anaheim, I’d say attendance was lower this year. This week I wanted to share my experience at VidCon with all of you.

What’s changed?

When I was walking around the floor, I was surprised to see how many creator, industry, and all-access badges there were. It almost feels like VidCon has slowly transitioned into and industry event rather than a fan experience. When VidCon started 8 years ago, most creators utilized the conference because it provided the experience and ticket sales for fan meetups. Creators now have so many tools, and the industry has evolved so much that if a creator needs to meet with fans, they do it on their own.

Hayden Hilliar-Smith sits down with Colin and Samir.

Another way I’ve gauged the pulse of VidCon is by seeing how busy the hotels are, most notably the Hyatt, where the creators stay. In previous years, I saw a packed creator hotel, fans trying to sneak in, and security fending off people outside the lobby. This year felt very different.

Where Were the Brands?

In 2022, TikTok was the VidCon title sponsor. This year, they only had the TikTok lounge and an exclusive party. This year, I saw the most people at the activations in the exhibitor hall (shoutout to Aphmau and MeMeow). In the past, you couldn’t move five feet without seeing a different creator economy brand. Spotter, Amazon, Discord, Karat, Spotify, Tubefilter, and Twitch opted out this year (some still held private offsite parties) and were replaced by Disney and Viral Nation.

TikTok was the title sponsor in 2022.

We’re also seeing a lot of other conventions popping up in the ecosystem. Even though E3 and some of the old conferences no longer exist, we’re seeing VidSummit, Cannes Lions and SXSW invite more creators to their conventions. I found it interesting that Cannes Lions dedicated more of its festival to the creator economy (entries for social media creators rose 21% YoY).

The Maturation of the Creator Economy

We’re seeing a maturation of the creator economy where conventions are less fan-serving, and more industry-focused. I went through the entire schedule of events and categorized them by community, creator, or industry. Here’s what I’m seeing:

2024 VidCon Schedule by Track (Community, Creator, Industry)

I actually compared this to last year’s schedule. There were 15% more creator events this year. Back in 2019, the creator track was on a different floor, and it felt very small.

The Big Takeaway:

When I think of VidCon years ago, it was the one place for fans to meet their favorite creators: the biggest creators in the industry would speak on the main stage, and it was the one time of year when everyone met in Anaheim. Now, most of the top creators don’t go to VidCon. It feels different because it is different; it’s a maturing industry with more opportunities for creators than fans.

Night Light feels different too, let me know what you think of the new design 👍