Why I Decided to Not do VidCon This Year

When I heard that the 2019 VidCon Europe would be in London instead of Amsterdam (like last year) I got super excited!

It’s no secret that I was extremely disappointed by last year’s event. The tickets were expensive, they changed the venue to a smaller one, the food options were bad (and not included in the price), and it just felt like they themselves weren’t taking it seriously. It felt like a joke, a waste of money and a waste of time, unfortunately.

But when VidCon London was announced, it really did seem like they had decided to really go out all. They had booked a lot more YouTubers, and the ones that are scheduled to be there are more known than most of those from last year. The venue is huge, and the overall impression of the 2019 event is a heck of a lot better than what I expected.

I decided that I would go. I booked my flight, a bed at a hostel, but then I was kind of hesitant about booking the actual ticket. Like I mentioned, it is quite expensive, and for some reason I had a gut feeling that told me to wait a little longer. The backside to waiting is that the price for the ticket goes up.

Then came the time when I sat down to actually book my creator pass. I sat there, staring at the pay now button, and I thought about how interesting it was going to be to hear creators like Rhett & Link, and Patricia Bright share some of their secrets, but then I thought about last year. I went for a walk, and had a long inner conversation with myself about what it was that I felt like I needed in my life, where I was at creatively and what I really wanted to do.

I love making videos, and I want to get even better at it. I love expressing myself on the YouTube platform, and the BookTube and travel community there is awesome! I have big plans for my channel and for future content, but I also need to finish my novel.

I’ve been writing for such a long time, going back and forth with projects, started over, started new stories, gone back to the old ones, and round and round and round it goes. Now though, I am finally in a place where I don’t struggle with my writing routine. I ind words upon words, and I can see that my two novels are going somewhere. They are growing into something that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little girl, and I love that!

Then I thought about the 36 hours writing trip I took to London two years ago, and not just how much I loved it, but also how much work I got done.

And that’s when I decided that VidCon could wait another year. I would still go to London, because I had my flight and hostel booked, and made plans to see some friends as well. But I would go there to work creatively for me. To write, film and take pictures. A four day writing trip.

That would also give me time to find out if the changes that they’ve made to VidCon Europe really make it worth the money, and then I can go next year instead.

I got home, closed the VidCon page, and I felt incredibly happy about my choice. It felt right!

So here I am now, at Oslo Airport Gardermoen, waiting to board my flight and to get back to city that I love.

London, I hear you calling, and I will be there soon❤️

Amsterdam Vlog – March 2018

VidCon Europe – Why It’s Not Worth Your Money!

So I went to VidCon Europe 2018, and I have some thoughts!

Day 1 – Very Disappointing! 

VidCon Europe 2018 has been my very first VidCon, and after seeing videos from other YouTubers that attended the event last year, I wouldn’t say that I had very high expectations, but I also expected them to have improved since creators were so disappointed the last time around.

So I had mediocre expectations for the actual event, but high expectations for the people, the vibe, and the networking.  Unfortunately, I would have to say that the whole thing was very disappointing. The venue that they’d set up was way smaller than what I expected and the talks that we went to were nothing much. The most interesting thing I saw all day was the AMA with Anna Akana, and that was just because it was entertaining. I didn’t feel like I really learned anything from the first day. Most of what they were all talking about was information that I’ve already been able to come across online, for free, by people who are much more interesting to listen to.

Everything felt like it was catered to creators who were totally new in the game, and for those who were and that got lots out of this; GREAT! Good for you! I wish I could say the same!

When the tickets cost €199, I was expecting a whole lot more from an event like this. I wanted insight, representatives from more brands, more people, a social gathering the last night, but got nothing that I felt was worth my time or my money.

The vibe too was very uninspiring and didn’t motivate me in any way. I went there together with Leif Nygaard, and we felt pretty much the same way about it. You can see his video from the first day here:

Like we mentioned, the social media room was kind of cool, but it was small and very uneventful except for the Instagrammable tulip and bicycle setup, free snacks and coffee, and the goodie bags from Facebook/Instagram.

Another thing I really missed was YouTube merch. There were no stickers, totes, t-shirts or anything.

We left the event after the first day, unsure if we were even going to spend the full second day there.

Day 2 – We Ditched VidCon

On day 2 we arrived a bit late, but for the first talk on the agenda that looked somewhat interesting. It turned out to be just as much of a newbie theme to that one, and when lunchtime arrived and the fact of the matter was that there wasn’t even lunch included in the €199 we paid ( you had to buy food there) that was the tipping point where Leif and I looked at each other and knew that it was time to leave. We were staying in a wonderful city, with a vibe that’s inspiring in its self, and we were wasting our time and energy on an event that gave us nothing.

The money spent for the ticket is sad enough, but nothing to do about that now. So we headed into the city and we had a fantastic day instead! We wat vegan food and cakes until we thought we were going to burst, had a smoke in the sun by the canal, browsed some shops, met some wonderful people and then we enjoyed the city by night!

The trip to Amsterdam has been inspiring and awesome, and I can’t wait to post my vlog from the trip, but when it comes to VidCon Europe, I’m freaking disappointed. This had the potential to be so much more but ended up being time and money lost.

I would be very surprised if there’s a new VidCon Europe next year. They would have to make some major changes for it to even be close to worth what they’re charging for the tickets. So my tip to anyone who’s considered VidCon Europe is don’t waste your precious time and money. Use all the information that is already available for free online, and try to go to another convention instead. I’ve heard that VidCon US is pretty spectacular, so if you have the option to go there instead then that will probably be a totally different experience.

That being said, I’m glad that I had a fellow-minded YouTuber to ditch the event with and make some absolutely fantastic new memories! A big thank you to Leif Nygaard for bringing even more laughter and new experiences to the trip 😊

 

Picture taken by Nicole/Homenest Digital while we had lunch at Vegabond