Why Should I Attend Creator Economy Expo? 5 Reasons.
You’ve never heard of Creator Economy Expo before. So… is it worth your time? You don’t want to take days out of your business attending an event that won’t yield results for you in the upcoming year. In this blog post, I’ll talk about what it is, why it’s worth considering, and how to get it at a discount. So you can decide if it’s a good fit for you.
What is Creator Economy Expo?
Creator Economy Expo - aka CEX - is a three day event meant to help content creators build and monetize an audience. The speakers run the gamut from full time YouTubers and TikTokkers to major marketing thought leaders. The idea is to get the people in the room who know how to make content and how to market it to “teach you how you can scale and grow your content business faster and smarter.”
This year, it runs three days, from May 1st through May 3rd in Cleveland, Ohio.
Full disclosure: I attended last year and paid my own way. This year, Downstage Media is a media sponsor. And I will be attending on my own dime. I don’t get any compensation should you decide to attend. I just like the people and I like the experience and I think you’ll get a lot out of it. Read on for the reasons why (especially #6!) and for your $100 discount code.
Investing in Conferences Requires Careful Consideration
There are so many conferences out there. And I get it, you have a limited budget for them and limited time to devote to them. So if you’re going to get on a plane and block out time, this better be good, amirite? To help you make your decision, here are some reasons I have found it’s worthwhile to attend, plus a discount code to save you some money in the process.
Thankfully, It’s Still Small
Unlike other conferences that fill entire convention centers, CEX is small - there are only about 500 attendees. And that’s good for you. That means:
you can actually ask a question during a Q&A
you can talk to the speaker outside of their session because they’re usually around
lines aren’t long for food
lines aren’t long for seats
you don’t have to leave sessions early so you can get in line at another session
you don’t spend your mental energy figuring out the places to go that won’t be super crowded, because it’s not really crowded. Anywhere.
Most importantly, though, you can actually get to know people at the event. You can meet the people who are in the same place as you, the people who are a few steps above that you can learn from, and the people who are a few steps below that you can help. You get to know them, find people to collaborate with, and even collaborate with.
A group of last year’s attendees and I are currently writing a book that is scheduled to be publishes in the fall. That never would have happened if I hadn’t attended CEX.
2. You’ll Shorten Your Learning Curve
There are two kinds of people who are at CEX.
people who make content
people who market content
And many of them overlap. I, for example, make a lot of content for social media and email marketing so that I can grow Downstage Media. On the other hand, I also help my clients create content on those channels in order for them to get more customers and clients. If you’re in either of those two camps, you’ll be in good company at CEX. Here’s why:
The people at CEX know their stuff. Full stop.
They are either established in the marketing world or they have established and monetized large audiences by leveraging a podcast, YouTube channel, blog, and / or social media.
By picking up tactics and strategies from them you’ll be able to create the content that matters more efficiently. And if they don’t explicitly tell you how in their presentations then you can turn to anyone else there and talk it through. The people are helpful, smart, and more than a little knowledgeable about how to put out content efficiently.
I mean, just check out the book list of the speakers alone! How freakin’ smart are these people?
3. Learn What’s Working Now
Do you have to be an expert on AI or Web3 or influencer marketing any of the other cutting edge forms of marketing that people are using right now to get their audience’s attention? No. No you don’t. You just need to listen to an hour-long presentation at CEX to get the gist of it, and then decide if that is something you want to incorporate into your workflow.
You can ask questions, poke holes in, and evaluate where this trend is headed and if it makes sense for you.
4. Learn the Tried and True
On the flip side, even with all the talk of trends, it’s folded into the conversation of long term growth and sustainability for your business. Many of the speakers have been in the game for a long time. They know what comes and goes and what rings true. My guess is, if you’re reading this, you probably know that too. So you’ll be in good company with this particular group of people and speakers.
5. It’s Run By People Who Know How to Run Events
We’ve all seen the Fyre festival documentaries. Oof. No thanks, amirite? Knowing that the people who run this event also had a hand in running Content Marketing World for many years tells me that they know what they’re doing. So I don’t have to worry about the event itself running smoothly. For a control freak like me, that is important.
6. Bonus: We get to hang!
I’ll be there and you’ll be there! We can actually see one another in 3D! Wanna hang out in the lobby our slippers? Let’s do it!
What if Your Audience Were Bigger?
Imagine at the end of the year knowing that you hit your a goal because you were laser focused on consistency. And you learned a nugget about how to execute that task better during a session at CEX. Or you met the person that will help you take your business to that level at CEX.
I’ll be there at Creator Economy Expo. And I hope you’ll be there too.
Use code DOWNSTAGE100 to get $100 off your registration fee.
