Hello. First Time Podfest Attendee Here.

This is an archived page from 2020. Find out more

(By Troy Price) I’ve been absent from Podcast Business Journal for a couple of weeks now. This was so I could spend the time I would have spent writing to prepare for Podfest 2020. You may not know this about me, but I can be pretty nerdy (I know I look cool in my bio picture, but the nerd lies beneath). I learned a good deal during my time of preparation, attending Podfest, and in the days since the event and I would like to share. Below are 4 tips for your consideration.

8.5 First, I used a guide to prepare for the conference that worked well for me. Dan Miller created a list of ten tipsfor getting the most out of a conference. I followed eight and a half of his tips and I am thankful I did. As you prep for your next podcast event, consider topping my personal best of 8.5.

Allow for the unexpected One morning I sat down in the café of the hotel and jotted down some notes while I ate. I had about 15 minutes before the first session started. During that time a fellow conference attendee sat down adjacent to me and struck up an engaging conversation. A few minutes later a couple of other breakfast eaters joined in and we had a fulfilling and nourishing mini-session ourselves as we ate together over the next hour. I would have missed that wonderful experience if I stuck to my schedule. That breakfast was the highlight of my trip.

Podcast Event +4 I am just now feeling normal. It took me FOUR DAYS to catch up on my sleep and finally feel like I am back in my regular routine. It was that good. ;)

Something else took longer than expected. It took four days before I noticed a spike in downloads of my podcasts and the same amount of time to notice an increase in social media friend requests. I expected to see new requests and downloads at least by the time I got off the plane.

I share this as a cautionary tale. Be prepared that it may take a few days for your online social clout to catch up with your growing in-person social standing.

Bummer #notreally I did not win any of the cool door prizes that were given away. Winning that gift card from that locked box or the Rodecaster Pro would have been a sweet win, but I still feel that I received much more value from attending than I invested to go. Many of the personal productivity podcasts that I listen to talk about viewing the money spent to attend conferences as an investment in yourself. I now agree.

Ask and it shall be given So, those are a few tips of mine from Podfest 2020. I encourage you to go next year. I especially encourage you to go if you have not been to a podcasting event of this scale before. Make the investment in yourself.

Were you there? If you were, do me a favor. There are readers right now thinking about going to next year’s Podfest. Please share any tips you have for those 2021 first year attendees in the comments below…

Troy Price is the co-founder of Front Porch Studios in Berea, Kentucky. He has been involved with podcasting for over a decade. Contact Try by e-mail at  Troy@frontporchstudios.com.

Comments:

James Early - Mar 5, 2020

Great article and spot on advice. I had some great conversations that could not have been planned. Can’t wait til next year.

Great take, Troy! I’m still recovering from it and taking it easy. I usually do a brain dump after of ideas I have and make a note to go back later when I’m not so overwhelmed.