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As I write this, I’m sitting on a flight home after attending Cannes Lions. I’m exhausted, dehydrated and behind on emails. I started to ask myself: why are we talking together?
Conferences in our industry are a paradoxical experience. They usually take place in enviable destinations but are packed with events, so you rarely have time to enjoy the local flavor. Everyone complains about the weather, the food, and the commute time, while coworkers back home post memes about how they’re doing all the work while their managers reap the rewards of (insert conference title here).
Cannes Lions is particularly egregious. I’ve heard a lot more people complain about being there than I ever expected. Are they all just trying to downplay it? Is it some kind of false humility like “Cannes isn’t really great, so it’s OK that I’m here and someone else isn’t”? Or do they really feel annoyed at being forced to spend time in the south of France?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of industry conferences.
Why businesses are coming back
Oh, humanity
Relationships are what build businesses, especially growing ones. The impact of human connection cannot be overstated, especially in a post-COVID, distance learning-driven, AI-generating world.
For a startup, you can find venture capital funds and private equity firms, startup-friendly companies open to partnerships, and innovative brands that want to advance their marketing teams.
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The vast majority of conference time is devoted to discussion. You eat, in meetings, you walk between events, at the Chandelier Bar, the Gutter Bar or the Fontainebleau Lobby Bar, but you always talk.
It’s about intelligence gathering. You’ll know who’s looking for a new role, which company is trying to sell, which product really works and which doesn’t. This is your opportunity to act on this knowledge before someone else does.
Dynamic marketing
The conference becomes a pop-up experience for your business. It can be zany, sophisticated, or understated. This is an opportunity to express your brand voice in a unique and temporary way.
If you don’t have a space, you can sponsor someone else’s and put your best assets on their stage or camera. Being visible at a conference is surprisingly achievable.
The cream rises to the top
Conferences are a fire that reveals who can handle the pressure and who cannot. He reveals who will call in sick on day two, who will attend that breakfast, who will thrive speaking into a microphone, and who will hide from the stage.
Some employees will represent your brand brilliantly. Some won’t. Knowing the difference makes your business stronger.
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Why do people come back?
You are the one you network with
The human connection that builds a business also builds a career. Some of my closest friends are VPs and executives I’ve stayed with too late, creating shared experiences that make us want to bring our worlds closer together.
The random assortment of tech salespeople, agency execs, and minor celebrities who bought Smashburger last year at Cannes Lions are still talking about hiding our fries under the table from the strict Caffe Roma manager.
Panels, round tables and speeches
Conferences require content, which means plenty of opportunities to speak. You are much more likely to get a spot if you are already planning to attend. Very few speakers have all their travel and attendance costs covered.
Get to the conference, then start raising your hand. Connect with these networked friends, ask your marketing team for nominations, and say yes to every opportunity. Even if you don’t know the material well, you can study before the session.
Must-see destinations
If it’s a priority, it’s easy to sign up a few days before or after a conference for a personal trip. I’ve known people who took a week before Possible to Miami for a Disney cruise with their family, or who stayed after Adweek New York to see a Broadway show. I’ve explored the south of France by staying an extra day or two after Cannes Lions, including this year when I spent a day wandering the beautiful artists’ village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
The glut of free stuff
Make no mistake: 95% of gifts are trash. Please stop with the stress balls, cheap Chapstick and baseball caps. But there are gems.
At sunny conferences, you’ll never need to bring sunscreen or a personal fan because they’re everywhere.
Some of my favorite items this year were the straw hat from Zeta Global, the Chill Pill from T-Mobile Ads, the themed gift bags from DoorDash Ads, and the Snapchat charm bracelet at the Female Quotient Beach.
I even tried to get a tattoo at Pinterest Manifestival, but they were sold out. I also picked up a free carry-on suitcase from InMobi to take everything home.
Why businesses hesitate
Measuring ROI is Difficult
Some companies are strict when it comes to proving their worth. How many appointments have you booked? What consequences took place? Deciding on the right level of investment is almost impossible.
Kargo puts on a drone show every year at Cannes Lions that must cost millions. How do they know what deals came from this show? I don’t know. But I know they’ll probably do it again. Because…
Once you start you can’t stop
The absence of your brand can be more eloquent than its presence. “Where did they go?” » “I heard they lost some business.” “Maybe they can’t afford it anymore.”
Once you decide to show up in a meaningful way, it’s incredibly difficult to disappear.
Someone will always feel offended
You won’t be able to bring everyone, and those who aren’t chosen might think they deserve to go. They will complain during the conference, creating a negative environment in the absence of some of your senior managers, who attended.
Why you might hesitate
Your health and comfort
For most conferences you will experience jet lag, swollen feet, overstimulation, social avoidance, too many calories, dripping sweat and miles of walking. Your routine will evaporate and your mouth will be permanently dry.
You’ll exercise less, drink more, and forget to send your partner a goodnight text. Your mind, body, and relationships will all take a hit, and you’ll need to invest in getting them back.
The cost of being away
Conferences usually take a full week without work. Even if they last two or three days, the preparation, travel and recovery will easily overwhelm. This will slow down your daily progress and cause you to miss social and family commitments.
Personal risk and exposure
I’ll hold your hand when I say this: Every conference presents opportunities to make bad decisions. It’s almost an obligation to do at least one. How else are you going to build links? (See list of benefits.) But the consequences vary widely. It’s up to you, and the strength of your own limitations, to ensure that your bad decisions remain relatively harmless.
The true value of showing up
Personally, I’m grateful to this industry and to my employers, past and present, who have invested in sending me to conferences because they think the return is worth it. They trusted me to represent the company, our vision and our point of view. I made new contacts, strengthened old friendships, and recorded content that I will be bragging about on LinkedIn very soon.
Why do we consult? Not because conferences immediately generate a positive return on investment. We do it because relationships, ideas, and trust are built faster when people spend a few days together than when they spend six months exchanging calendar invites.
Most of the value appears months or years later, when someone remembers a conversation, introduces you to the right person, or calls you before calling anyone else.
As long as you are honest about the downsides and are willing to deal with them, I think the upsides far outweigh them.
If you see me at a conference, I’d love to pick up your company’s tote bag. I’ll probably need it to carry all the pens, water bottles, and random gifts I’ve picked up along the way.
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