2020 Podfest Expo: Attendee Review
Author: Audreyonna Sequale
We were so excited to spend March 5th-March 8th at the 2020 Podfest Multimedia Expo in Orlando, Florida. From the information presented to the networking opportunities, our time was well spent. But with all things, there’s always some room for improvement. Fellow podcasters Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown of Breadfruit Media, Caribbean Podcast Directory, and Carry On Friends and Martina Lindo of Full Bloom gave their opinions on their experience with the expo. So let’s see how. Each attendee graded this year’s Expo.
Information
The purpose of Podfest was to provide aspiring and experienced podcasters real information they can use to elevate their shows in promotion, sound, content, and more.
Kerry-Ann: “I think the sessions that stood out was about the Discoverability Triangle. I’ve been doing some of the work he’s been doing so when I saw the session I said, ‘yes, I need to go to that because it’s something I’m really passionate about.’”
Martina: “I would say for me, I learned a lot of new things or just had some things reinforced. I would say that some of the speakers that I did listen to, some of the information was a little dated, surprisingly. In terms of the vetting process on the information that’s going to be shared, that’s something they could screen a little bit more.”
Audreyonna: I strategically chose breakout sessions that revolved around aspects of podcasting that I’m still having trouble with. Because of that, I feel like I walked away with valuable information. For example, the session 20 Ways to Promote Your Podcast (Link to piece) was very insightful because it included some methods I didn’t consider before. My other sessions were equally as useful to me.
Grade: B+
Networking Opportunities
Aside from learning, a good conference should be a place for networking. Let’s see how we felt about networking at Podfest.
Kerry-Ann: “For me coming here, I knew I wanted to make connections but balance with learning...but I would say about 80% of my time was spent in the hallways connecting with folks.”
Martina: “Excellent. I’ve met so many people who’ve done some dope things. I actually spent more time networking than sitting in the sessions. I’ve been to about four sessions in the three days I’ve been here but I feel like it’s just as valuable. I think that something Podfest does really well is creating a community.”
Audreyonna: I would give the networking opportunities an A+. Because I spent the weekend helping to promote Blk Pod Collective, I got the opportunity to meet so many different people in the podcast industry. I was able to promote my podcast as well and make connections with future guests.
Grade: A+
Diversity
Even in a predominately white and male space, it’s comforting to see people who look like you. How did Podfest stack up in terms of diversity, let’s see.
Kerry-Ann: “This is my first one so this is a baseline for me. I think it had a good amount of people of color here. Could there always be more people of color? Absolutely.”
Martina: “I think that we live in a world that is still working on diversity as a whole…so in terms of diversity I think that they did a great job of trying to be more inclusive with the speakers. There were definitely a lot more people of color than I’ve seen in the previous conferences. But as always, there’s always room for more. Overall, I think it’s a continuous work in progress.”
Audreyonna: This is the only area where I have a stronger critique. I do believe that the diversity, or lack thereof, is not the fault of the Podfest team. We all know that the podcast industry is very white-male dominated so that group was most in attendance. I do, however, like that there were a number of after-hour meet ups for African-Americans, women of color, and more. The effort was there and I appreciated it.
Grade: B+
Overall Experience
Though we each had different goals for the conference. It seems like everyone achieved their goals and came away with a positive experience.
Kerry-Ann: “Typically, I set three goals when I go to conferences. One goal was to connect with community...Connecting with community was really big because we launched the Directory but no one’s really seen me much in person and this was an opportunity to meet and connect and tell people a little more about me.”
Martina actually attended Podfest as a speaker! Her session “Bloom Season” centered around helping millennials find their purpose. Her experience as a speaker lead to an overall positive review of the conference.
Martina: “It was really fun, it was a good opportunity. I got to connect to a lot of people whose message resonated with me in terms of wanting to find purpose in their life. I felt like I was in a good space where there were people interested in what I was saying.”
Audreyonna: Since this was my first podcast conference, I don’t have anything to compare it to. I will say, however, that this one set the bar pretty high. I’m looking forward to next year’s Podfest and I want to experience other conferences because of this one.
Overall Grade: A
Podfest was definitely an experience for the books. From these ladies’ testimonies and critiques from other attendees I met, I think it’s safe to say that Podfest is well on its way to becoming a yearly conference podcasters won’t want to miss. I can’t wait to come back next year.