If your calendar is dotted with dozens of highly concentrated, short meetings reflecting a time-zone you don’t live in, you’re likely headed to an industry conference.
In-person conference attendance is having a moment.
Prior to 2020, non-marquee conferences were struggling. The big shows—SXSW, CES, WSIA’s Annual Conference, Franchise Expo and others—were holding their own while smaller industry-specific events were being squeezed. Budgets, time out of the office and corporate travel budgets were all factors as webinars and social media networking promised to fill in the gaps. And of course, COVID slowed down momentum for in-person conferences.
However, in 2025 the pendulum swung again. Journalists, whose travel budgets were never grand, began hitting the conference circuit again looking for sources just as companies again saw value in these in-person opportunities to build relationships and bring in new business.
What changed?
The need for access became paramount. After years of Zoom-interviews, media outlets recognized they needed to network. Sitting down, in-person, with sources helps foster stronger ties and deeper conversations. Experts in attendance help journalists provide their audiences with what they’re looking for.
There is a bit of tech fatigue at play. With the rise of AI and the questioning of authenticity in content, many of us simply appreciate the opportunity to reconnect in a business-like environment. In an age of hybrid and remote work, conferences may be the new water cooler moment we’ve all been craving while still basking in the joy of a commute-less workday.
Hence the conference renaissance.
More companies are sending employees and executives to industry events. More vendors are reserving booth space. Far more media are attending looking for sources than in many of the prior years combined. And more opportunity exists for attendees to maximize their return on investment as conferences and associated travel costs rise.
There remain, of course, the traditional table stakes of conference attendance:
- Brand exposure to prospects
- Lead generation
- Networking & education
However, those are only the immediate, and most obvious, benefits.
For those who wisely engage with attending media, the benefits are manifest. As a communications professional, I’m biased. I believe the best and most often overlooked conference benefits come from engaging with attending media.
Inclusion in a journalist’s coverage of the event—high profile coverage within the industry itself—helps to create content your sales team can leverage on multiple fronts.
Instead of an obvious sales pitch, your sales team can lead with your industry insights and analysis that carries the third-party endorsement of the media. Trade media news coverage in which you’re included can also help shorten the sales cycle as it creates greater awareness. That coverage can also last well-beyond the conference whereas the expensive conference booth is only on display for two or three days.
Making a plan weeks before you travel can also create business opportunities you won’t find on the conference floor. Use the app to make connections. Reach out over LinkedIn to connect with prospects. Have your public relations agency or communications team set up interviews with attending media. Today’s conference attendees can’t afford to merely arrive. You’ve got to make your presence known weeks in advance to maximize your ROI.
Additionally, sending your star players, and even junior staff, to industry conferences aids in workforce retention. It helps build a better skilled, more informed team. From the education programs to networking events, your employees can gather industry insights and learn from experts, all of which can benefit the company over the long term.
Registering for a conference isn’t a passive investment. Every conference needs a strategy, with time allocated for business meetings, booth coverage, media engagement, networking and not an insignificant amount of walking the conference floor. And don’t forget education sessions to skill build your team.
Absent a sound conference strategy and a plan to execute it, all you may walk away with are some cool group selfies, a pile of vendor swag and a very expensive booth that does you no good once it’s packed up and shipped back to storage.
