Why skipping talks at conferences can be better than you think

by | Jan 13, 2023 | Blog

When I first started out in the copywriting and freelancing world, Joanna Wiebe was like a god. (She still is, by the way, but back then, I couldn’t imagine I would ever even be in the same air as her.)

I’d taken all her courses and spent countless hours listening to her, watching her lessons, and reading her books.

It is not hyperbole to say that she changed my life.

So you can imagine my excitement when I cobbled together the resources and gumption to attend Unbounce’s CTAConf in 2015 – to see and maybe even meet Joanna in person.

It was a small-ish affair (my preference, if I’m honest), with ~400 attendees gathered on Vancouver’s charming Granville Island.

And it was mesmerizing. An impeccably coordinated, designed, and executed event – led by the amazing Stefanie Grieser – it included details like branded coasters, an event-specific microbrew, and a human cheering tunnel to enter through each morning (optional).

It was my first inkling that “work” can be fun. That “business” can be like-minded people trying to learn and do things better.

And my goodness did I have fun.

So much fun that I overslept. By which I mean I went to bed a few hours before the start of day 2 – the very morning Joanna was giving her keynote.

I arrived as she was winding down—devastating! I didn’t even bother going into the auditorium. Instead, I found a quiet booth in the lobby, where I proceeded to mainline coffee and fruit.

But then – and this is the whole point – who should saunter out of the stage doors and end up making her way toward me? None other than Ms. Wiebe herself, chief of the Copy Hackers.

We sat and chatted for almost the entire next session.

And that’s why skipping talks at conferences can be better than you think.

Starstruck, baby,
James

P.S. I’m not endorsing all-night ragers and serendipity as a strategy. I’m saying that the point of conferences is to gather and connect more than it is to sit in the dark and learn. And that being in the lobby increases the odds of connecting with others who know this too. And they’re often the ones worth connecting with.