It was wild how many people with Featured Creator badges I saw casually walking around the main areas compared to when I went in 2015. Back then, and even earlier, there was a huge issue with creators being swarmed in those spaces. Really speaks to how saturated the internet-sphere has become.
@@TheReviewerFilms because anyone can become a viral tiktok sensation. Making a 1 min vid tops vs making a 10min - 1hr. Is two different things. UA-camrs usually get people that feel like their friends with the creators they watch. Tiktokers are just hack videos or something to mindlessly entertain you for a little bit.
Swell, I think you should attend a random expo for a random obscure industry and vlog your experience!!!! Seriously there are conventions for everything you can imagine!!!! It's basically it's own rule 34! My husband and i love watching vlogs from like power tool and pool design expos to Haunt oriented and explicit adult cons. We went to Maker Fair two times and freaking loved it! But I think it would be extremely entertaining from you as an astute observer of the human experience and consumer phenomena!
Taking this comment to vouch for IAAPA Expo! It’s for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions! It’s the big trade show for all the new industry stuff, a big feature is that there are roller coasters and rides in the expo hall!
I went to an oddities convention (taxidermy, animal bones/skeletons, wet specimens, witchy stuff, artists, and science/anatomy things) and it was so much fun! Most vendors were super sweet and they even had some performers! I do have to say a few booths did seem like the sellers were not reputable or ethically sourced though. However it really interesting and I got a lot of cool pins and patches!
I don't understand why a convention started by UA-camrs didn't give UA-camrs featured creator or all access passes. I get TikTok sponsored it, but it is still UA-cam-centric, and you can't just disregard creators who've been featured creators at your convention for years.
I could see that also cause Amanda is cool and like like what isn’t a a cult but feels like a cult series she does about the clock app cause that has mad me glad I don’t actively use that app
She still only has around 250k subs, which for UA-cam is still pretty small time overall. I don't think most folks at VidCon would know who she is, much less understand why she would be a guest speaker.
my thing about vidcon is that it's always felt like it would be more fun for actual creators rather then viewers. like i get there's panels and you can meet your favorite youtubers but that doesn't read as a great experience to me, especially considering the traffic more popular creators get (and by traffic i mean hoards of people just fucking surrounding them at all times). Other conventions, like anime expo or even fucking bronycon seem like solid experiences outside of the thrill of meeting a famous person. like, they have much tighter communities, you can cosplay, they're themed so you can buy merch and anime figurines and plushies nd shit. vidcon has always seemed...boring to me. and stressful. but that's just me yk?
You don't even need to go to vidcon to meet some content creators. Went to an anime convention and saw several tabletop RPG youtubers I enjoyed. I didn't even see them on the guest list until the weekend of and it was one of my positives for the weekend. Vidcon is big and mainstream so it doesn't really build a community in the way even a medium-scale con does. This happens with pretty much any convention that gets to a certain size.
That’s such a great observation that I was never able to articulate into words. Part of the reason why I never ended up going to vidcon. To those who really want that experience of meeting someone they idolize, it’s cool but I don’t idolize famous people like that in general so they’re going to need more to really attract me there. But then these vid con vlogs always seem really fun. Creators meeting up with mutuals that they haven’t seen in a while and going to these exclusive creator parties. It just shows that in reality, Vidcon is really put on for the creators rather than the audience. I don’t look at that as a good or a bad thing. It just what it is
right? i like some youtubers, but not to a point where i would get along a lot with others viewers. but fans of games or shows- i could see getting along with more
My father in law goes to tech expos for his company. And after every one, all 5 kids gather in the living room and try to claim the best show swag. They are all grown adults, but the tradition continues and us partners have joined in the fun.
Lol my dad is an electrical engineer and his company sends him to those expos / conventions so we have an endless supply of pens, notepads, laser pens, post it notes, car chargers, power adaptors, etc. my dad has like 3 drawers full of random convention swag lol
That is so cool. I absolutely love when childhood traditions carry on until all the kids are adults. We still have stuff like that in my family too and it’s the best!
My sister went to VidCon way back in 2011. She had a blast and got to meet her fav creators in a meaningful way. I don't think the event will ever be the same again, probably more and more commercialized.
It's over run with Tik Tok creators now too. I feel like a grouchy old man being cynical about tik tok but idk, they just seem like much more shallow people than UA-camrs.
@@AxlPatrol man I hate to break it to you, but youtubers have always been shallow. You just grew up and are looking at the past through rose-coloured glasses.
@@AxlPatrol No definitely! And I think it doesn't help that since their content is so short we don't really get to know them on a deeper level like on YT.
@@AxlPatrol to be fair tiktok is a more shallow platform - its no place for elaborate stories, well thought-out ideas and random hobbyist research projects, if you arent pretty and/or funny, you get no time
It was weird not seeing videos from VidCon this year. In the past, I felt like UA-camrs were excited to cover the convention. This is the first I've even heard of it this year
I forgot that VidCon was a thing and I'm suddenly teleported back to its early years. Also, I'm kind of surprised to hear they weren't doing verification for creators. So my takeaway is that all of us micro content creators could have gotten passes for shits and giggles and no one would have suspected a thing. I love that.
Aw man It would’ve been lovely to meet you at vidcon! That being said; this years vidcon was odd. I’ve heard some tea about the whole tiktok main sponsor thing but I don’t think I’m allowed to spill that. This year seemed last minute in all sorts of planning with the exception of the rebranding since they had A TON of time to do that while waiting to get the go ahead. I didn’t mind having tiktok as the main sponsor since when I went to tiktok events they cared a lot the presentations they gave, but I’m still iffy on it because of the UA-cam roots. The expo hall felt empty compared to usual but the panels I was able to attend felt higher quality than years before. All in all, this vidcon was a very mixed bag, but I still had a good time. I’m hoping if/when the next vidcon is it can only get better from here. Seems like the Hyatt had all the good stuff upon watching the video. Def wanna stay there next time I go XD Also: got to the very end of the video: 20+ of my acquaintances who went got covid so yup def an outbreak
I at least don't go to vidcon, so it won't affect me that much directly, but I KNOW that we'll see a bunch of Chinese censorship at vidcon of tiktok sponsorship continues. That does bother me.
I went 6 years ago when I was in middle school and I remember it being so much fun. There were thousands of preteen girls chasing down UA-camrs and it being branded chaos. Sad to see what it’s become considering how fun it was for young UA-cam watchers.
I mean, it’s still fun for young TikTok watchers probably. Pre teens chasing down their favorite creators. In that regard, it hasn’t changed that much 😂
I guess it’s the same 😂 I definitely wished I could partake in that during middle school/ high school. The age demographic of the fans hasn’t shifted that much
@@yourfriendlyneighborhoodsm4708 actually no. Many tiktokers have said that very few people actually care to meet them IRL. There's a whole story going around about a tiktoker who had like 2M subscribers who had literally zero people show up to their convention meet and greet.
A Tiktok focused Vidcon seems really odd for me. Vidcon has always been a mainly youtube focused event. And it should stay that way as it's clearly the convention for those creators to meet their fans. Of course creators from other platforms should be able to participate and be encouraged to do so as those creators can learn from youtubers and vise versa as it probably helps a lot to understand each others platforms to diversify ones content and expand their reach. But it shouldnt be an event that feels like it moves away from it's core community or rather participants. Rather it should expand on its core like adding another building or floor for specific type of communities like a Twitch corner or Tiktok corner. I've never been to Vidcon as I live outside the US so I am not able to fully grasp the actual situation of the convention in case I misunderstood something...
Amanda, I’ve finally learned how to do it. You don’t introduce yourself first. You just walk BY - not directly at the person - innocently ‘on the way to the bathroom’ and give a sincere compliment with a nice smile. (If you cop out, no problem - just go to the bathroom!) “Hey - those are great earrings!” or “… great tie!” or “… fantastic make-up!” Who doesn’t like that? They’ll be taken off-guard, which gives you automatic control of the situation. Because you planned it. 😉 So then you just need to pop out something casual like - “oh - [name]! - I love your work” - again, because they’re your friend already (they just don’t know it yet), and you’re just chatting - and they’ll like hearing a genuine positive comment - “Oh, I’m Amanda from Swell Entertainment - we follow each other! Are you having a fun day?” (Asking them such an open question leaves the ball lobbed into their court for some convo kindling.) Meanwhile they’ll be thanking you for the compliments and, unless they’re a-holes not worth talking to, start engage in some friendly back and forth. Just keep smiling. But not like an idiot, because you’ll be engaged. I used to be super-shy, but this works like a charm. I’ve never been rudely dismissed because I don’t try to fake anything. I’d love it if you approached me for a natter and a laugh. 🤷🏼♂️
vidcon absolutely sounds like a place that's turned into being fun for creators at best. I could never imagine personally going to something that big tbh it just sounds so anxiety inducing
If you're planning to talk about Vidcon on your podcast, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how a bunch of TikTok creators who had meet and greets planned at Vidcon, and then no one showed up for them. Even though TikTok is over taking UA-cam in a lot of ways, they clearly don't have the fame factor for a lot of their mid-sized creators, like UA-cam did/does.
Yes, I was going to comment the same thing! Amanda would definitely do a great job covering this and it's such an interesting topic. Social media fame is definitely not the same as it was even just 5 years ago.
I presume it's because their videos are so short and fast so you don't really have a connection with them and so don't have the motivation or willingness to fly over or buy passes to Vidcin
One of the things I saw from vidcon this year was a lot of big tiktokers setting up meet and greets and no one coming. I didn't even realize it was happening until I saw your Instagram story. I can't tell if I'm just old or it was badly advertised.
I think the issue is, even with the sponsorship, people probably still assumed that it would be YT focused. The people who would have gone for Tiktokers didn't think to go to a YT event, and people who went for YT had no interest in the Tiktokers. That's my guess of why that happened.
VidCon doesn't really need advertising since it's one of the largest conventions in USA. The issue is the dynamic between a viewer and content creator on tiktok is much more flimsy than it is on UA-cam. With tiktok, viewers are primed to scroll past videos as soon as they've gotten the gist of it, so there's no real attachment to creators. With UA-cam, there's just a difference in dynamic where you expect to sit and watch a video once you open it. Hence better subscriber retention.
Bro maybe it's the people I watch on youtube but I really heard nothing about vidcon this year until after the people had went and made their videos and even then I was like oh there was a vidcon this year lol different times man for sure like is vidcon even necessary anymore is the question huh for the fans atleast it seems like a cool time for creators and I'm soo happy you had a cool time and were able to meet people!!
truly didn't realize that vidcon was still a thing tbh so this review doesn't read as surprising at all. it's a shame i never got to attend in the heyday but i also have no desire to go currently so 🤷🏽♀️
Ngl, I thought vidcon died with the 2010's. Only reason I even knew it was still happening is because my mom asked me about it when someone she watches plugged it lmao.
Amanda if you see this I hope this brings you some joy: We foster failed a little tuxedo kitten recently (meaning we adopted him rather than give him back to the shelter) and he's laying in his little bed raptly watching you review vidcon right now. He is absolutely enamored. Axel may be your biggest fan
I’m glad to hear you were so conscientious about the covid risks. I feel like a lot of other younger people have decided the pandemic is just over. As a fully vaxxed/boosted person who currently has covid for the first time- believe me it’s far from over!
I went to vidcon in 2015 and 2016, it was super fun at the time but I’m happy I didn’t go after that, especially this year because I didn’t know a lot of people lol
I find it so interesting that Vidcon was sponsored by TikTok since it's normally been a youtube-centric place. I live very close to it but never have had any urge to go. It's probably a smart thing to accept ALL video platforms since UA-cam is already overshadowed by TT. I'll be interested to see where it goes next.
That friday was actually my 39th birthday and I ended up in the area because of a downtown disney dinner meeting. I only knew about vidcon from driving past it. It was INSANELY uncomfortably hot, and I'm coming from inland San Diego, so it's not like the environment is that different, but holy crap that weekend was miserable. I'd have liked to have met you, especially if I'd known you were in the free spaces, but similar to you I'm very anxious and scared and tbh even wanting to make connections with other creators, I'm 100% better on paper than I am in real life. I'm almost never IN real life either, due to illness issues, so meeting people in public is like a false kinda thing. *Seeing* me in the flesh is not something even my friends get, so like, probably best not to get used to it hahahaah.
Vidcon being TikTok centered is such a weird choice to me. Like, full disclosure, I am an old and do not have TikTok. BUT I would assume because it's so heavy on algorithm that there is less of a bond with creators unless they are huge. I feel like Vidcon thrives when fans can meet small, niche creators and, more importantly, the community that surrounds that creator. I'd think it'd be really hard to create a community around such short-form, fast-moving content. Excellent variety of bucket hats though.
Don’t worry about being old just because you don’t have Tiktok. I’m around the usual Tiktok demographic and cannot stand that app. Its just constant bombardment of noise and lights and stresses me out after more than 10 minutes of being on the app.
To me the convention this year felt more like a TikTok event by how u were describing it cause it felt like their people got more of vip tickets and theses days your one of the few people on UA-cam I actually look forward to seeing a new video from
VidCon was better when @UA-cam was the main sponsor and headliner. People think that these things don’t matter but ever since UA-cam cancelled Rewind, VidCon, UA-cam Space, etc, the platform has lost a lot of its aspirational momentum.
I think there was a big switch between when VidCon was owned and run by Hank Green (and team) and when Viacom bought it. No shame to Hank, it was too much for him. But the vibe certainly changed.
You have a way of making things that aren’t very interesting interesting. There are so many videos on your channel of things that I’m not at all interested in, but it’s always entertaining hearing you talk about it so I click anyway.
This is great- I don’t go to this stuff, but if I saw you at one I would walk up and say “hey I like your videos you are very smart and hard working and funny”
Yay I’m super early. They should have done it differently. Like done vid on first then do the tik tok event. Or just anything other than what they did. Because from what I’ve seen it looked like a mall. If someone wanted to go shopping they shouldn’t pay 200$+.
Ahh, thanks so much for this!! It really helps since I’m making the decision to finally go this year. I think it’s exactly what I hoped for: the perfect opportunity to meet others in the space that I can relate to and experience a creator event for the community aspect. I appreciate it!! 🙌
As a myct fan, that was all I watched of the event (such as the panels and stuff) so I didn’t know anything about this. Couldn’t go in person, so I just saw the rest of the community talking about the creators and not the rest of the con. It’s nice to see the review of the rest of the con.
Jesus I wished I’ve gone to Vidcon in the mid 2010s those days sounded like a blast, but I have enough fun just costuming out with my cousin at comiccon so I guess it’s fine.
i only even found out vidcon happened after it was already over. usually it's all over the place, even trending on twitter. this year, i didn't see shit about it
my favorite part of VidCon was watching you coming in for the Discord panel, and then immediately leaving the moment the guys on stage were like, "Let's start off with 'What is Discord?'" 😂
What I am hearing is if we see Swell/Amanda out in the wild we should approach her like she's a cornered animal. Don't startle her, don't make any sudden movements, etc.
Hi Amanda!!! I’m a new subscriber and I am enjoying your channel and content! Your Ace Fest Video was the first one I watched. Thank you for your hard work and for letting us know if things are scammy or not!
AX is the largest anime con in the US. I don't know how much overlap their is, but its been the 4th of July weekend for decades now so if there was that much overlap, that's on Vidcon for effing it up.
@@gilded_lady I'm not saying it's exactly same demographic and attendees but Vidcon is biggest independent creators convention in same way AX is biggest anime convention. Also there was RTX in Austin and two other anime conventions this weekend as well, so had direct demographic competition but still crazy success. The failings of Vidcon had to do with various things and maybe TikTok attached instead of UA-cam put off attendees and creators as a big reason since networking would be more limited.
I am brand new to UA-cam and just moved to Maryland. I'm taking it as a sign that VidCon is coming to Baltimore next year. I'll see how much growth I experience before that day comes, but this video was very helpful in convincing me it would be beneficial for me to attend. So even though you never intended on making this, know that it's appreciated.
Next time I hope you know that you can say no Swell, it's okay to just enjoy events. I know you probably know this since you mentioned people pleasing but you do have followers who are cool with you just chilling 😎
I feel that you summed it up perfectly when you said that it was more the people that made it fun rather than the setting itself, because I went on the community track, and it was a ton of fun but there were a ton of moments that I got really bummed out. (They had an app though, so I don't know if it would have been better with that lol) But like I had front row seats for a pannel but then they changed what stage it was at so when we got to the other stage I was in the back, and every single time I went to the bonus creator meet and greet, the lines were always closed, so I asked one of the security guards "Hey do you know if there's like a list of who's going to be here and when?" And he told me that one of that staff that was supposed to be there knew, but was nowhere to be found. So we didn't get to meet anyone. It was still a blast, but there were just these inconveniences that wore me out.
I went on vacation to grand caymans. It was amazing... on the flight back we had a layover... and i caught covid on the plane home. I am so glad i have a really understanding employer.
18:50 LITERALLY SAME!!!! my dad used to be an international marketing consultant and he'd come back from Copehagen with like cool sword pen letter-openers or chocolate sprinkles you put on toast and its like !!!!!
Didn’t they sell Vidcon right before the pandemic? I remember hearing the news it was being sold and people saying it wouldn’t be the same with different owners
A lot of the creators I follow are in the same friend group, and use Vidcon as an excuse to just get a couple AirBnBs close by and party together without actually attending the convention. Anyone they know who is attending can stop by since there's so many creators in the area at the time. It's a completely different experience, but makes more sense to me as someone with no interest in brands. Unrelated, but the auto-focus fucking up at around 20:16 to punctuate the "yes and no" was kind of great.
But hey. You should TOTALLY make those totes into a corset. And make a video out of it. I wonder how much you're gonna curse the fact that you have to sew plastic by hand otherwise it rips. Or you'll just use glue? IDK, can't wait to find out lol
This year was my first VidCon and the best part was meeting the other creators, especially the creators who I had collaborated with in the past. There were a few good sessions in the creator space that were helpful but a lot of them were sponsored talks that felt much more like sales pitches. I wonder what criteria they had for access at the Hyatt? Sounds like it was so much better than VidCon itself. Very jealous of the swag, I was honestly disappointed at how little I was able to get. Did you get most of it at the Hyatt?
I really loved this video!!! Some comments are kind of negative about the event being worse than before, but in my opinion, I think it was a success!! I have only seen your video about this so it is missing a lot. But when you said “it was better because of the people than the event itself” I think that means the event still did well!! I mean, isn’t the whole point of a convention to gather like minded people to communicate? So happy for you!!! This amped me up about life!!! I hope to go to conventions about interiors and design in the future.
I feel you so much with the swag. I have this big shirt for checking out this boot for Age of Booty Tactics (some pirate game on the iphone, this was years ago so idk if it's even still up but it was decently fun, I just didn't have an iphone tho). I still wear that shirt, it's so damn comfy as a pj shirt
I relate way too strongly to your love of goodie bags. I see random knickknacks and go full bird nesting instinct. just absolutely go buckwild for some random useless stuff. one got a bag of stress balls and pens and had a high of a lifetime
It was wild how many people with Featured Creator badges I saw casually walking around the main areas compared to when I went in 2015. Back then, and even earlier, there was a huge issue with creators being swarmed in those spaces. Really speaks to how saturated the internet-sphere has become.
Also there seems to be a big shift between how people react to UA-camrs vs tik tokers. its almost like no one cares if they see a tik toker in person
@@TheReviewerFilms because anyone can become a viral tiktok sensation. Making a 1 min vid tops vs making a 10min - 1hr. Is two different things. UA-camrs usually get people that feel like their friends with the creators they watch. Tiktokers are just hack videos or something to mindlessly entertain you for a little bit.
nah i think its because those people are really just not that famous, and a lot of actual famous youtubers never attended
I agree, it's a mix of everything above plus covid too
@@TheReviewerFilms uu
Swell, I think you should attend a random expo for a random obscure industry and vlog your experience!!!! Seriously there are conventions for everything you can imagine!!!! It's basically it's own rule 34! My husband and i love watching vlogs from like power tool and pool design expos to Haunt oriented and explicit adult cons. We went to Maker Fair two times and freaking loved it! But I think it would be extremely entertaining from you as an astute observer of the human experience and consumer phenomena!
I watch a sweet furry lady that did this and now she has a beautiful suit and hobby
Taking this comment to vouch for IAAPA Expo! It’s for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions! It’s the big trade show for all the new industry stuff, a big feature is that there are roller coasters and rides in the expo hall!
I went to an oddities convention (taxidermy, animal bones/skeletons, wet specimens, witchy stuff, artists, and science/anatomy things) and it was so much fun! Most vendors were super sweet and they even had some performers! I do have to say a few booths did seem like the sellers were not reputable or ethically sourced though. However it really interesting and I got a lot of cool pins and patches!
Ooh I love this idea. I don't think she'd film it though and you kinda need that with the obscure stuff. I'd still like to see it
@@GingerTyPerior that actually sounds amazing 😂
I don't understand why a convention started by UA-camrs didn't give UA-camrs featured creator or all access passes. I get TikTok sponsored it, but it is still UA-cam-centric, and you can't just disregard creators who've been featured creators at your convention for years.
Yeah that was definitely weird feeling
I legit could see swell entertainment as a speaker. She has enough presence online and cred she could pull it off. She has my vote.
That’s if she can stop herself from giggling, but I’d watch that too.
I could see that also cause Amanda is cool and like like what isn’t a a cult but feels like a cult series she does about the clock app cause that has mad me glad I don’t actively use that app
She still only has around 250k subs, which for UA-cam is still pretty small time overall. I don't think most folks at VidCon would know who she is, much less understand why she would be a guest speaker.
my thing about vidcon is that it's always felt like it would be more fun for actual creators rather then viewers. like i get there's panels and you can meet your favorite youtubers but that doesn't read as a great experience to me, especially considering the traffic more popular creators get (and by traffic i mean hoards of people just fucking surrounding them at all times). Other conventions, like anime expo or even fucking bronycon seem like solid experiences outside of the thrill of meeting a famous person. like, they have much tighter communities, you can cosplay, they're themed so you can buy merch and anime figurines and plushies nd shit. vidcon has always seemed...boring to me. and stressful. but that's just me yk?
You don't even need to go to vidcon to meet some content creators. Went to an anime convention and saw several tabletop RPG youtubers I enjoyed. I didn't even see them on the guest list until the weekend of and it was one of my positives for the weekend. Vidcon is big and mainstream so it doesn't really build a community in the way even a medium-scale con does. This happens with pretty much any convention that gets to a certain size.
That’s such a great observation that I was never able to articulate into words. Part of the reason why I never ended up going to vidcon. To those who really want that experience of meeting someone they idolize, it’s cool but I don’t idolize famous people like that in general so they’re going to need more to really attract me there.
But then these vid con vlogs always seem really fun. Creators meeting up with mutuals that they haven’t seen in a while and going to these exclusive creator parties. It just shows that in reality, Vidcon is really put on for the creators rather than the audience. I don’t look at that as a good or a bad thing. It just what it is
Back in like 2013 it looked like a great experience, now its garbage
My favorite convention is usually E3. I love playing games and seeing the game developers. Who knows if that will come back the same way though? 😔
right? i like some youtubers, but not to a point where i would get along a lot with others viewers. but fans of games or shows- i could see getting along with more
My father in law goes to tech expos for his company. And after every one, all 5 kids gather in the living room and try to claim the best show swag. They are all grown adults, but the tradition continues and us partners have joined in the fun.
Lol my dad is an electrical engineer and his company sends him to those expos / conventions so we have an endless supply of pens, notepads, laser pens, post it notes, car chargers, power adaptors, etc. my dad has like 3 drawers full of random convention swag lol
@@kianna270 So. Many. Pens.
I love free pens.
That is so cool. I absolutely love when childhood traditions carry on until all the kids are adults. We still have stuff like that in my family too and it’s the best!
I just want candy when I go to industry expos. I don't need stuff. Some companies have really good food to give out ...
My sister went to VidCon way back in 2011. She had a blast and got to meet her fav creators in a meaningful way. I don't think the event will ever be the same again, probably more and more commercialized.
It's over run with Tik Tok creators now too. I feel like a grouchy old man being cynical about tik tok but idk, they just seem like much more shallow people than UA-camrs.
Wasn't it commercialised from the start? I've never paid attention to vidcon stuff even though I've been on UA-cam for 17 years.
@@AxlPatrol man I hate to break it to you, but youtubers have always been shallow. You just grew up and are looking at the past through rose-coloured glasses.
@@AxlPatrol No definitely! And I think it doesn't help that since their content is so short we don't really get to know them on a deeper level like on YT.
@@AxlPatrol to be fair tiktok is a more shallow platform - its no place for elaborate stories, well thought-out ideas and random hobbyist research projects, if you arent pretty and/or funny, you get no time
It was weird not seeing videos from VidCon this year. In the past, I felt like UA-camrs were excited to cover the convention. This is the first I've even heard of it this year
I didn’t even know there was one happening lol I heard more about the AceFest than VidCon 🥴
I just found out there was a Vidcon that happened this year lol
I forgot that VidCon was a thing and I'm suddenly teleported back to its early years. Also, I'm kind of surprised to hear they weren't doing verification for creators. So my takeaway is that all of us micro content creators could have gotten passes for shits and giggles and no one would have suspected a thing. I love that.
Aw man It would’ve been lovely to meet you at vidcon!
That being said; this years vidcon was odd. I’ve heard some tea about the whole tiktok main sponsor thing but I don’t think I’m allowed to spill that. This year seemed last minute in all sorts of planning with the exception of the rebranding since they had A TON of time to do that while waiting to get the go ahead. I didn’t mind having tiktok as the main sponsor since when I went to tiktok events they cared a lot the presentations they gave, but I’m still iffy on it because of the UA-cam roots. The expo hall felt empty compared to usual but the panels I was able to attend felt higher quality than years before. All in all, this vidcon was a very mixed bag, but I still had a good time. I’m hoping if/when the next vidcon is it can only get better from here. Seems like the Hyatt had all the good stuff upon watching the video. Def wanna stay there next time I go XD
Also: got to the very end of the video: 20+ of my acquaintances who went got covid so yup def an outbreak
Was this the first vidcon since the pandemic? I remember Amanda went to Tanacon but I don't remember if she went to vc at the same time.
@@Art7220 yes! This is the first since the pandemic. The last few vidcons have been canceled
What you doing here Rebaka
I at least don't go to vidcon, so it won't affect me that much directly, but I KNOW that we'll see a bunch of Chinese censorship at vidcon of tiktok sponsorship continues. That does bother me.
@@Lycaon1765 what censorship?
I went 6 years ago when I was in middle school and I remember it being so much fun. There were thousands of preteen girls chasing down UA-camrs and it being branded chaos. Sad to see what it’s become considering how fun it was for young UA-cam watchers.
I guess it was not fun for the UA-camrs being chased 😳
I mean, it’s still fun for young TikTok watchers probably. Pre teens chasing down their favorite creators. In that regard, it hasn’t changed that much 😂
I guess it’s the same 😂 I definitely wished I could partake in that during middle school/ high school.
The age demographic of the fans hasn’t shifted that much
@@yourfriendlyneighborhoodsm4708 actually no. Many tiktokers have said that very few people actually care to meet them IRL. There's a whole story going around about a tiktoker who had like 2M subscribers who had literally zero people show up to their convention meet and greet.
“What was I going to say? No?”
Ah, yes. The constant need to meet others expectations even when you didn’t plan to do it yourself😅 I felt that.
A Tiktok focused Vidcon seems really odd for me. Vidcon has always been a mainly youtube focused event. And it should stay that way as it's clearly the convention for those creators to meet their fans. Of course creators from other platforms should be able to participate and be encouraged to do so as those creators can learn from youtubers and vise versa as it probably helps a lot to understand each others platforms to diversify ones content and expand their reach.
But it shouldnt be an event that feels like it moves away from it's core community or rather participants. Rather it should expand on its core like adding another building or floor for specific type of communities like a Twitch corner or Tiktok corner.
I've never been to Vidcon as I live outside the US so I am not able to fully grasp the actual situation of the convention in case I misunderstood something...
Why doesn't Tiktok have its own version of Vidcon?
@@DrawciaGleam02 no clue, but tbh they’d probably prefer to just borderline takeover normal vidcon for the brand recognition etc
@@DrawciaGleam02Magcon trauma maybe?
Just letting you know I believe there’s a big con in Australia and Amsterdam so you should check those out
Amanda, I’ve finally learned how to do it. You don’t introduce yourself first. You just walk BY - not directly at the person - innocently ‘on the way to the bathroom’ and give a sincere compliment with a nice smile. (If you cop out, no problem - just go to the bathroom!) “Hey - those are great earrings!” or “… great tie!” or “… fantastic make-up!” Who doesn’t like that? They’ll be taken off-guard, which gives you automatic control of the situation. Because you planned it. 😉
So then you just need to pop out something casual like - “oh - [name]! - I love your work” - again, because they’re your friend already (they just don’t know it yet), and you’re just chatting - and they’ll like hearing a genuine positive comment - “Oh, I’m Amanda from Swell Entertainment - we follow each other! Are you having a fun day?” (Asking them such an open question leaves the ball lobbed into their court for some convo kindling.)
Meanwhile they’ll be thanking you for the compliments and, unless they’re a-holes not worth talking to, start engage in some friendly back and forth. Just keep smiling. But not like an idiot, because you’ll be engaged.
I used to be super-shy, but this works like a charm. I’ve never been rudely dismissed because I don’t try to fake anything. I’d love it if you approached me for a natter and a laugh. 🤷🏼♂️
as a shy person thank you because this sound soo doable
@@iloveme4life It might take a couple of tries until you get your own groove. Don’t give up. You can do this!
Food and free swag are two very strong motivators.
It was so lovely to meet you, I have loved your content for so long and you were so kind
thank you!
adam spotted in the wild!!? oh my goodness:0
vidcon absolutely sounds like a place that's turned into being fun for creators at best. I could never imagine personally going to something that big tbh it just sounds so anxiety inducing
“I look like I’m at a parent teacher conference”
“No, no, you look good. The sneakers break it up”
I’m obsessed w this exchange lmfao
If you're planning to talk about Vidcon on your podcast, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how a bunch of TikTok creators who had meet and greets planned at Vidcon, and then no one showed up for them. Even though TikTok is over taking UA-cam in a lot of ways, they clearly don't have the fame factor for a lot of their mid-sized creators, like UA-cam did/does.
Yes, I was going to comment the same thing! Amanda would definitely do a great job covering this and it's such an interesting topic. Social media fame is definitely not the same as it was even just 5 years ago.
I presume it's because their videos are so short and fast so you don't really have a connection with them and so don't have the motivation or willingness to fly over or buy passes to Vidcin
One of the things I saw from vidcon this year was a lot of big tiktokers setting up meet and greets and no one coming. I didn't even realize it was happening until I saw your Instagram story. I can't tell if I'm just old or it was badly advertised.
I saw that too! Was hoping to hear Amanda’s take on the meet and greets this year
I think the issue is, even with the sponsorship, people probably still assumed that it would be YT focused. The people who would have gone for Tiktokers didn't think to go to a YT event, and people who went for YT had no interest in the Tiktokers. That's my guess of why that happened.
Most of the meet n greets that got packed were the dsmp ones and its makes sense
VidCon doesn't really need advertising since it's one of the largest conventions in USA.
The issue is the dynamic between a viewer and content creator on tiktok is much more flimsy than it is on UA-cam. With tiktok, viewers are primed to scroll past videos as soon as they've gotten the gist of it, so there's no real attachment to creators.
With UA-cam, there's just a difference in dynamic where you expect to sit and watch a video once you open it. Hence better subscriber retention.
Vidcon used to be a UA-cam event. Now its a Tiktok one lmao
Why does that make me feel old?
So its still a daycare basically?
@@VVVU2x Haha. All the youtubers aged out and became CITs
@@derrickmarais lol I remember when it was still fully run by John and Hank Green
Bro maybe it's the people I watch on youtube but I really heard nothing about vidcon this year until after the people had went and made their videos and even then I was like oh there was a vidcon this year lol different times man for sure like is vidcon even necessary anymore is the question huh for the fans atleast it seems like a cool time for creators and I'm soo happy you had a cool time and were able to meet people!!
I read that as "vicodin" at first and thought this was going to be an opioid review video
Hahahahahha. That’s funny as fuck.
“I tried opioids so you don’t have to”
truly didn't realize that vidcon was still a thing tbh so this review doesn't read as surprising at all. it's a shame i never got to attend in the heyday but i also have no desire to go currently so 🤷🏽♀️
Amanda I wasn’t kidding when I said I don’t miss a video 😂 ilysm and it was great to meet you!!
it was great meeting you too!
Ngl, I thought vidcon died with the 2010's. Only reason I even knew it was still happening is because my mom asked me about it when someone she watches plugged it lmao.
Amanda if you see this I hope this brings you some joy:
We foster failed a little tuxedo kitten recently (meaning we adopted him rather than give him back to the shelter) and he's laying in his little bed raptly watching you review vidcon right now. He is absolutely enamored.
Axel may be your biggest fan
Ahhh this is so cute
She forgets she made a Amazon store video (that wasn’t negative and very honest)
do you think Amanda being canonically a werewolf will affect the Swell fanfiction landscape?
I’m glad to hear you were so conscientious about the covid risks. I feel like a lot of other younger people have decided the pandemic is just over. As a fully vaxxed/boosted person who currently has covid for the first time- believe me it’s far from over!
🙄🙄🙄
@@liplock000 ?
I just got covid for the first time too! Fully vaxxed but also pregnant atm, boy did that feel like hell. Worse than any normal flu I've had before.
I went to vidcon in 2015 and 2016, it was super fun at the time but I’m happy I didn’t go after that, especially this year because I didn’t know a lot of people lol
Vidcon looked like a good time in the early 2010s for both fans and creators like a US summerinthecity. Now it just looks like hot garbage
I find it so interesting that Vidcon was sponsored by TikTok since it's normally been a youtube-centric place. I live very close to it but never have had any urge to go. It's probably a smart thing to accept ALL video platforms since UA-cam is already overshadowed by TT. I'll be interested to see where it goes next.
Once you've been to enough cons, the only point in going is the people you know who are going.
Also, watching this on the train, no crash in sight
Ambulance worker scraping me off the pavement: "OMG this guy was listening to Swell Entertainment! I love her stuff!...Time of death, 6:07 p.m."
Honestly I just enjoy your content, I’ve never even considered going to a vidcon but it looks like an experience worth having at least once.
That friday was actually my 39th birthday and I ended up in the area because of a downtown disney dinner meeting. I only knew about vidcon from driving past it. It was INSANELY uncomfortably hot, and I'm coming from inland San Diego, so it's not like the environment is that different, but holy crap that weekend was miserable. I'd have liked to have met you, especially if I'd known you were in the free spaces, but similar to you I'm very anxious and scared and tbh even wanting to make connections with other creators, I'm 100% better on paper than I am in real life. I'm almost never IN real life either, due to illness issues, so meeting people in public is like a false kinda thing. *Seeing* me in the flesh is not something even my friends get, so like, probably best not to get used to it hahahaah.
Sounds fun but I’d never go.
How is your comment from 23 hours ago?
@@ArianAlbert I think it’s from the patreon. Once you sign up and that, you might get access to videos earlier.
@@sarahpereira6471 oh that makes sense thank you
spoken like a true poet
Vidcon being TikTok centered is such a weird choice to me. Like, full disclosure, I am an old and do not have TikTok. BUT I would assume because it's so heavy on algorithm that there is less of a bond with creators unless they are huge. I feel like Vidcon thrives when fans can meet small, niche creators and, more importantly, the community that surrounds that creator. I'd think it'd be really hard to create a community around such short-form, fast-moving content. Excellent variety of bucket hats though.
Don’t worry about being old just because you don’t have Tiktok. I’m around the usual Tiktok demographic and cannot stand that app. Its just constant bombardment of noise and lights and stresses me out after more than 10 minutes of being on the app.
I'm just going to say -- 100% yes to the holographic corset top!
To me the convention this year felt more like a TikTok event by how u were describing it cause it felt like their people got more of vip tickets and theses days your one of the few people on UA-cam I actually look forward to seeing a new video from
VidCon was better when @UA-cam was the main sponsor and headliner. People think that these things don’t matter but ever since UA-cam cancelled Rewind, VidCon, UA-cam Space, etc, the platform has lost a lot of its aspirational momentum.
I thought Rewind was on “break” rather than fully cancelled, the last one felt like the first rewind ever made with Rebecca Black
I think there was a big switch between when VidCon was owned and run by Hank Green (and team) and when Viacom bought it. No shame to Hank, it was too much for him. But the vibe certainly changed.
everytime a rewind would come out everyone would shit on it why would youtube keep making more if they were getting mass disliked 💀
Amanda please do a monster high movie review I need to see you spiraling over a kids movie again...
This is evil I want to see it
You have a way of making things that aren’t very interesting interesting. There are so many videos on your channel of things that I’m not at all interested in, but it’s always entertaining hearing you talk about it so I click anyway.
there should've been a different Convention for TikTokers...
This is great- I don’t go to this stuff, but if I saw you at one I would walk up and say “hey I like your videos you are very smart and hard working and funny”
you are seriously one of my fav content creators right now!! you literally never miss
Yay I’m super early.
They should have done it differently. Like done vid on first then do the tik tok event. Or just anything other than what they did.
Because from what I’ve seen it looked like a mall. If someone wanted to go shopping they shouldn’t pay 200$+.
i would love to go vidcon. im glad i wasnt there for tik tok con
This is so sweet! I'm glad you had a nice time with your friends ☺️
My husband is finally out of quarantine. Thanks VidCon!
Ahh, thanks so much for this!! It really helps since I’m making the decision to finally go this year. I think it’s exactly what I hoped for: the perfect opportunity to meet others in the space that I can relate to and experience a creator event for the community aspect. I appreciate it!! 🙌
omg the amount of bucket hats as swag i cannot
As a myct fan, that was all I watched of the event (such as the panels and stuff) so I didn’t know anything about this. Couldn’t go in person, so I just saw the rest of the community talking about the creators and not the rest of the con. It’s nice to see the review of the rest of the con.
*edit. I meant a different perspective
Jesus I wished I’ve gone to Vidcon in the mid 2010s those days sounded like a blast, but I have enough fun just costuming out with my cousin at comiccon so I guess it’s fine.
i only even found out vidcon happened after it was already over.
usually it's all over the place, even trending on twitter. this year, i didn't see shit about it
Can relate to the "love swag" statement
Really a problema now that I work in a tech company that always has stickers and stuff lying around
my favorite part of VidCon was watching you coming in for the Discord panel, and then immediately leaving the moment the guys on stage were like, "Let's start off with 'What is Discord?'" 😂
Every time I watch your videos I just like your content more and more. Your humor is absolutely hilarious and never fails to bring a smile to my face
I read the notification and went, "Vidcon still exists?"
So that answers that for me 💀
looove that talking to mutuals is scary and weird to you but you can go up to random lounges and be like "hi!!" 😂😂 you're great
What I am hearing is if we see Swell/Amanda out in the wild we should approach her like she's a cornered animal. Don't startle her, don't make any sudden movements, etc.
Hi Amanda!!! I’m a new subscriber and I am enjoying your channel and content! Your Ace Fest Video was the first one I watched. Thank you for your hard work and for letting us know if things are scammy or not!
Apparently Anime Expo in LA was this weekend and crowded and hectic. Vidcon seems to be falling off or maybe TikTok ruined this year?
AX is the largest anime con in the US. I don't know how much overlap their is, but its been the 4th of July weekend for decades now so if there was that much overlap, that's on Vidcon for effing it up.
Anime midwest was also packed. Crazy how anime cons are doing better than vidcon lol
@@gilded_lady I'm not saying it's exactly same demographic and attendees but Vidcon is biggest independent creators convention in same way AX is biggest anime convention. Also there was RTX in Austin and two other anime conventions this weekend as well, so had direct demographic competition but still crazy success. The failings of Vidcon had to do with various things and maybe TikTok attached instead of UA-cam put off attendees and creators as a big reason since networking would be more limited.
i remember everyone pre covid in the spam instagram community attending anime expo
@@gilded_lady 1 decade, old but not quite THAT old lol
I am brand new to UA-cam and just moved to Maryland. I'm taking it as a sign that VidCon is coming to Baltimore next year. I'll see how much growth I experience before that day comes, but this video was very helpful in convincing me it would be beneficial for me to attend. So even though you never intended on making this, know that it's appreciated.
Next time I hope you know that you can say no Swell, it's okay to just enjoy events. I know you probably know this since you mentioned people pleasing but you do have followers who are cool with you just chilling 😎
holy shit local eclectic!! literally my favorite brand. the swag u got was so cool thats so epic
I feel that you summed it up perfectly when you said that it was more the people that made it fun rather than the setting itself, because I went on the community track, and it was a ton of fun but there were a ton of moments that I got really bummed out. (They had an app though, so I don't know if it would have been better with that lol)
But like I had front row seats for a pannel but then they changed what stage it was at so when we got to the other stage I was in the back, and every single time I went to the bonus creator meet and greet, the lines were always closed, so I asked one of the security guards "Hey do you know if there's like a list of who's going to be here and when?" And he told me that one of that staff that was supposed to be there knew, but was nowhere to be found. So we didn't get to meet anyone.
It was still a blast, but there were just these inconveniences that wore me out.
Samantha really needs to just walk up to people screaming: “OOMFIE!!” and they would get the gist of it.
You mean Amanda? lmao
Uh, what
omg the squishmallow claw machine 😭😭 what a dream
I went on vacation to grand caymans. It was amazing... on the flight back we had a layover... and i caught covid on the plane home. I am so glad i have a really understanding employer.
Me listening to this like a podcast driving on my way home from work and then you call me out on it lmao
18:50 LITERALLY SAME!!!! my dad used to be an international marketing consultant and he'd come back from Copehagen with like cool sword pen letter-openers or chocolate sprinkles you put on toast and its like !!!!!
Alternative title: "I went to VidCon 2022 so you don't have to"
Honestly I’m happier to stay in Melbourne and have the chance to run into Mike’s Mic.
i wish i couldve gone to vidcon in like 2015-2016 😭
Hi Swell, I've never been to Vidcon before, and this video was very informative thank you for this review. You are worth a subscription 👍
Didn’t they sell Vidcon right before the pandemic? I remember hearing the news it was being sold and people saying it wouldn’t be the same with different owners
Vidcon was sold i think 4 years ago? So we have had a couple of viacom vidcons pre pandemic.
@@Bulhbluhbuy ah right, I wasn’t sure exactly when it was
I have social anxiety and this looks like my nightmare. Glad others had fun tho.
A lot of the creators I follow are in the same friend group, and use Vidcon as an excuse to just get a couple AirBnBs close by and party together without actually attending the convention. Anyone they know who is attending can stop by since there's so many creators in the area at the time. It's a completely different experience, but makes more sense to me as someone with no interest in brands. Unrelated, but the auto-focus fucking up at around 20:16 to punctuate the "yes and no" was kind of great.
But hey. You should TOTALLY make those totes into a corset. And make a video out of it. I wonder how much you're gonna curse the fact that you have to sew plastic by hand otherwise it rips.
Or you'll just use glue? IDK, can't wait to find out lol
Oh my word, my dad was a pilot and he did the same thing with giving us all of his flight convention swag lol so many flight safety mint tins
This year was my first VidCon and the best part was meeting the other creators, especially the creators who I had collaborated with in the past. There were a few good sessions in the creator space that were helpful but a lot of them were sponsored talks that felt much more like sales pitches. I wonder what criteria they had for access at the Hyatt? Sounds like it was so much better than VidCon itself. Very jealous of the swag, I was honestly disappointed at how little I was able to get. Did you get most of it at the Hyatt?
I had no idea you had a podcast! You should totally promote it more :D
I keep saying that too. It's good, it's just like an extra long video from this channel
i’d never get over it if i couldn’t do the squishmallow claw machine 😭😭
That's a lot of wristbands for a single event lmao
You have either a dead pixel or a speck on your lens, Amanda. Lower right corner.
I really loved this video!!! Some comments are kind of negative about the event being worse than before, but in my opinion, I think it was a success!! I have only seen your video about this so it is missing a lot. But when you said “it was better because of the people than the event itself” I think that means the event still did well!! I mean, isn’t the whole point of a convention to gather like minded people to communicate? So happy for you!!! This amped me up about life!!! I hope to go to conventions about interiors and design in the future.
I have only seen your video so I am missing a lot****
Your video was so in depth!! Sorry about the typo!
I was waiting for this!
I thought it said "vicodin" and didn't know how to answer.
the monster high booth looked so cool! so jealous i couldnt see it😭
Hi Amanda! We're real and love your content!
Signed - All of us ❤️
Swell you should try the hitch water bottle! I've been really interested in it but also know there's some controversy about it.
I feel you so much with the swag. I have this big shirt for checking out this boot for Age of Booty Tactics (some pirate game on the iphone, this was years ago so idk if it's even still up but it was decently fun, I just didn't have an iphone tho). I still wear that shirt, it's so damn comfy as a pj shirt
I remember wanting to go to the very first VidCon for a chance to meet Charlie McDonnell.
Times have changed 😮💨
I relate way too strongly to your love of goodie bags. I see random knickknacks and go full bird nesting instinct. just absolutely go buckwild for some random useless stuff. one got a bag of stress balls and pens and had a high of a lifetime
THAT BUCKET HAT IS SUCH A LOOK ON YOU 😻
wow i really wish i could’ve gone to vidcon during the heyday. it probably will never be the same again
Sounds like it would be super fun meeting people and connecting!
Squishmallow human claw machine is a bunch of sweaty people laying on stuffed animals