Why the Webit Global Congress Is Our Top Event for the Year

Working in digital marketing, particularly on the content side, means always keeping your ear to the ground. You need to be aware of what’s happening in a variety of global industries, in addition to keeping close track of everything happening in the world of marketing.

That’s why Webit has always been a top priority event for us at Hop Online, it’s our go-to event for learning, networking, and even letting our hair down a bit.

In fact, we’ve been in attendance since the first events back in 2009. Whether it’s meant traveling across town or across borders, Webit events have always been in our calendar.

Anyone who’s been attending conferences and events knows that it can be hard to predict whether they’ll be worth the time and effort it takes to attend them. So, we’ve put together a list of our top reasons why the Webit event this April in Sofia is worth checking out.

1. Webit Provides Insights You Didn’t Even Know You Needed

This has always been central for us. Maybe you’ve heard someone talk about those famous unknown unknowns, i.e., things you don’t know that you don’t know. Needless to say, these are some of the toughest bits of information to acquire in an increasingly complex business world.

But going to Webit and similar conferences gives us all the opportunity to dip into the unknown and make it known.

From the recent Webit conference in Istanbul this past November 2015 event for instance, we learned from Gabe Zichermann talk about how gamification can help us overcome our collective attention crisis. We also learned from Marc Jones about how cloud services are becoming increasingly commodified.

This isn’t necessarily information we would have found on our own, but having a better understanding of how innovative companies are attracting users’ attention and how the cloud is evolving as a business tool means gaining valuable insights we can turn around and apply to everything we do here at Hop.

Webit also includes targeted talks, which give you excellent industry-specific insights.

A personal favorite, again from November’s Webit conference, was a talk by Paul Rossi, head of The Economist Media Group, who revealed shocking research by his organization into the extent of fraud going on in online ad buys. That talk was a game-changer for me, helping illuminate why this kind of advertising may experience some backlash in the future.

All of these insights stem from the size of Webit events; put simply, they’re huge. That size also translates into another key benefit: networking.

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2. The Networking Is Second to None

Networking is always a reason to go to any big conference or event, but we’ve found some real advantages from Webit here.

The first event really surprised me. I’ve met industry professionals from right here in Sofia at a variety of Webit conferences – even when the event was somewhere else.

Now, we’re pretty social people here at Hop, but you can’t know everything. Sometimes you don’t hear about that interesting new company getting started just across town. When that happens, it’s great to find a place to encounter people and companies that can give you a new picture of your own industry in your own city.

Second, I’ve met everyone from NGO workers to bank executives during coffee breaks and lunches. The insights from those conversations have been some of the most valuable I’ve had at any conference. You simply never know who you might end up having a conversation with.

These are the kind of connections that tend to make business more dynamic and more interesting. They open up new space for collaboration and learning, by making you more aware of events and news in your industry – long after Webit itself is over.

3. Webit Conferences Are Always a Ton of Fun

To take one example, the previously mentioned conference in Istanbul had its main social night on an exclusive island in the Bosphorus. It was a great opportunity for everyone at the conference to take a small trip and enjoy each other’s company in a very unique location.

Of course, there’s plenty going on when the sun is still up. Whether Webit is being held in your home city, where you have a chance to show visitors around, or somewhere new, where it’s time for others to return the favor, making connections and having fun is always a part of the experience.

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Looking Forward to April’s Webit Event

So it’s not hard to see why we’re excited for the next Webit event this April 18-20th in Sofia. We’re proud to be a partner of Webit and are particularly excited to watch the event and organization behind it continue to grow.

Particularly as the speaker list for this upcoming conference includes some major figures (which we’ll be discussing in detail in our next blog post, so keep your eyes peeled for that.)

Are you attending this April’s event? What are you most looking forward to? Let us know and if you’re going we’ll see you there.