🔦 Spotlight FOMO Got Me Thinking... Are Conferences Worth It?

Hi friends 👋

My entire LinkedIn feed these last couple of days is all about the Spotlight conference by Semrush.

Speaker clips, stage shots, afterparty selfies.

And I have to admit it, I’ve been feeling a conference FOMO.

Soo, let’s talk about it.

Last year, after working in isolation for years, I decided to start attending conferences. I thought it would be a great opportunity to network in my space and travel at the same time.

I’ve never been an extrovert, but I surprisingly loved the buzz on those events. I got exceptional experiences and met amazing people I’m still actively connected to on LinkedIn today.

And whenever I talk about conferences, I get asked the same thing:

“Are they actually worth attending? Or can I get the same insights on YouTube, LinkedIn, or blogs?”

My short answer is YES, IT’S ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT.

Here’s my honest take:

What You Actually Get From Attending a Conference

So what makes flying out, spending money, and being “on” for 1-3 days actually valuable?

Here’s what stood out to me after attending 3 events last year:

✅ Visibility

Conferences help you cut through the noise.

Whether you’re growing a startup or building your personal brand, showing up in person puts a face to the name.

People are more likely to remember you. And next time they need your service, product, or expertise, guess who pops into their mind?

(Yep. The person they had that great chat with over lunch.)

✅ Serendipitous conversations

You meet people you never would have bumped into otherwise. Everyone at these events is here for growth. They’ve got goals, big ideas, and momentum.

Which means a random coffee break can turn into something real:

→ A new collaboration

→ An intro to someone game-changing

→ Or just a conversation that fires you up for days

These moments don’t happen in your inbox. They happen in the room.

✅ Energy + momentum

You walk away buzzing with ideas, notes, voice memos. It pulls you out of your bubble and reminds you how big this world is.

✅ Easy content fuel

Keynotes, panels, 1:1 chats, and random insights become weeks of content. 

(Hot tip: film content at the event. Even just clips. It works.)

✅ Big-picture thinking

Sometimes you’re too deep in the day-to-day.

Events give you a huge boost of inspiration and a chance to rethink direction. Maybe even a chance to refine your goals.

When It’s Worth It

Truth is, conferences aren’t always worth it.

They take time, energy, money, and social capacity.

But here’s when they are:

• You’re building your personal brand or network

• You’re exploring a pivot and want to “feel out” the space

• You create content and want access to a firehose of inspiration

• You want to connect with collaborators, clients, or potential hires

How to Make the Most of It

Based on my experience:

• Go in with the strong desire to network with people. Be proactive. Approach people first and be open if someone approaches you. You never know who you’ll meet on those events.

• Download the Popl app on your phone. It’s a free digital business card that makes sharing your contact info lightning fast. (Fun fact: I’m not affiliated, but at all three conferences I went to last year, I somehow became that person convincing everyone to download it. Honestly, someone nominate me for a Popl sponsorship for next year 😄)

• Film or write content while you’re there (even shots that seem meaningless, you’ll repurpose later).

• Follow up with people you meet on the event. Send a quick message to new LinkedIn connections with a real memory from your convo. And keep in touch after the event.

What’s Your Take?

Have you attended any conferences this year?

Planning to next year?

Avoiding them on purpose?

Hit reply, I’d love to know what you think.

Coming Next:

If attending conferences sounds interesting, here’s my short list of recommended ones for 2026:

(Best if you’re a startup or interested in content, SEO, or networking in general)

• Web Summit - Doha, Qatar - February 1-4, 2026

• Friends of Search - Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 12, 2026

• Web Summit - Vancouver, Canada - May 11-14, 2026

• Tech BBQ - Copenhagen, Denmark - August 26-27, 2026

• Spotlight by Semrush - Amsterdam, Netherlands - End of October, 2026

• International Search Summit - Barcelona, Spain - November 13, 2026

• Web Summit - Lisbon, Portugal - November 2026

I’m trying to pick mine for next year too, so I’ll let you know if I find more before then. Let me know if you’ve got recs for me too.

See you next Friday,

Kate 🌟