#FinCon18 is just ten weeks away. I hope you are getting excited like me! As the event starts to take shape, I decided it was time to share what was new for the 2018 version of the annual event. Pay attention, old-timers and newbies, alike.
We’re in our 8th year as a conference. Our mission as a company is to help financial influencers and brands create better content, reach their audience, and make more money.
Our event aims to meet this mission through high-level keynotes, breakout sessions, Big Idea talks, FinTech Competition, roundtables, Freelancer Marketplace, parties, Pro Networking, community-led events, One-On-One Mentoring, live podcasting and video booths, FinCon Central (expo hall), community service project, and much more.
Even with all that we already offer, we never stop adding something new! These eight new initiatives are aimed at helping to further achieve that mission:
1. New Location
This year we’ll be having the 2018 event in Orlando, FL. More specifically, all conference sessions will be held at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort hotel. It’s a great hotel and really the nicest hotel we’ve ever used to house the conference.
We move the conference location each year. This isn’t easy from a planning perspective but it’s been rewarding as new people across the U.S. get to experience the event in their region, and our community gets to experience a fresh city to explore outside of the hotel.
2. Early Start
Our opening keynote and opening party will be Wednesday 5 PM and 7 PM, respectively, this year as opposed to Thursday. This allows us to expand the agenda for the event and ensure adequate time is devoted to FinCon Central and the overall networking experience. See the full schedule here.
Plan to arrive Wednesday early (or even the night before) to ensure you get to experience all of the major aspects of the event. We’ll also be kicking off our annual Community Service project around noon on Wednesday.
3. Fresh Faces
This year’s event will feature several new speakers and a new emcee. Youtube star Rachel Cruze will kick off the event with the opening keynote. Author and podcaster Chris Hogan will be our closing keynote speaker.
Other notable fresh faces to look forward to in the breakout sessions: Roberto Blake (Youtube), Kate Ahl (Pinterest), Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa (podcasting) to name a few. See all the speakers listed here.
Joe Saul-Sehy did fantastic work as the emcee for the past three FinCons, but he’s turning over the duties to new emcee, Bethany Bayless (co-host of The Money Millhouse podcast).
4. New Education Tracks
We have one new content track entirely designed by you, the attendee – our “People’s Choice” track includes sessions chosen from an attendee survey. We’ve also split the Podcast/Video track into two separate tracks, providing more room for podcasting and Youtube/video content.
Lastly, we’ve created two Solution Center tracks running concurrently during FinCon Central (our expo hall) to ensure we have plenty of room to take in sessions. See the entire 2018 schedule (by track) here.
5. FinCon Central
We have rebranded our expo hall to FinCon Central to more accurately describe the experience we’re trying to create. FinCon Central is where all the action takes place during the main part of the conference. We know our attendees want time to connect with other influencers and brands, create content, do business, share ideas, learn, have fun, and connect over a meal or drinks.
FinCon Central brings all of this together under one roof and runs from 1pm Thursday to 5pm Friday. Download the FinCon Central Map.
6. New Presenting Sponsor
#FinCon18 (including the keynote address by Jean Chatzky) is presented by AARP! Be sure to follow them on Twitter and connect with them on-site at their booth.
7. Pre-Pay for Meals
The conference hotel has a few restaurants onsite, but it’s quite a hike from FinCon Central (our expo hall) and meeting rooms. To save time and energy, and to help you set your food budget, we’ve created add-on food packages (includes breakfast, lunch, coffee, and snacks on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday).
You can purchase food add-ons when you buy your pass. If you’ve already purchased your pass and want to activate the add-on visit this link.
8. New Facebook Groups
If you’re a long-time FinConners then you know about our incredible Facebook Group community. Over the past year, we’ve thrown our support behind two new groups: FinCon Podcast Network and FinCon Youtoobers. If you have a podcast or Youtube channel (or want to start one soon), be sure to tap into these great resources and connect with fellow attendees before the event. Look for more ways to connect with fellow attendees as the event gets closer.
Take Action:
Whether it’s your first time or eighth time to attend FinCon, it’s important to understand all of the opportunities involved with the event so you can plan your strategy for attending. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more: tips for first-timers, how to make money from the event, how to connect with other attendees, etc. Stay tuned.
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