I came from a world of print publications, fact-checked stories, and the notion of keeping yourself out of the story. (Just the facts, ma'am.) So I marvel at the emergence of the creator industry with many mixed emotions, two of them being puzzlement and optimism. Puzzlement because I can’t always wrap my head around why a particular creator goes viral (no sense of creator-smell?), and optimism because talented content creators have discovered a new form of communications that’s building an entire industry. 

Creators are very much top of mind this week as end-of-year reports highlight this robust and growing sector of the economy. The Hollywood Gazette published its YouTube report, a compendium of facts and figures that paints a picture of a thriving economy, both for content creators and for ad revenues. 

A few things stood out from the report:

• YouTube is still neck and neck with TikTok for the most desirable place to be a creator, despite the distractions about TikTok’s Chinese parent company having to divest itself of ownership or be shuttered in the US. 
• The US does not own the creator economy industry. India, Korea and particularly Russia have YouTube creators in top positions.
• The newest generation of tots gets their entertainment and information on these platforms. Like Nastya, Cocomelon, Miss Rachel, and Vlad and Niki are just a few examples of the next generation’s Sesame Street.
• On average YouTube pays out more to its creators than other social networks. According to the Hollywood Gazette report it paid out more than $4 billion to creators in 2023.

TikTok edges out YouTube as a favorite place to create in the graph but we all know how fluid the creator world can be. Image credit: Hollywood Gazette.

The signs of a maturing industry are everywhere. The use of talent agents and creator attorneys is becoming standard practice. Advertising spends are quickly shifting from celebrities and TV to creator/influencers and social media platforms. Sometimes the marriage of ads and platforms are quite unexpected… like the ad campaign for CeraVe where gamers talk about the cure for acne.

Roblox isn’t always put into the mix when it comes to measuring the creator economy, but it should be. The momentum of the Roblox creator scene is fierce. According to its economic and social impact, Roblox paid out $741 million to its community of creators in 2023, adding $345 million to the U.S. GDP and delivering at least $650 to more than 7,500 of the 5.5 million U.S. creators who monetize on the platform.

Alfred Poor shares his thoughts on virtual tradeshows. Even though onsite events have returned, virtual events continue to play an important role in the events and conferences landscape. Video meetings, webinars, and even conferences are pretty straightforward, but some planners hesitate when it comes to holding a trade show or product launch online.

Exhibitors often pay a significant portion of an event’s revenues, so it’s good to think about how you can design a virtual event that shines a light on exhibitors. Product launches (watch Apple’s launch later this month) are increasingly being held online to reach a worldwide audience, and virtual trade show floors that showcase a number of products offer a way for an attendee to see what’s new in their field.

So how do you choose a platform for your event?

The first question is how you want your audience to experience the look and feel of the exhibit area. ON24 uses an interface that lets you build out a virtual trade show floor by allowing exhibitors to supply assets that can contain everything from live or chatbots to talk to, videos and information about a company’s products. New AI-powered tools help personalize the experience so the attendee is directed based on their preferences. 

Metaverse platforms such as Virbela offer a 3D world that participants can navigate as an avatar while they interact with exhibitors and other participants. At the Virtual Event Group, you can visit our online showroom where our members can create 24/7 exhibit areas that help drive sales. 

Here are some things to consider when building a virtual trade show floor. 

• Can your exhibitors design their own booths, or are they limited to pre-defined templates?
• Can you customize the environment (ideally without programming), or do you have to rely on the event’s platform provider to set it up for you?
• Can exhibitors use their own branding, including logos and color schemes?
• Is there a limit to the number or type of files that a participant can collect at a booth? (You want video, audio and image files all supported, and 3D models have become very important.)
• Can participants schedule a follow-up meeting with an exhibitor’s representative?
• Can an exhibitor play an “attracting” video at their booth, and if so, what are the format and length limitations?
• How can participants interact with exhibitors? Are they limited to text or audio, or can they have a video chat? If using video, is it integrated in the platform, or do you have to use another service?
• Does the platform offer robust analytics on participant activity for each exhibitor, so that you can show the return on investment?
• What are the fees for the platform: per participant, per show, annual subscription, or some other model?

Be sure to consider what are the “must haves” and the “nice to haves” for your trade show. Don’t assume that all platforms will be able to meet your essential needs. And if you’re combining your exhibitors with some stage programming make sure the exhibitors have a place in the program and don’t feel ghetto-ized. As the organizer, your job is to make participants feel that the trade-show floor is a “must-see”. To find out more about these and other platforms that can make your online events better, be sure to explore the VEG online database of platforms.

X-Ban 
This week X is being banned in Brazil. It’s the culmination of a running feud between the country’s court system and Elon Musk over the spread of misinformation on certain accounts. Brazil has a huge number of online users. Let’s see what happens.

The DNC Creators: Was it Worth It?
It was with great fanfare that the Democratic National Committee invited 200 creators to stir up the youth vote by using YouTube and TikTok. But did it have the desired results? In this NPR report, some creators admitted that they’d lost followers because of being a part of the DNC. Others said they didn’t necessarily blog about politics but instead reported on the cool factor of being a part of the convention floor. What do you think of creators covering the DNC? Do videos like this from a popular 26-year-old creator help bring out the vote? Are traditional journalists feeling a bit resentful? Should they? As for Chicago as a destination, meeting planners can take a page from the DNC.