Last week Hello Innovation attended the biggest online video conference in the world. What did you miss?

Here at Hello Innovation, we are constantly nerding-out about the latest and greatest in online video, whether it's the most recent awesome aerial video we filmed with our Hello Aerial drone team, or even a hilarious viral video that we are sharing with each other around the office. (We can never get enough of those fail videos!) However, while browsing YouTube for hours on end over the past couple of years, there is one thing that we have noticed for sure... this new way of sharing moments and stories through online video is disrupting the content marketing world in a BIG way — and we love it!

We're not the only ones who have taken notice of this new visual way of sharing content. VidCon, an online video conference held in Anaheim, California, held it's 5th annual conference this past week and played host to around 20,000 of the most passionate video creators and fans in the world. People came from all over—from Australia, to Detroit, to England—just to learn about what's in store for the future of online video, and how they can get in on those trendy "viral video" sensations.

We were lucky enough to attend this popular event and (even luckier for you) we brought our camera along the way. Come along with us on our trip:

DTW —> LAX

VidCon takes place in Anaheim, California. This year, the event was moved to its biggest location yet at the Anaheim Convention Center, where it took up three floors, featured 17 rooms of Q & As and panels (along with 2 performance stages), had over 100 famous YouTubers as special guests of the conference, and was the conference's biggest event EVER with around 20,000 attendees.

HELLO VIDCON

The conference kicked off on Thursday, June 26th with a special keynote by Hank Green, founder of VidCon and one half of the infamous VlogBrothers YouTube channel (alongside his brother, John Green, who is the New York Times best selling author of The Fault In Our Stars). Hank talked about why online video is so revolutionary, alongside other innovators in the industry such as George Strompolos (CEO and founder of FullScreen), Burnie Burns (CEO of Rooster Teeth), Jim Louderback (GM Discovery Digital Networks), Jeffery Katzenberg (CEO of Dreamworks Animation), and more.

(From top left to bottom right: Jonathan Weilbaecher, VP of Optimization and Content Strategy at The Collective Digital Studio, and Bailey Rosser, Audience Development Strategist at YouTube | John and Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers | Burnie Burns, CEO of Rooster Teeth | Fleur of Fleur DeForce and Arden Rose of ARose186)

SCHOOLED YOU

VidCon isn't just all about staying up to date on the latest viral cat video. The industry track was packed full of informative and educational panels that featured video experts talking about the best practices for uploading video to YouTube, how to monetize your content, how to get viewers to click on your videos, and even where they think the future of online video lies.

(From left to right: Michael Aranda; Charlie McDonnell, Charlieissocoollike; Rilee Chastain, Content Marketing Manager for Hello Innovation; Liam Dryden, Littleradge.)

YOUR #1 FAN

In addition to VidCon being a great place to learn how to become better at creating and promoting your online videos, it is also a chance for fans of YouTube creators to meet the people that they watch and admire week after week. In fact, some fans were so excited to meet their favorite YouTubers that they waited up to 7 hours in line just for a chance at an autograph or a selfie!! (Hello Innovation's Content Marketing Manager and resident YouTube enthusiast was no exception—see above.)

IRL (IN REAL LIFE) FRIENDS

Above everything else, VidCon is primarily a chance for both fans and creators of online video to come out from behind their camera lenses and computer screens and meet each other (often times for the first time) face-to-face. Many well known YouTube creators have millions and millions of subscribers on their YouTube channels, but it isn't until there is a long line of fans in front of them asking for photos, or a room full of people waiting to ask them questions at a Q & A, that they are truly able to visualize that number correctly. For fans, YouTube is a great place to watch and be inspired by creators, yet there is still the close-knit experiences like VidCon that allow you to interact with your idols and role models in a way that television and movies have never allowed. No wonder this form of online content is becoming so popular!

If you would like to learn more about VidCon and what is in store for online video in the future, be sure to stay tuned to the Hello Innovation blog and keep an eye out for our next VidCon recap coming later this month. Until then, what do you think the future of YouTube and online video looks like? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Header Image Credit: Vidcon.com