Selling Access Not Ideas: How the Conference Industry is Changing its Focus

The conference industry spent decades trying to sell big ideas and inspiring talks, but ultimately learned that what people actually pay for is access. Today, event organizers are restructuring by organizing exclusive gatherings that invite people in and create a closed room, rather than addressing thousands of people on massive stages. Eric Newcomer was one of the pioneering figures in this shift. Newcomer, who organized the first Cerebral Valley AI Summit in 2023, claims that the event proved the power of access. Entrepreneurs and billionaires come together not only to share information but also to lay the foundations for billion-dollar deals.

On the other hand, we saw with the Hopin example how fragile business models based entirely on digital events can be. Hopin, founded by Johnny Boufarhat, was launched in 2019 to move conferences online. During the pandemic, it became Europe's fastest-growing startup and reached a valuation of 7.75 billion USD in August of 2021. However, with the end of the pandemic, companies' desire to return to physical meetings marked the beginning of the end for Hopin. The company's events division was sold for approximately 50 million USD in 2023, and the remaining part went bankrupt in 2024.

Along with the lessons drawn from Hopin's failure, the concept of 'access' became even more prominent in the industry. A network called Hampton, founded by Sam Parr and Joe Speiser, brings company founders together to physically meet and gather in small groups. Hampton succeeded by offering network membership at a very high price and conducting a very strict income check for entry. Chief, a network for women leaders founded by Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan, adopted a similar model and reached a billion-dollar valuation in 2022. However, it soon embarked on a restructuring process by reducing its headcount.

The biggest names in technology now prefer to be found in smaller, private rooms rather than at massive festivals. At the summits organized by Newcomer, giants like CEO of Anthropic Dario Amodei or founder of Scale AI Alexandr Wang address an exclusive audience of a few hundred people. This approach is very different from events like Web Summit, which attracts tens of thousands of people. Event organizers have now begun to understand the value of relationships built in the corridors rather than backstage. Organizations like SaaStr offer matchmaking services like 'Meet a VC', bringing investors and entrepreneurs together by appointment.

This shift is not only business-focused; it also highlights the importance of social networks and physical contact. Women business leaders have started to prefer weekly morning running clubs instead of attending afternoon cocktail parties. Running clubs held every week allow participants to build trust and forge organic bonds. With this trend reflecting on the corporate world, established organizations like TED are also changing their formats. Long-time leader of TED Chris Anderson handing the organization over to new management is a significant example of the change trend in the industry.

In the future, what determines the success of the conference industry will not just be what big names say on stage, but the quality of the relationships participants build with each other. The culture of access shows its impact not only in the business world but also in a wide range of areas from non-governmental organizations to cultural events. With Sal Khan taking over TED, the organization is expected to further integrate with education and hold more selective gatherings. While big ideas have always been important, bringing together the people who realize them, collaborate, and invest has now become the main selling point of conferences.