BrightonSEO April 2019: 12 Reasons Why Seeker Loves Attending

25 March 2019

Posted in: BSEO

It’s no secret that the hottest dates in the digital calendar are the spring and autumn editions of BrightonSEO. There’s no bigger search event in Europe (and possibly even the world, but hey, we’re biased :D)… If that’s not quite enough to get you excited about BrightonSEO, we’ve got 12 reasons to get you chomping at the bit – and a seagull is one…

It’s a testament to the search community

BrightonSEO is the brainchild of Kelvin Newman, founder of Rough Agenda, and came into being over a couple of pints with some likeminded friends.

Fast forward 10 years and BrightonSEO has grown from a free-to-attend pub meetup to one of the biggest events of its kind. Despite the rapid growth, the event is still free to those who are lucky enough to get a ticket and retains its great sense of community and spirit. And we just love to be around people who are as passionate about the industry as we are…

(Big kudos to Kelvin and his team for keeping the magic alive).

A near 50/50 balance of male & female speakers

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) is an industry known for its gender imbalance, with women accounting for only 21% of the total jobs in digital. While BrightonSEO doesn’t quite have a 50/50 ratio of male to female speakers it’s very close – in April 2019 there are 81 speakers, of which 37 (45%) are women.

With a 50/50 male-female ratio among our Directors, Seeker loves that BrightonSEO is helping to break down barriers in STEM by giving a platform to share their skills and expertise.

There are few better places for networking

If BrightonSEO was a festival it would be Glastonbury — with thousands attending each event to see the biggest headliners in search marketing take to the stage. Like Pilton Pop Party, one of the best things about BrightonSEO is bumping into randoms, having energetic chats, and leaving with a new friend’s number on your phone. Unlike Glastonbury, one of our favourite things about Brighton is that you might actually call/tweet/email that person and build a future relationship.

All the great exhibitors, tools, & software tie-ins you get

Like us, you have your preferred products, tools, and software – those that are essential to how your business operates. One of Seeker’s favourite things about BrightonSEO is finding new digital aids and hearing about the updates and releases to our favourite tools.

Some of the tools we use that you’ll spot at BrightonSEO include Pitchbox, SEMrush, and Screaming Frog. We’re excited to discover more great digital tools at our next BrightonSEO – let us know which ones you use already, and which ones you want to learn more about!

The happy memories

Seeker’s bi-yearly pilgrimages to BrightonSEO are the hottest dates in the Seeker calendar. We love to go all-out and take the whole agency down to the event. From silly snaps and bingo games to team nights you won’t want to forget, BrightonSEO is filled with sunny Seeker memories. Here’s to many more!

It’s an excellent opportunity for team-building

Talent, drive, and curiosity will raise your business up, but the thing that puts the wind beneath its wings and makes it soar is your team dynamic. Seeker uses BrightonSEO as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds between our team members – even if we do leave the city with a few sore heads!

There’s something for everyone

Our team is made up of SEO Executives, Digital Campaign Managers, Strategists, Copywriters, and Content Managers, each of whom has a different digital focus – your company might have even more roles. BrightonSEO has so many talks, on such a broad array of topics, that there’s something for everyone.

Some of our favourite talks have been from PR professionals, content marketers, CEOs, PR professionals, and, of course, digital celebrities – we’re talking about you, Rand Fishkin. We can’t wait to find out which talks will inspire us at the latest BSEO.

To put it quite simply, the neverending swag!

As the great Jay-Z said: “ninety-nine problems but a bitch ain’t one.” Well, at BrightonSEO, you may arrive with a few issues (for us it’s the tiredness that comes from a long journey there), but worrying about the swag won’t be one. Our favourite piece of swag? Elliot Taylor’s “ninety-nine problems but a pitch ain’t one” t-shirt.

Offers a platform for new voices in the industry

While we adore learning what digital Goliaths like Google have to say about the industry, in the past, some of the most enduring lessons we’ve learned have come from new voices in the field. Though BrightonSEO is the largest SEO conference in Europe, we applaud its commitment to giving a voice to anyone who has something interesting to say.

New to the speaker’s list in April 2019 is Seeker’s Head of SEO/Co-Founder/Managing Director, Gareth Simpson. Gareth’s talk is titled LMFAO: Leveraging Machines for Awesome Outreach, and he’ll discuss how machine learning can help your business become more efficient.

Getting validation that you are doing things right

Even if you’re a digital veteran, the pace of the industry means that what worked best for you in the morning may no longer be the ideal way of operating in the afternoon. Getting exposure to the latest methods, and predictions on future tactics not only helps you develop your future strategies, but it also gives you validation that you’re already doing plenty right.

The creative slides (*cough* Greg Gifford)

Learning is a huge part of what makes SEO by the sea so great, but each time we attend we’re reminded that digital is full of wonderful creatives – seeing the array of kooky slides on display is one of the best examples of this, and one of the most special reasons to visit the search conference at Brighton.

In September 2018, we loved seeing the Donald Trump metaphors and creative memes and GIFs (including Crimean War one), but one talk’s slides stood out above the rest. No prizes for guessing that it came from the consistently brilliant Greg Gifford, whose movie-themed slides are always a highlight.

The sun, sea, and seagulls of Brighton

Liberal, connected, cool, and the home of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, ‘London-on-Sea’ is just a great place to be – something that’s aided by our bi-annual pilgrimage to The Lanes. But that’s not all we love about Brighton: it’s a leader in inclusivity and sustainable practices (a lot like our home city, Bristol) and offers sun, sea, and seagulls.

“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea,” and when Seeker Digital follows the rest of the digital industry in heading to BrightonSEO it’s because we think we’ll catch memories and lessons to last a lifetime. We’ve given you 10 reasons why we love attending BSEO but, honestly, we could have happily listed 99.

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