Conferences like CultureCon bring together creatives, industry professionals and people looking for their next opportunity. Big names help draw a crowd, but what are people hoping to leave with? Career advice, inspiration, connections, or just the chance to be around culture?

I saw someone describe CultureCon online as “Instagram in real life,” and some of the posts honestly reminded me of an HBCU homecoming. The outfits, familiar faces and excitement around being together seemed like a big part of the experience. And I can see how that could be enough. For someone working in culture or strategy, being there to see what’s hot and what people are responding to could be valuable on its own.

I haven’t attended CultureCon, so I can’t speak to the full experience. But I did attend a Revolt conference when I was 22 and had just graduated from undergrad. It felt inspirational and a little like a big homecoming. Back then, being around successful people and seeing what was possible felt like enough.

Now that I’m older and clearer about what I want out of the industry, I think I’d need more. I’d still appreciate the atmosphere, but I’d want to leave with something I could actually apply to my work.

That’s why the mixed reactions to celebrity speakers caught my attention. In the responses I saw to Lori Harvey’s Create & Cultivate appearance, some people questioned whether she knew enough about the topic she was discussing. One industry professional called it “a slap in the face” to the work they do.

To me, that raises a question about how speakers are chosen. Having a successful brand gives you experience worth sharing, but I also want to understand the work behind it. What decisions did you make? What resources did you have? And what can someone without your platform learn from your experience?

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I think having someone like Lori speak alongside a member of her team could make the conversation stronger. She could share her perspective, while a manager or strategist explained how they brought the vision to life. You’d still have the name people came to see, with more detail about how the work gets done.

I’d also love to see a clearer culture trends component at events like these. If part of the value is seeing what’s hot, help people connect those observations to what’s changing and why it matters.

Ultimately, I think the value depends on where you are in your career and what you’re coming for. Inspiration and proximity were enough for me at 22. Today, I’d want those things to come with more substance.

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