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I'm back from PodFest 2026 in Orlando and this is now my favorite podcasting conference. I'm going to share with you some of the highlights from it. Thank you for joining me for the Audacity to Podcast. I'm Daniel J. Lewis. Podfest Multimedia Expo, or as we commonly call it, just simply podfest, is a really family oriented kind of podcasting event. I don't mean family like bring your kids, although some people do. But I mean, we are a family there at podfest, and it has a really special dynamic because of this. And many people will remember the early days of podcasting conferences like PodCamps and such, where everything really felt like we were a family getting together, hanging out, talking about our favorite hobbies of podcasting. And that's what PodFest feels like. I love PodFest. I've attended several. They just finished their 12th year. I wish I could have gone to every single podfest in the past and that just wasn't possible for me. But I do hope to attend every PodFest in the future. And in fact, if you can make it to PodFest 2027, I highly recommend you do. And I'm hoping to have a booth there for podgagement, pod chapters, and maybe some other product that I might launch by then. I'd love for you to come say hi if I have a booth, come see my presentation if I'm speaking there. But now I want to share some specific highlights from PodFest 2026. And if you want to learn more about PodFest, go to podfestexpo.com that's P O-F-E-S-T expo.com podfestexpo.com There might be an affiliate link that I might have at some point in the future at something like the audacitytopodcast.com podfest, but for now I don't have any affiliate relationship. Maybe someday in the future I will, but I recommend it nonetheless. So here we go. Number one, community is still priority. This is what I think makes podfest stand out from so many other podcasting conferences, especially the big ones. That is, while there's podcast movement, which has really turned a lot more commercial, it feels you see a lot more suits at podcast movement, and that's not a bad thing for podcast movement. I think for us indie content creators, that is kind of a deterrent a little bit because we might feel like this space isn't quite for us. Although even at podcast movement there's lots of energy and lots of networking going on. But you're Also very likely to meet someone who's some top executive managing ad sales for a large podcast network in New York City or Los angeles. Whereas at PodFest, you ask someone what their podcast is, and they'll probably be more likely to tell you two of their podcasts that they have about the things they're passionate about. And podfest is really good at fostering this community. In fact, they have this thing where they talk about where Pod Family or podfam, and they celebrate that. They make that part of it, to really emphasize that all of us together are family. And they do this through several ways, through the event, with the way that they arrange the networking, the keynotes, and many of the other things. In fact, on the last day after the conference is over, their last session. And they call it a gratitude ceremony, where they invite anyone from the audience to come up and share something they're thankful for or someone they're thankful for. Really, it should be about the people. And so anyone who wants to can get up and for 30 seconds say someone they're thankful for or opportunities they're thankful for. And it's always so encouraging because you hear some amazing, albeit short, stories. People sometimes start choking up from tears because of how grateful they are for others in the POD family. And it's a beautiful event. Also, PodFest is the kind of place where they celebrate those we've lost, like Lee Silverstein, Neil Gallarte and Todd Cochran, friends in the podcasting family, friends of mine. And they were honored and celebrated at podfest. And I think that's part of what makes it feel so much like a family that we realize we've lost someone from our family. So we mourn together, and we also celebrate together the life that they lived and the contributions that they made. So community is definitely a top priority at PodFest, even if you don't go to the parties or go to all the sessions or the keynotes or anything like that. There are lots of people in the hallways in the expo hall talking, networking. The community is definitely a priority, and they have made it very clear they want that to remain a priority at PodFest going forward. And it has been in all of the podfests in the past. And I think that's what sets it apart from many of the other really big podcast conferences. At small podcast conferences or social media events, you might still get that community feel. But I'm talking about the size that podfest is. That's up there with podcast movement and Pod Show London and others like that. At this size, they still maintain the Community feel, and. And I love that. Number two, the Podcast hall of Fame is a highlight. It's now at podfest, that's its home. It is an additional ticket, but I highly recommend you go. And this latest Podcast hall of Fame ceremony was done very well. It ran very smoothly. If you've seen the past couple of years, you know that is something that a lot of us have been asking for. And the stories that came out from this hall of Fame were wonderful. I won't get to name all of the inductees, but we heard stories from James Kridland, from the woman who saved podcasting. We heard stories about Dan Miller, who was inducted, and he was introduced by Dave Ramsey. And Dave Ramsey's message was really great. And even Dan Miller's wife got to say some things too. And it was all very beautiful celebrating Todd Cochran and the contributions he made to podcasting over the years. So the Podcast hall of Fame, if you can go, if you're at PodFest, definitely make it to the Podcast hall of Fame. It is a definite highlight because you get to meet some legends in podcasting and hear really cool stories, too, things you might not have ever expected because many of us have such interesting stories to share of how we got into podcasting. And here I am saying this, and I was inducted a couple of years ago, and I still haven't shared my speech with you. Shame on me. I will share that speech with you very soon. Sometimes, to be honest, I sometimes just struggle with thinking, oh, I don't want to make this all about me. But even in my speech, I went on and on with a big list of names of people that I was thankful for. And it was neat to see other people, too, thanking people that had helped them get to their place or had inspired them in some way. So go to podcasthall.com to watch the full Podcast hall of fame ceremony from 2026, and you can view past ceremonies as well. And if you're listening to this far into the future, you'll be able to view the current hall of Fame as well. Number three, at podfest, there was lots of quality teaching from people that you wouldn't normally expect to hear lessons from. And what's really neat about this is that highlights the individual expertise and experience of many members of the community. You might think of legends in this space like Rob Walsh, the late Todd Cochran, Elsie Escobar, Jessica Kupferman, Mark Asquith, Dave Jackson, Paul Colligan, Ray Ortega, a lot of these men and women who have been so influential in this space. And I am so honored to be among them. To get to hear them teach and speak is exciting as it is. But also to There were plenty of people that you don't normally think of as being speakers at a podcasting event who presented fantastic sessions. I looked over the list of sessions and it was hard to just pick one. So what I like to do is I bounce from session to session. Also, while I talk to a lot of people in the hallways, I'll go in and listen for a few minutes, hear some great value from them. And as I'm leaving, I give them a double thumbs up to let them know you're doing a great job. And afterward, I also let them know, too, that I had to move around a little bit. I couldn't stay in there for the whole time. But you were doing a great job. Loved the content that you shared. And there was so much really good content from people who you wouldn't normally expect to be speaking at a podcasting conference. But they have their skills, they have their talents and abilities and experience. And what's great is they have a great ability to communicate like some of these people. I just thought, wow, they're a really good public speaker. I know they're good podcasters. I didn't expect them to do that well in front of an audience. And that was really exciting to see, too. And that's all part of this community feel. And I think that some of us were kind of cheering on other people. And I got to present about podcasting 2.0, and it was very well received as well. And some people were getting really excited about that, the potential in podcasting 2.0. And I really enjoy getting people excited about podcasting 2.0, so you'll see more teaching from me that. But PodFest is definitely a home of great quality teaching, and it's a lot of stuff that appeals to the independent creators like you and me. Yes, there's stuff about AI and video and business and monetization. Yeah, of course. But there's also stuff about community, growing your podcast, overcoming struggles, and much more on personal levels. So you have to really look thoroughly at the schedule to see what sessions are available whenever you go to these kinds of things. And sometimes you might see that there are two great sessions or more than that at a single time. Definitely get the virtual pass if you can, so you can listen to the sessions later. Or if you're there at the event, you could go from one to the other. Just I like my little trick. I don't know if I'M the first person to do this. Probably not, but giving the double thumbs up as I'm leaving, try to make eye contact or make sure that the person sees as I'm giving a double thumbs up so they know I'm liking this. I just gotta go. But this is good stuff. Keep it up. So cheering on the community like that, with all of the quality teaching that there has been, number four, this one's a negative. And I think many independent podcasters especially feel this. The location is still expensive. We were at the renaissance at SeaWorld, right across the street from SeaWorld, and that's not a very affordable hotel. It is a resort. It has resort fees like many of these places have. It's very expensive every night. The food there is very expensive, and it's not very close to other options. At some past podfests, we've been right across the street from a shopping strip of some sort where there were plenty of restaurants where people could go for much more affordable meals if they wanted to, or even walk to a local grocery store. And that's not quite so possible at this location because it was on a resort that right there, it's a really big property, and I understand that they need to be somewhere where there's the space, and there are certain ideas and preconceptions of what they think they might be supporting by being in a big space like that. I don't think all of those are necessarily true, but here's my recommendation. If you go to one of these, be involved in the community beforehand and look for a roommate, because that makes it so much more affordable. If you can split the cost of your room with someone else. Or sometimes there are options to stay off site, and then you can either get an Uber or Lyft or rent a car or something like that to be able to go back and forth. But then you've got the parking expenses because it's a resort and all that stuff. So, yeah, it's expensive to go to these kinds of things. Some people can swing that and afford it. I can understand if you can't. It is still an unfortunate thing. But this also gives opportunity for, I think, smaller regional podcasting events. And I keep thinking about hosting something in my area in the coming years because I've done a conference before and it went really well and I enjoyed it. I might do it again in the future. So definitely, if you have a podcasting event near you, a smaller one, go there, learn the community, meet the other people in your area, because that might be a lot more affordable for you than going to something like PodFest. And number five, PodFest had fantastic networking. I love talking to people in the hallways. I heard one person call it the lobby con because it's the conference happening in the lobbies, in the hallways. That's where the relationships are formed. That's where you discover amazing talent and these really creative ideas of things that people have for their shows that they are currently hosting or that they want to host. And I love asking people, what's your podcast about? Oh, why'd you do a podcast about that? Or sometimes they tell me I want to start a podcast about this. And then I ask them some questions like, so what's holding you back? And just let them answer. And sometimes I find ways to inspire them, to point them to certain relationships, to connect them with other people. Maybe there's an opportunity for me to promote some of my own stuff, my own podcast, on my own products like podgagement or Pod Chapters, which certainly I did lots of that too. I had little cards that talk about podgagement and Pod Chapters, and I would show those to some people, give them out, they have QR codes and things on them, and I'd talk about the features. And for a few people, I even pulled out my laptop and demonstrated some of these features to them. And that's a lot of fun. I also even had some theological conversations with a few people. And that was a lot of fun too, because at places like podfest, we are a community, we are a family. And it feels like a family reunion, getting back together again, lots of hugs, lots of stories, lots of late nights talking over a table, and all kinds of great hanging out, great networking, great friendship building and relationship building, not just from the business perspective. So I was a little hesitant to call it networking, but that's basically what it is. We're networking, but for different reasons. Sometimes for personal reasons, sometimes professional reasons. But it doesn't all have to be about the business stuff. I've seen co host relationships start from events like this. I've seen cross guesting opportunities like, oh man, you would be a great guest for my podcast. You know what? You would be a great guest for my podcast too. And that kind of thing. That's what's so fun about these events, meeting these people. And I know it can be a challenge for the introverts where they don't get energized, being around, around so many people. And that's where sometimes it takes an extrovert to say, hey, come over here, join our little circle of conversation. We want to hear about you. I'm an ambivert, so I'm both introvert and extrovert. When I'm feeling lazy, I fall over to the introvert side. But I get energized being around people. I also get energized being by myself. So it's not like after a conference I have to then decompress and re energize. After that, I'm still energized from it and I can maintain energy without being around a lot of people. So that's why I'm an ambivert. And I'm right in the middle and I can go kind of back and forth. But whenever I see those people, sometimes I notice someone sitting off or standing off by themselves and I'll try to flip over to my extrovert side and go retard them. There was even a person who I went up to them, I said, you look like you're all alone. I want to meet you. And we had a great conversation discovering things about their podcast and and what they're doing. That's the kind of great networking that can happen at podfest. And many of these podcasting events have opportunities like that too. I just really like podfest now. I was having so much fun, though, that I completely forgot to do what I said I was going to do, and that was take my recorder and record some people. Answering my question of what are some unexpected upgrades that you've made in your podcasting production and workflow practices that's really helped you with your podcasting? I didn't record a single one because the networking was so great. It was so nice to talk to people, to connect with them, to see them, to get the hugs and give hugs and meet new people. I completely forgot about what I wanted to record there one of my purposes. So I didn't record anything for that. So there's great opportunity for you if you'd like to send your feedback. To answer that question, what's an unexpected upgrade you discovered that really helped you in podcasting? Don't think about your microphone, your mixer, your audio editing software, nothing that we typically call a podcasting tool. Something outside of that. I did a whole episode about some of my unexpected upgrades that I recommend in the previous episode. Number 416. Go check that out if you haven't heard it already. But I want to hear from you. What are some of your unexpected upgrades? I'd also like to hear from you the answers to the three questions that I've been asking for a few episodes now. And those three questions are what would you like more of from me and the Audacity to podcast? What would you like less of from me and the Audacity to podcast? And what else is on your mind that you'd like to share with me that is related to the Audacity to podcast or podcasting? I would love to hear from you your answer to those three questions and or your answer to the question of what are some unexpected podcasting upgrades that you've discovered. Share Those over at podcastfeedback.com Audacity you can write a message there or you can record a message through that. That's podcastfeedback.com audacity or if you want to record on your own with your own software and send that recording to me, you can do that by sending that to feedbackheudacitytopodcast.com now that I've given you some of the guts and taught you some of the tools, it's time for you to go start and grow your own podcast for passion and profit and make it to a PodFest someday. I'm Daniel J. Lewis from the audacitytopodcast.com check out my products to help you podcast better@podgagement.com and podchapters.com and thanks for listening.