The largest convention for social media creators and their fans, VidCon, has switched back to YouTube as the official title sponsor from TikTok.
In advance of the official announcement, the event’s organizers told NBC News that it would be held again at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from June 21 to 24.
Veteran YouTubers John and Hank Green founded VidCon in 2013, and from that year until now, YouTube has been the event’s primary partner. This event, which has been held annually in Southern California since 2010, has become one of the most tangible real-life manifestations of how the internet has created a new breed of celebrity by drawing tens of thousands of fans to hear from and meet their favorite creators. There would be times when screaming fans would rush the doors of the convention center to be the first inside.
The YouTube presence at the convention served as a reminder of YouTube’s once-dominant grip on video-first online creators.
There appeared to be a shift in the internet culture space when, for the first time, the convention chose TikTok as the official partner last year. Charli D’Amelio and Khaby Lame are just two of the many featured creators who found early success on TikTok rather than YouTube.
When asked for comment, a TikTok representative did not immediately respond.
YouTube is one of the largest players in the digital ecosystem, and as such has always played a significant role at VidCon, according to Colin Hickey, senior vice president of operations for the event.
We’re so glad they’re on board again as a title sponsor because that means we can continue to focus on our goal of giving digital culture and its creators the spotlight they deserve. We’re excited to see how all three of their tracks illustrate the development of the creator ecosystem.
YouTube is “delighted to return as the sponsor,” said YouTube’s vice president of marketing in a statement released by the company, Kate Stanford.
Stanford said in the statement, “What makes our platform stand out is the unique relationship and trust between YouTube creators, their fans, and the digital industry.”
The Green brothers, Benjamin De Almeida (BENOFTHEWEEK), Brent Rivera, the Merrell Twins, Kat Blaque, TheOdd1sOut, and others have all been named as expected attendees of VidCon this year.
They join the likes of Anthony Padilla, Alyson Stoner, Claudipia, DangMattSmith, Drew Afualo, GeorgeNotFound, Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld (The Try Guys), among others, on the roster of confirmed creators.
Organizers reported that 50,000 people attended the 2022 event in person over the course of its four days of programming, with another 650,000 watching online from 150 different countries.
