VidCon is an annual convention for

influencers A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

, fans, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. It was founded by veteran YouTube creators

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Hank Green William Henry Green II (born May 5, 1980) is an American YouTuber, science communicator, novelist, Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, and entrepreneur. He produces the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers with his older brother, author John Green, a ...

( Vlogbrothers), and was later acquired by Viacom (now

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

) in 2018 and later acquired by

Informa Informa plc is a British publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group based in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has offices in 30 countries and around 12,000 ...

in 2024. Its offices remain in

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five ...

, sharing a building with Complexly. VidCon's international presence continues to expand with additional events planned in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Mexico City, Australia, and São Paulo. In October 2020, VidCon Now relaunched as an ongoing, free digital offering.

History

The first VidCon was held on July 9–11, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles and sold out in advance, with over 1,400 people attending. In February 2018, Viacom (owner of the Viacom Media Networks and film studio

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

) announced that they were acquiring VidCon, as part of its efforts to expand its live events business and expand from TV programming to next-generation entertainment platforms. Jim Louderback will remain the CEO of the convention, and co-founder

will continue to be involved and work closely with the team. Its offices will also exist in

. Internet reception to this acquisition was mixed, with some noting the irony of Viacom acquiring VidCon a decade after their lawsuit against Google and YouTube for copyright infringement. Hank Green reassured fans that Viacom's acquisition would allow the convention to flourish. Three conferences were cancelled in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and a series of online programming, VidCon Now, became available for registration. In March 2021, VidCon announced that it would host its next U.S. conference at the

Anaheim Convention Center The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California, and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original co ...

from October 22–24, 2021, delayed from its usual summer scheduling in order to increase the chance that an in-person event could be held. VidCon also announced that

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

would be the top sponsor of the 2021 event, replacing

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

who had been the main sponsor since 2013. On August 20, however, VidCon announced the cancellation of its 2021 event "due to the recent increases in COVID-19 cases n Californiaand evolving health and safety mandates." The convention was rescheduled to June 22–25, 2022 in Anaheim. The 2023 event was held between June 21–24 and was sponsored by YouTube for the first time since 2019. In September 2024, Viacom's successor

Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...

sold VidCon to

Events

International conventions

References

External links

* * {{YouTube navbox 2010s YouTube events 2018 mergers and acquisitions 2020s YouTube events 2024 mergers and acquisitions American subsidiaries of foreign companies Annual events Computer-related introductions in 2010 Former Paramount Global subsidiaries Green brothers Informa Recurring events established in 2010 Virtual communities Web-related conferences