A glimpse into the inner workings of CopyCon with key organiser Leif Kendall

In today’s digital world, in-person networking opportunities can feel like a rare and exotic breed of professional development. And yet they’re so important – more than ever, you might argue. Because, despite all the time-saving solutions the digital world offers, there’s one thing cyberspace can’t replicate. That is, the experience of being in a room full of actual people, where a spontaneous drink can be grabbed, or a two-way conversation can become a six-way one in the blink of an eye.

11 years ago, Leif Kendall, a key figure behind ProCopywriters, knew that nothing could rival the experience of a real-world meet-up. Thus far, ProCopywriters had only existed online – a digital space created with the core intention of bringing copywriters together. Realising that to be truly brought together there needed to be an in-person element, too, Leif and his team set about organising the first ever CopyCon. Fast forward to today, and the annual copywriting conference is thriving.  

Below, we chat to Leif about what exactly goes into organising a conference on such a scale. He shares some really interesting insights with us – which we’re sure will be useful to any budding event creators thinking of organising their own professional conference. Let’s get stuck in 💡.

✅Key takeaways

🏢When organising a conference, it’s important not to overlook the importance of getting your venue right. Leif talks about how it's crucial to source a venue that, among other things, fits your budget, and has great transport links – especially if you have international delegates attending.

🎟️Using a ticketing platform that ensures your money goes straight to you – rather than being held in limbo – helps you feel a lot more in control of your finances. Leif talks about how this was one of the main factors that drew CopyCon to Ticket Tailor, as well as the simplicity of our platform 🙌.

🐦Running a long ticket sales period with early bird discounts is an effective way to reward invested attendees who buy tickets early, while helping to cover the cost of your event.

Tip: Discover how to set up unlimited ticket types with Ticket Tailor >

So, what’s CopyCon all about?

CopyCon is a day dedicated to words that work. Our attendees are all commercial writers who want to mingle with peers and gather a few new ideas for writing copy that wins business. 

How did your conference first come about?

The first Copywriting Conference was in 2013. That was way back when our organisation (ProCopywriters) was called The Professional Copywriters’ Network. The conference was a natural extension of the group. ProCopywriters was always intended to bring copywriters together, and it was obvious that doing this online wasn’t enough – we needed a real-world meetup. 

Since then, the evolution of CopyCon has been very steady and gradual. We’re always trying to outdo ourselves, and for us that means amplifying what makes the event valuable for our attendees. We focus on giving people a space to learn, network and get inspired. 

One major deviation for us was the Covid years. We went online in 2020 and 2021. That was a bittersweet experience because we were able to continue the conference but it didn’t offer the same level of personal connection – despite our best efforts to overcome the limitations of cyberspace!

CopyCon is packed with interesting talks and valuable content. What goes into organising such a rich and diverse conference?

Wow – so there’s a lot! 

The conference is really about finding great speakers who offer a broad range of perspectives and insights, and then bringing them to a great venue and providing a smooth experience on the day. 

Venue selection is really important for us. We have to consider loads of factors like affordability, location, and travel links, as we get a good number of international delegates. 

We have the support of a great team of event managers who make sure that everything runs smoothly on the day, including registering everyone, ushering people around the venue and helping our speakers get ready for their moment on stage. 

We also record our conference and offer a separate on-demand video package – so that’s another thing to manage. 

In the run-up to the conference we get plenty of queries about the day and booking options. Many of our corporate attendees prefer to pay by invoice, so we have some admin to do there. 

And of course marketing the conference is a big challenge – although we have a wonderfully supportive community of marketing copywriters, many of whom come to CopyCon every year. 

On top of all of this, CopyCon is CPD-certified, which means that our event and training days are certified as a valid part of your continuing professional development. So we have to send our content to the CPD body to get it verified. And then after the event concludes we liaise with the awarding body to issue CPD certificates to participants. 

There’s also post-event work to do to create our online video page and gather feedback. As soon as one CopyCon is finished, we begin planning the next. 

Sounds intense – but worth it! How do you go about curating the speakers for your events?

We have a speaker application form, which is how we source most of our speakers – but we do also also go looking for individuals who can speak on specific topics that we want to cover. This might be something topical, or it might just be to cover a gap in our schedule. And sometimes we go looking for speakers that offer something unexpected – or a bit of weird. 

What are the most challenging aspects of organising CopyCon? And which aspects are most rewarding?

Marketing is definitely the most challenging aspect. We operate on slim margins, and don’t get many sponsors, so we can’t pump cash into ads. 

The most rewarding part of the event has to be the day itself. As a copywriter, it’s a rare chance to mingle with other commercial writers, talk shop, and feel part of a vibrant community. Everyone is super friendly and open minded and it’s always a relief to see people smiling, learning and getting inspired about their career. 

Sounds awesome! Now we’d love to know – why did you choose Ticket Tailor as your ticketing partner? 

We used Eventbrite for years but found they were very expensive, and that they would hold on to the revenue from our ticket sales for various reasons. Which meant we didn’t feel in control of our income. We really wanted a simpler approach to selling tickets; something we could use with our own website, and that offers complete flexibility over how we sell tickets – including using Stripe as our payment processor. 

When I found Ticket Tailor I really liked the simple approach to selling tickets, as well as the simple fee structure. Our 2024 CopyCon will be our third year of using Ticket Tailor and we’ve got no plans to go anywhere else. 

That’s great to hear. Have you found any features particularly useful?

Being able to offer multiple payment systems is great for us. And being able to use Stripe means our ticket sales income lands in the same place as our primary income. That really simplifies our bookkeeping processes. 

Can you tell us a bit about your ticketing strategy and why this works for your events? 

We have a long ticket sales period – at least six months from the date we begin selling tickets to the start of the conference – so one thing we do is offer discounts to early bookers. This rewards people who book early, while helping us cover the up-front costs of the conference. 

How do you go about marketing CopyCon?

Primarily through the ProCopywriters community, on LinkedIn and via email. 

Finally, what does the future hold for CopyCon? 

I think more of the same. We’ll continue to focus on finding the best speakers, lining up the best venues, and trying to give our attendees the best possible experience. That’s all that matters. 

Thank you for chatting with us, Leif! Best of luck with this year’s conference.

🖊️ Grab your 2024 CopyCon tickets here >

🎟️Looking for a ticketing partner that puts simplicity, low costs, and amazing customer service at the fore? Learn about ticketing your future conferences with Ticket Tailor >