“Peers is a business conference for creative and technical professionals. Build skills you can use all year, then spend time working on your business, free from the distractions of your office.”

That’s what the 2019 Peers Conference website stated.

Correct? Technically, yes. But also perhaps a bit too vague.

Peers is difficult to accurately describe in just a sentence or two. Truth is, I’m having a tough time trying to find the words for this blog post. Not because Peers is so out there or anything. It’s because a lot of what I feel after Peers is over is raw emotion. I don’t mean that to sound like it’s all Kumbaya all the time. It’s really not.

What I mean is that the way Peers is put together is very intentional and what you end up with is a really good mix of professionals in the creative tech industry that have some very real, very informational things to share - on-stage and off.

Most conferences in this industry focus on tools or one specific aspect of the industry. Peers has been different in that it focuses on the people – those of us who work and breathe in this industry day in and day out. It’s always about sharing ways to improve ourselves and each other as it relates to our agencies, colleagues, and clients.

The topics at Peers stop being topics and really become stories. Stories of failures, of successes, of everything in between. Lessons to be learned from those who have wildly different experiences or eerily similar experiences. Actual tips and methods to try in your own every day work to get even just a little bit better at running your creative business. Advice on what could potentially work or backfire.

I’m not sure where else I can get in a room filled with solopreneurs (like myself), folks from small agencies like Prime, and leaders from behemoths like Viget. That in and of itself is pretty awesome. But to be able to talk to them on personal and professional levels makes it that much cooler.

At the end of the day, Peers is about people. People running creative businesses. Creative people working together and helping others. People sharing ideas and stories... with actionable advice and things to try. Getting to know some of my colleagues and heroes in my industry is something that you can't put a price on and always tops my list when I reflect back on Peers.

So... start making room in your budget for Peers 2020. It'll be worth it, I promise.