Last year, I returned to in-person FinCon events after being absent for a few years. Soon after that event in Atlanta wrapped, I had purchased my badge for the 2025 conference in Portland, Oregon. When I did so, I realized pretty quickly that this was to be a big one. Not only was it the 15th anniversary of the expo but it was also to be held at a convention center (versus the hotel ballrooms I was used to). Plus, for me, it meant a trip all the way to the West Coast.
So, did my 2025 FinCon adventure live up to the hype? Let’s dive into what was new (or new to me), what was the same, and what I took away from the event.
Recapping My FinCon 2025 Experience
The AI Elephant
Last year, there were a few FinCon sessions that at least made passing mention of artificial intelligence (AI). Cut to 2025, though, and there were not only multiple sessions dedicated to the technology but also several others that referenced it in the summary or brought it up offhand. In fact, I’m not sure I attended a single session that didn’t at least discuss it to some degree.
Of course, as someone who’s been late to and at least somewhat skeptical of AI, this was mostly positive for me. One big takeaway I got from several sessions was that to get the most from AI you really need to train it on your own work so that it can get a better sense of your voice and what you want. That might sound scary to some (especially those who already fear that such models will eventually replace us as human writers), but those who spoke about it did so positively, noting the multiple hours of time savings.
So was my opinion of AI changed from this conference? I suppose I’m more willing to give it a try with the guidance I’ve gained. I’ll also note that I appreciated the nuance with which AI was discussed during the conference (after all, the technology takes many forms). Therefore, although I might not be “all in” on AI, it’s clearly something I’ll need to pay more attention to.
Short Form in All Forms?
During each Community Session (the main stage events that took place each day), top creators were asked about something they were doing three to five years ago that no longer works for them. A common response involved “evergreen” tentpole pieces, which had largely seen their traffic obliterated thanks to various Google changes. Instead, it seems there’s a new emphasis on short-form content and video.
The good news is that I’m already in the video space, having a YouTube channel for some time now. But, when it comes to short-form video, my experience is a bit more checkered. While I have made a decent number of shorts (mostly as part of a 30-day challenge), I never felt that I really got the hang of them. Yet, I returned home from FinCon with a renewed sense of ambition when it comes to Shorts and have a plan that I think will at least allow me to give it a solid shot.
Going back to the death of evergreen, though, it seems that it’s not just short-form video that’s a top priority but short-form content period. This has me wondering if more granular write-ups may be something to consider going forward. Alas, everything can change at basically any time — but, for now, these are the content updates I think may be worth making.
1:1 Brand Meetings
In the past, I’ve talked about how much I enjoy FinCon Central, which allows me to discover and connect with different brands. While that remained true this year, I also got to try something new (to me, at least).
This time around, I got to try a 1:1 brand meeting. These 15-minute meetings take place in a dedicated hall at an assigned table.
Mine came from a representative at CD Valet. After getting her message in the app, I was able to accept the meeting and add it to my calendar. Then, when the time came, I just showed my confirmation to the fine folks at the door and headed in.
I thought that this model worked really well. The only downside, of course, is that 15 minutes isn’t very long! Nevertheless, we were able to get through the important parts of our conversation — and we could always follow up in the app or elsewhere.
Given my experience this time around, this is definitely something I’ll be keeping an eye out for in the future!
The App
Speaking of this year’s app, everything was powered by Brella. After signing up, I was able to create a profile that highlighted why I was at FinCon and what I was looking to get out of it. As mentioned, this is also where I could message other attendees and set meetings. Also helpful is that, when I met someone in person, I could have them scan my QR code to connect in the app as well.
This app was also where I’d regularly browse the session schedule to see what I wanted to do next and where I needed to go. I could also bookmark sessions to add them to My Schedule and get reminders of upcoming events.
I will say that a lot of these features were similar to what I’ve seen in past iterations of the FinCon app. Still, I thought that this version worked well too. Admittedly, I also used the app to quickly look up someone I thought I recognized, but wasn’t 100% sure it was them. It turns out it was indeed Colin from Blackjack Apprentice — a channel that teaches people how to count cards! While I’m not nearly brave enough to actually try this, I do love his channel nonetheless.
The only problem I had is that, for the first few hours, I kept wanting to search for FinCon… which isn’t the name of the app! Eventually, though, my fingers remembered to type “Br” and I was able to pull up the Brella app without issue.
My Introvert Lunch
As I’ve shared plenty of times before, I am a diehard introvert. So, when I saw that there was a scheduled off-campus lunch for newbies and introverts, I figured I should force myself to join. What I wasn’t counting on was for dozens and dozens of people to also join!
Funny enough, a new friend I met while waiting for said lunch and I decided to ditch the crowd and walk to the intended destination (versus taking the street car). This strategy worked well for a few reasons. First, I got some exercise and had a nice one-on-one convo along the way. Second, we managed to beat the crowd and place our food orders before the flood of people. And third, we still got to experience the Light Rail as we caught a ride back to the convention center after the fact.
All in all, while it might not have gone as I expected, I was still happy with the results of my introvert lunch meet-up.
Transit Pass
One of the reasons we were able to use the Light Rail was that we were provided with transit passes! Apparently, you could even take the Red Line train up to PDX. I was excited to do just that… until I remembered that my flight was at 5:30 a.m. C’est la vie.
Even if I didn’t get to use my pass as much as I would like, I still loved that this was included. As I’ve stated in previous FinCon recaps, I’ve really enjoyed exploring the host cities during past events. Therefore, I hope that the emphasis on such behavior continues with future events.
By the way, I did get to check out a bit of Portland for myself as my brother-in-law drove up from Salem to hang out for a bit on Thursday night. That’s similar to how I was able to get around Atlanta last year thanks to a friend who lived there. I guess, in the words of Andor, I have friends everywhere.
Once again, my visit to FinCon not only provided me with a great time but also got me thinking about how I can improve at what I do. Like with past events, 2025 saw me meeting new people, discovering new tools, and learning new things — which I believe is the whole point! So, with four FinCons under my belt already, I’m already looking forward to number five in Palm Springs next year.