The big Content Marketing World 2015 convention recently wrapped up in Cleveland, Ohio. At the 5th annual conference, keynotes and workshops helped build a sense of community among content marketers.
Now, it may sound strange, but once we thought about it, we realized Content Marketing World actually has a lot in common with this summer’s blockbuster Jurassic World… and not just because both featured a lot of product placement. Hear us out on this one:
1. Bigger than its predecessors
The first CMWorld Conference in 2011 had 660 guests. In 2013, the conference drew a crowd of 1,750 people. This year, attendance reached over 3,500 guests, the highest turnout yet. The Content Marketing Institute, the organization that runs CWWorld also increased in size by 264 percent in the last three years. Similarly, Jurassic World grossed higher than all the previous Jurassic Park movies. As of August 2015, Jurassic World is the third highest grossing film of all time, grossing $1.607 billion.
2. A lot of work and money went into the production
Creating a summer blockbuster like Jurassic World involved an outlandish $150,000,000 budget. But the production costs of CMWorld are nothing to sneeze at either; the event needed five production companies, over 30 HD projectors, more than 100 channels of micprohones, and hundreds of hours of labor from crew members.
3. Made use of an unknown area
The Jurassic World set was built in the parking lot of an abandoned Six Flags in New Orleans. Now, it’s not fair to say Cleveland is abandoned, but it’s certainly not the hippest city. CMWorld aims to help boost Cleveland’s image amongst industry influencers. It also draws new crowds to Cleveland, bringing guests from over 50 countries. Since it’s the largest in-person content marketing event in the world, Content Marketing World helps add an estimated $3.6 million to the Cleveland economy.
Sunny Cleveland is a great place to explore. Also, dinosaur-free.
4. Chris Pratt was there
OK, so Chris Pratt wasn’t really at Content Marketing World. But it would have been cool if he was! Instead, CMWorld boasted 235 speakers including Scott McCafferty from WTWH; Jon Stahl from LeanDog; Paul Roetzer from PR 20/20; Craig Coffey Lincoln Electric, and many other local experts.
5. Gave people something to talk about
Using the hashtag #CMWorld and the twitter handle @CMIContent, attendees sent over 2,600 tweets (with 50 million impressions!) and over 70 Instagram pictures (with 2,6000 impressions!). This summer, it was impossible to be on the internet without seeing Jurassic World posts, particularly the meme where zookeeper’s recreated Chris Pratt’s raptor-rangling pose.
6. Callbacks to the original
At the conference, there is a “CMWorld Walk of Fame” containing the names of the 53 people who have attended all five Content Marketing World conferences. Jurassic World also pays homage to the franchise’s original cast members; for example, in the park there is a statue of John Hammond, founder of Jurassic Park in the original movie.
7. Related books
Content Market World came from the mind of Content Marketing Institute founder and CEO Joe Pulizzi. Pulizzi has written four books on content marketing and created the first documentary on content marketing, called “The Story of Content: Rise of the New Marketing.” The dinosaur theme park in Jurassic World was inspired by the popular Michael Crichton books.
Content marketing is evolving.
8. Going to keep growing
After the movie’s success, Jurassic World 2 was announced for 2018. Next year’s Content Marketing World conference is scheduled for Sept 6-9 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Content Marketing World may not have had any intense dinosaur battles, but it still demonstrates an exciting possibility for the future of content marketing. And unlike genetically modified dinosaurs, content marketing has proven to be a lucrative field that’s not going extinct anytime soon. Ready to start building your own world of content marketing? Your first order with Media Shower is free! Click here to get started.