Travels, Talks & Connections

Industry events and networking

One of the key requirements for a career in art is keeping up with the latest tools and innovations popping up in your niche. This has given me the opportunity to travel and attend conferences and events related to art and 3D in general.

I recommend anyone in 3D (or really in any line of work you are passionate about) to make it a goal to attend a related event, not just to learn new things, but most importantly, to meet people who share your passions.

With such a wide variety of industry events to choose from, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a select few so far. I wanted to share my key takeaways and highlights, while hopefully introducing a few new events to your radar:

• Blender Conference (Amsterdam): I’d recommend BCON to anyone, even if you don't use Blender! The variety of talks and diverse attendees from gaming, automotive, medical, and design industries offer endless opportunities to learn. It’s an exceptionally well-organized event that consistently delivers top-tier content and connects the community in fresh ways every year.
  
  

• World Visualization Festival (Poland): Focused entirely on visualization, this is a fantastic event for catching up on industry trends and future directions, especially within the architectural and product visualization space.

  With the rise of AI-driven workflows, WVF centers many of its keynotes and sessions around AI implementation and workflow optimization. If you work directly in ArchViz or product rendering, I definitely recommend attending annually. For generalists or those in adjacent fields, attending every other year is a great pace to stay current without feeling repetitive.
  
  

• Atlas Festival (Portugal): A one day event in Lisbon at the intersection of art and tech, uniting diverse industries including gaming, animation, VFX, and both 2D and 3D art. It’s an exciting day offering rare access to industry-leading professionals and international teams. You’re bound to find sessions that pique your interest while expanding your network with peers in your field.

  It’s definitely an event to add to your annual calendar, especially if you’re based in or near Portugal. It delivers an accessible, comprehensive experience in a single day, giving you the chance to meet the faces behind many of the prominent projects you see across the web.

Blender Conference 2025

Last year I was lucky enough to attend the Blender Conference in Amsterdam, and it was without a doubt one of the best experiences I've had so far. The amount of knowledge I got to absorb and the fellow artists I was able to meet was astonishing.

The Blender Conference is not only incredibly well organized in its choice of talks and speakers, but all the details from the catering to the layout of each smaller event, made the whole experience nourishing and welcoming.

I was able to meet Ton Roosendaal, Andrew Price, Jess Wiseman, and many more incredible people who have inspired and motivated me to pursue this career. These people give so much to the community, and it was really amazing to get the chance to thank them for their work.

From meeting other artists in the field to learning new workflows, Blender Con is incredibly valuable to anyone interested not just in Blender, but in 3D in general. Or even if you just want to meet people who genuinely love what they do, this is the place to be.

World Visualization Festival 2025

Working directly within the architecture industry prompted me to find out more about the architectural visualization pipeline in bigger studios and how AI development was impacting the overall work being produced.

When I found out about the WVF in Poland, I had to book a ticket and attend what was a great conference to meet fellow archviz artists and studios that were producing some of the best work I had taken as a reference up to that point.

With WVF being about visualization in general, it was also an opportunity to be inspired by some great product animations and showcase renders that made me reconnect with the area I first started in within 3D.

It was such a valuable event for meeting new friends and discussing the state of the industry, and for learning how people navigate these changing times with full enthusiasm and a genuine will to share knowledge. That’s what keeps the 3D community so connected.