brightonSEO acquiring SearchLove, Hero Conf and PPC Hero from BrainLabs

Rough Agenda, the organisers of brightonSEO, the world’s largest specialist search marketing event, has acquired the renowned search advertising publisher PPC Hero, its associated conference series Hero Conf and the international search marketing events SearchLove from BrainLabs.

Rough Agenda will take over the event series and the PPC Hero website immediately. Hero Conf will take place in San Diego on November 19 & 20. We will share plans for the return of SearchLove soon and you can expect a lot more here on PPC Hero.

Kelvin Newman, Founder of brightonSEO

“Since brightonSEO started out as an informal event in the upstairs room of a pub, we’ve had a fairly simple mission: to help more people working in search marketing meet, learn and do their job a little better. 

“It’s been no secret that we’re huge fans of PPC Hero, Hero Conf, SearchLove and their previous owners Brainlabs. They share a similar passion for sharing knowledge and a genuine desire to grow the search marketing industry. They were put together with affection and care, and speaking at SearchLove London was a highlight of my career so far.

“With our hugely popular debut US brightonSEO event in San Diego under our belts it was a no-brainer to acquire two of the best US search marketing shows, SearchLove and HeroConf, and bring them into the Rough Agenda family.

“PPC Hero has been an essential part of the search and social advertising world for more than a decade. We can’t wait to start working with the excellent community of contributors.

“Dan and the team at Brainlabs have done an exceptional job and we’re keen to build upon the great reputation the events and blog have gained over the years, while adding a little bit of the brightonSEO special sauce.

“We’re excited to work with the HeroConf, PPC Hero and SearchLove communities who’ve made them such vibrant spaces. Once we’ve confirmed dates for the conferences we’ll be accepting speaker pitches – so keep an eye out for that. If you’ve got something to share we’re also interested in hearing your PPC Hero pitches via [email protected]”

Dan Gilbert CEO Brainlabs

“I’m thrilled that Hero Conf, SearchLove and PPC Hero have joined the Rough Agenda family. Brainlabs acquired these events when they bought Hanapin and Distilled, and value the importance of these products for the Search and SEO community. 

“However, we felt it important that they were owned by the community in which it sat, rather than a full-service digital agency like ours. In Rough Agenda we have found a home which provides exactly that. The scale and quality of Rough Agenda’s current events is legendary, and I know they are a perfect fit for Hero Conf and SearchLove.”