Events

Leading expert SEO talks and more about our VarnFest woodland business festivals

We are proud to be respected in the SEO industry and are often asked to share our leading knowledge and experience at search industry conferences and events, such as brightonSEO. 

Our VarnFest events

It’s important to us that we can support our clients and wider community with helpful and inspiring business events.

Each year we host our own non-profit, woodland business festivals – VarnFest and VarnFest Future Leaders. Our events connect and inspire and are a delight for us to host in our woodland office each year.

 

Discover our VarnFest events
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Varn Tom Vaughton at brightonSEO
VarnFest Future Leaders
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Tom Vaughton of Varn Expert in AI search

Varn sharing leading search insights at brightonSEO

With over 5,000 attendees, digital marketeers flock to Brighton twice a year, for the world’s second largest search marketing conference, which has the aim of helping search and digital marketers meet, learn, and do their jobs better. Our CEO Tom Vaughton is a regular speaker at brightonSEO and after 25 years of working in search and digital marketing, Tom is frequently asked to share his ideas and thoughts on how search, Google, website visibility and SEO is evolving and impacting brands and businesses.

Tom recently was on the main stage at brightonSEO in April 2025, with his talk ‘‘The only 4 SEO strategies you’ll EVER need’.  In October 2025, Tom delivered an insightful talk on the main stage on the future of SEO in the AI era titled “How ‘Awesome’ will define SEO in the New Era of AI-Powered Search.” Tom shared a thought-provoking reflection on the evolution of search and the impact AI is having on SEO strategies today.

Read our highlights from brightonSEO

Watch Tom's talk from brightonSEO 2024 “How ‘Awesome’ will define SEO in the new era of AI-powered search.”

In this talk, Tom explored how AI-powered tools like natural language processing, voice search and image recognition are reshaping how search engines understand and rank content. Tom highlighted the need to embrace innovation, focus on exceptional user-focused content and avoid shortcuts, echoing Google’s John Mueller explanation that 'awesomeness' is the secret to search rankings. Tom’s key message was clear: to succeed in the AI search, marketers must prioritise personalisation, relevance and long-term value while staying adaptable and committed to delivering real SEO impact.

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Varn Tom Vaughton at brightonSEO
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Tom Vaughton of Varn Expert in AI search

Event

VarnFest Future Leaders

A one of a kind personal development & training day, designed for people who have between 0-5 years in the workplace, hosted at the unique & innovative Varn Woodland Office. Helpful, honest and candid talks, curated to inspire people just beginning their careers.

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Learn more about VarnFest Future Leaders
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Event

VarnFest

A woodland business festival where business leaders share honest accounts of their leadership journey and personal challenges. VarnFest is for you if you’re a business owner, director, entrepreneur or founder and you’re keen to listen and learn what may have gone right and wrong for others in leadership roles.

11

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06

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25

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Learn more about VarnFest
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Dan Collins VarnFest talk 2023
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