Five practical tips for surviving and thriving at security conferences
Security conferences are highlights of the year for many in the cybersecurity community, and RSA 2024 will be no different. From vendors to journalists, analysts, and security pros, RSA is the premier venue to strut your stuff and see the latest developments in the industry.
While many spend months planning and coordinating every hour of the week-long event, it often becomes an overwhelming and hectic scene, with the hustle and bustle of large crowds seemingly steering you in multiple directions. Here, at specialist cybersecurity PR agency Code Red, we urge you to take this time to reflect on your plans, align your goals and set realistic expectations for yourself.
Today, I’m sharing five practical tips for getting the most out of your cybersecurity conference experience.
Plan your meeting spots in advance
Coordinate your meetings with calendar invites, which include a marked location and contact information. Whether it be a booth, a coffee shop or the lobby of your hotel, providing in-depth and detailed information on your meetings will be sure to save you time.
Don’t forget to take a break
Schedule planned breaks in-between meetings, whenever possible. Top industry leaders are all around at security conferences, so you will surely want to spend some time just taking in your surroundings and exploring. To ensure that this is possible, schedule time in your calendar where you will be unavailable for meetings.
Be prepared
Prepare yourself each day with essential items, aka a ‘go-bag’, with things like deodorant, extra socks, sunglasses, hand sanitizer, water and snacks. In order to get the most out of a security conference, you need to be well-supplied so you don’t have to make multiple trips back to your hotel room if you get a hole in your sock.
Take names
Make lasting connections by getting the details of every person you talk to. Bring a notebook or a small pouch that you can write down contact info or collect business cards. For this, you can use an app like HiHello to create a digital business card thats link to your LinkedIn. This way, conversations at security conferences turn into useful connections that may aid your career progression later on.
Take the scenic route
Don’t forget to see the sights. San Francisco is a beautiful, historic city that offers incredible views and critically-acclaimed food. For those traveling from away, why not arrive a day early or stay a day or two after the event? This allows you to spend time exploring all that San Francisco has to offer.
If questions arise regarding RSA 2024 or any other security conferences, contact your PR agency for help coordinating. If you’d like to know how a specialist cybersecurity PR agency could help you, please get in touch.
