Dan Guido

You value things more if they’re not free. We don’t charge anyone to ensure accessibility of the event, but this works the same. You’re joining a high-value event with vetted attendees. Not a cheap, anonymous one. It also primes attendees that active participation is encouraged.

The attendee was creeping on groups of women, then cornered them to facetiously “pitch an app.” They were reported by attendees and ejected 30 minutes after the event began. Why did this work? We maintain a healthy ratio of organizers to attendees.

@trailofbits employees attend @EmpireHacking in large numbers and are given instructions to meet new people. If you’re new, then someone will talk with you (it’s welcoming). If you have feedback, you know where to give it. A 1:15 organizer:attendee ratio is typical.

We’re responsive to attendees and conduct outreach. We seek out topics and speakers among our attendee’s networks. Every meetup reiterates that speaking slots are available. Listening to your attendees increases their commitment to your event too. https://www.instagram.com/p/BIaUEJ5Alij/ 

It’s not enough to only conduct outreach for speakers. We need to reduce their risk, too. We do this 3 ways: 1st, we have a stake in their success by offering private dry-runs with @trailofbits employees. 2nd, we limit talks to 20 minutes. 3rd, Chatham House Rule.

The importance of dry-runs cannot be understated. Many young, first-time, or minority speakers lack a network that can help refine a talk. Dry-runs can help an existing talk fit our audience or build an offbeat speaker’s confidence. You know @trailofbits respects your talk.