I’m more than a little mad right now. I flew in the night before, showed up early, and stayed all day waiting on deck to be needed. Not only was I never needed, no one said thank you. The worst part…i found out I was deliberately passed over for another speaker.
Take a look at these two images. Look at the dates. What do you think the logical conclusion of something like this would mean…As being told I was first alternate, you’d think they’d fill the spot with the first alternate. Right? Wrong.
I get to the event, and they don’t have a badge for me. No speaker swag bag (or even attendee bag…though I also had an attendee ticket). In the end I ended up getting a badge and pack. More than anything, it was an embarrassing experience. Poor speaker management indeed.
Honestly, the conference was nice. The speakers that did speak, spoke excellently. I met some fascinating people. If I weren’t screwed over so royally, I would have enjoyed attending. Unless I get an apology, I have no intention of attending HouSecCon (Houston Security Conference) again.
So lessons learned the last 24 hours.
- How to submit a CFP…properly.
- Only attend conferences as a speaker when they confirm you as a speaker.
- Learn to walk away.
On the bright side, I’m confirmed to speak at BSidesOK tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to that!