No, I'm not Going to RSA
Every year about this time my email inbox and LinkedIn messaging box are inundated with unsolicited requests from product salespeople, “Hey, just checking to see if you are going to be at RSA this year. Let’s connect”. Now that we are a month out from RSA 2024 it’s begun again in earnest.
I’ve attended RSA in the past, and what I’ve found each time was mostly 40,000 people milling around the Moscone Center in San Francisco and the surrounding South of Market area for four days. For the nearly $2700 bucks (Just for a ticket to RSA 2024, not including the inflated food, hotel, airfare, and Uber/Lyft costs as well) I just don’t see the value in the experience anymore (I’m not sure I ever did). The lines to the speaker sessions are hundreds of attendees long winding down the hallways, and often by the time they start letting people into the next session and you get to the door the room is either already at fire marshal capacity, or if you are lucky, they let you stand in the back for the whole session. When you did get to listen to a talk, the sessions weren’t generally very informative, or were borderline sales pitches.
For those new to the field like Insun12345 looking to see what all the excitement is about and to get a foot in the door, I agree maybe there is some value there in meeting people, checking out some sessions, attending the expo to gain familiarity with the products and vendors out there, or as Kiran Vangaveti posts, you can also fill up your suitcase with swag if you want (In years past when I would attend RSA and other conferences our middle school-aged son was at the time the beneficiary of all the nerf, playdough and other toys emblazoned with security company logos that I’d bring home for him so at least he got some value out of it).
I’m no introvert, so yes, I believe that conferences like this offer networking opportunities, and networking is important, but these generally only provide maximum value to all parties when a deal is already on the line or I’m nearing a purchase decision between 2 or more products and need to meet the players in person to better gauge aspects of the deal not directly related to the product itself (post-implementation support, personalities of key stakeholders etc.). I’m never going to a conference just to have a bunch of meetings with vendors I don’t already have a previous relationship with. That is what Webex/Zoom/Teams are for without all the hassles.
Of all the comments I’ve seen online I think Fernando Montenegro probably has the best handle on why one would or wouldn’t attend RSA, and if they did attend what value they would get out of it. He talks about the three skillset/experience levels ranging from beginner to mid-career, to experienced and how each should approach the conference. I’m in that last bucket, and for me the conferences dedicated to a single vendor where I already have a relationship or am looking to use their product are where I prefer to invest my time and travel dollars.
Look, I’m not bagging on the conference itself as it serves a purpose, and your milage will vary at RSA depending upon what you put into it and expect out of it. It’s big enough to offer something for everyone that’s for sure. I guess I just wish like John Woods' post on LinkedIn that there could be some sort of LinkedIn banner, much like the green “Looking for Work” that says, “I’m not going to RSA” so that for the next month I’m not having to take time out to send an inordinate amount of communications to my blocked / junk folders.