With just a few days to go before NamesCon 2016 opens its doors, we want to give a friendly reminder to all sponsors and attendees about some of our conference ground rules, to ensure that everyone gets the best out of their NamesCon experience.
Have you heard of the terms “Suitcasing” and “Outboarding”? While they may sound like a new travel show or extreme sport, these are actually serious conference faux pas that we hope everyone will avoid.
For those not in the know, Suitcasing is when a company registers as an attendee instead of a sponsor and then proceeds to hand out flyers, distribute printed material, etc other than business cards – vying for sponsor presence without actually paying to be a sponsor. Suitcasing thus steals revenue from the conference organizer, diminishes the value of official sponsors, and is deceitful and confusing for attendees.
Outboarding is when a company that should or could have sponsored an event chooses instead to host their own competing event, without the consent of the original event organizer. This costs event organizers revenue from the potential sponsor, steals attention away from the official event and the official sponsors associated with it. Outboarders often use the official event branding in association with their competing event, confusing attendees and deceiving them into thinking that they are supporting the official event, when in reality they are not.
Please note that Monday evening has specifically been set aside as “Open Night.” As there are no official conference agenda items, feel free to book your open invitation events on Monday evening. We already know that Uniregistry and PIR have parties planned!
All instances of either Suitcasing and/or Outboarding without prior consent at NamesCon will result in name badges being rescinded to protect our official sponsors and officially organized schedule of events.
Lastly, we’d like to remind everyone that non-religious face masks are not allowed in the venue for the duration of the conference, with the exception of official event performers. Hoverboards are also not permitted on site. Please review our Sponsorship and Attendee Terms and Conditions.
If you are unsure if one of your planned events interferes or conflicts with a scheduled NamesCon event, please contact us for clarification. Thank you to all of our sponsors and attendees for your understanding and cooperation!
