At the end of April, my colleague, Katherine Oliveri, and I attended the RSA Conference in San Francisco for the first time. We joined nearly 30 members of our #HWCyberSquad on-site and spent the week supporting client activations, attending media events, and networking with leaders across the cybersecurity industry. We left feeling energized and grateful for the chance to attend such a critical industry conference.
With 22 clients at the show and our full team activated, the #HWCyberSquad had a presence in every corner of the conference — coordinating event panels, staffing 25+ onsite briefings, attending events, and more.
It was incredibly rewarding to see an in-person panel come together after weeks of remote planning. The weeks leading up to the conference were spent locking in a location, coordinating panelists, finalizing timely topics, and ultimately seeing our hard work pay off in coverage. Other event highlights from our team’s time on site include attending valuable events coordinated by media publications such as Bloomberg and the WSJ.
Being on-site at RSA offered networking opportunities that simply can’t be replicated virtually. From scheduled coffee chats to impromptu floor run-ins, we connected with a number of reporters from outlets including POLITICO, TechStrong, CRN, and others.
These conversations were a natural way to continue growing our media relationships while gaining valuable insight into the topics and subject matter experts reporters are prioritizing and, in some cases, booking spur-of-the-moment briefings for our clients.
While it’s easy to focus completely on client activations or scheduled opportunities, connecting with journalists face-to-face was a powerful way to make the media more familiar with who we are, the clients we support, and the expertise we can offer.
While our primary focus at RSA was supporting clients, one of the most meaningful parts of the week was connecting with our own team. Catching up in person with Highwire mentors and team members, some for the first time, gave us valuable time to build relationships and connect personally beyond client work.
Mentorship proved especially helpful as we staffed our first in-person media briefings. Our colleagues offered guidance beforehand and debriefed with us afterward, turning each interaction into a learning experience. Beyond Highwire connections, the conference was a great opportunity to network with professionals across the cybersecurity industry and hear from new leaders.
As young professionals who entered our careers during a largely virtual era, attending RSAC 2025 set the bar high for future in-person events. It reinforced the importance of live interactions to deepen relationships with colleagues, clients, and media while fueling personal and professional growth.
As we look ahead to major industry events in the coming months like Black Hat, DEFCON, and Aspen Cyber Summit, Highwire is committed to providing junior team members with meaningful experiences that fuel professional growth and strengthen industry impact.
For those interested in cybersecurity communications in an environment that lifts you up and career development is prioritized, look no further than Highwire.