Last Updated: November 22nd, 2022
Hello! Thank you for taking interest in me talking at your event. I'm passionate about all things security and I thoroughly enjoy what I do. I'm always excited for another opportunity to share my knowledge and viewpoints with others. With that, there are some foundational requirements that must be met prior to accepting an offer to speak at your event, submitting a CFP, or participating in any kind of event promotion.
Your event must have an explicitly-defined, enforced Code of Conduct linked publicly on your event's website, preferably as a top-level menu item. It should include a clear, readable description of what behavior is and is not acceptable, as well as at least one way for someone to report a violation. A paragraph of legalese buried in the Terms of Use is not sufficient to meet this requirement. If you're looking for inspiration, the BSides Vegas Code of Conduct is a great place to start.
No part of the cost of speaking at your event should lie with the speaker. My employer will likely cover airfare and hotel for an event, plus a day on either side of the event dates, if the conference theme or attendee demographic is one that aligns with their goals. If your event does not fit, you must cover a hotel near the conference venue, airfare (ideally Delta, as I am a member), and transportation between the airport and the hotel. Regardless of whether or not my employer covers the cost of my appearance at your event, you must provide me with a full pass for the event.
If your event is a significant time zone change from me (US Central), I do ask that my arrival flight be booked to arrive a day or two before my speaking slot.
This policy applies to all speakers at an event.
Since speaking at events like yours is a large part of my job, I do not generally require a speaking fee or an honorarium. This is especially true for non-profits, community events, or events where the cost of attending is heavily reduced.
For large-scale, corporate event where the organizing company stands to make a profit, or private internal corporate events: in both of these cases, my fee is negotiable based on the size of the event and whether or not I am a keynote speaker.
I also have negotiable options for a donation to be made to a charity of my choosing instead of a speaking fee. The donation must be made and confirmed prior to booking travel, and please note that it does not include the costs to travel.
If I am being paid, all other speakers should be paid as well.
You may record or stream my event, but I retain ownership over the content of the talk and the right to give the talk at other events at my discretion. If you record or stream a presentation, ensure that it is captioned. Recordings cannot be paywalled (unless I give express, written permission, such as if you have paid me for a private corporate event), and I reserve the right to ask that any recording, audio or video, as well as my likeness, be taken down at any point in the future for any reason of my choosing.
Written consent to use my likeness, presentation content including slides and images, pictures, voice, or any other uniquely Cody Kretsinger related information must be obtained prior to the event. The previously listed items, under no circumstances, may be used for NFTs.
If your event uses, issues, and/or promotes NFTs, I will decline the offer.
The event space in which you are asking me to present at must provide one of two configurations to be successful.
The first option is a standard full-sized male HDMI cable at the podium. I will supply the laptop, and “clicker” (also known as a remote slide advancing device). The HDMI and AV setup should have enough power/bandwidth to support videos up to 30 seconds in length at 30 FPS without audio—all videos I will play will have no sound and will include subtitles.
The second option consists of an up-to-date Windows based PC with the latest version of PowerPoint installed, and a “clicker.” I will send the hosting organization or AV company the slide deck no less than 24 hours prior to the starting time of the talk. The AV setup should have enough power/bandwidth to support videos up to 30 seconds in length at 30 FPS without audio—all videos I will play will have no sound and will include subtitles.
Either option is ok with me and must be communicated at least 7 days prior to the event. In either case, the event must supply a handsfree microphone (either lavalier or cheek mic) for the presentation.
Cancelling a speaking engagement is something that impacts both parties, though it is sometimes unavoidable. I will make every reasonable attempt to speak at your event, however, I reserve the right to pull out of your event for my own safety and the safety of others. In that case, I will make my best effort to offer a remote presentation.
Want to have me speak? Cool! Reach out to me via the contact form below with the name, dates, and website for your event, as well as any confirmed speakers and an idea of what you want me to talk about. If your event fits into the corporate events category, please also include your speaker budget.
Inspiration for this rider from Kat Cosgrove, see the rider I sourced from this location: https://github.com/katcosgrove/katcosgrove/blob/main/speaking.md