First aid: Your kit to approach a sponsor booth without freezing
By Brigitte Heijkoop
We have all been there. You are walking across the trade floor, holding your coffee and you spot them: the sponsor booths. Stacks of cool pixel-art stickers, glowing gadgets, custom swag and a group of industry professionals waiting to talk to you, often surrounded by a mass of eager attendees already in conversation with them.
Your first instinct might be to make sudden eye contact with the floor, increase your pace, and pretend you have a very urgent appointment on the other side of the venue.
And then you make eye contact with a sponsor and suddenly you have to talk to them.
It is completely normal to feel awkward around sponsor booths, especially if this is your first conference. It can feel like walking into a sales trap or a high-pressure job interview, or having to cross the social wall you’re not prepared to cross. But at WICCON, things work a little differently.
In our guide book, the one and only Book of Shadows, we have a very strict rule for our partners…
Money buys visibility, not the stage.
This means the people standing at those booths are not there to sell you standard corporate pitches or gatekeep the stage. They are there to support the community, geek out over tech, and, most importantly, meet curious minds like you.
They’re not here to sell you something, and they’re not here to challenge you.
And even with that, WICCON has been known to connect people who needed each other. In fact, several of our past attendees have walked up to a sponsor booth for a casual chat and walked away with a brand-new job or internship!
If you want to make the most of the trade floor this year without freezing up, here is your friendly first-aid kit!
Shift your mindset. Sponsors are just nerds with a company logo.
The first thing to remember is that the people staffing the booths, whether they are from big names like KPN and Sogeti or boutique security firms, are usually engineers, analysts, and developers just like you. They are tech nerds who love solving puzzles, and they are probably just as excited (but maybe a little tired from standing all day) as you are.
You do not need to walk up to them with a perfectly rehearsed elevator pitch or a printed CV in hand. There’s no need to sell yourself.
Instead, treat approaching a booth like a side quest in a game. You are just there to explore, gather clues and see what kind of interesting conversations you can unlock.
Simple icebreakers that actually work.
If you want to start a conversation but do not know what to say, you do not have to overcomplicate it. You can keep it incredibly low-pressure. Here are a few easy, natural ways to break the ice:
The honest approach: "Hi! I’m a student/ job position and I’m honestly just looking around to see what different teams are working on. What does your day-to-day look like at your company?"
The curiosity hook: "Hey, I saw your company logo on the program. What kind of security challenges is your team focusing on the most right now?"
The visual opener: "That is an awesome sticker/gadget. What is the story behind it?" (Seriously, asking about their goodies or a demo on their screen is the ultimate risk-free conversation starter!).
The beautiful thing about security professionals is that if you ask them about their work, their tools, or a project they are proud of, they will happily do 90% of the talking for you. All you have to do is listen and ask a follow-up question if something catches your ear.
How to talk about yourself without bragging
If the conversation goes well and they ask what you do, you do not need to pretend to be an all-knowing expert. Honesty and curiosity are highly valued in this industry.
If you are a student, tell them what you are learning and what excites you. If you are a professional looking to grow into security, mention that. You can simply say:
"I’m currently studying at (your school here) and focusing on (your related topic), but I’m really trying to steer my career more towards (your preferred topic) because that’s where my passion lies."
This tells them exactly who you are, what you want, and where your drive comes from, all in one simple, confident sentence. It gives them the perfect opportunity to say, "Oh, really? Our team actually does a lot with (your mentioned topic). Let me tell you how we handle that."
And just like that, you are networking!
Step away when you are ready.
Remember that you are in control of the interaction. You are never trapped at a booth. If the conversation comes to a natural end, or if you simply feel like your social battery is running low, it is completely okay to politely move on.
A simple, "Thank you so much for your time, I really enjoyed learning more about your team. I’m going to catch the next talk now!" is all it takes. It is polite, professional, and lets you slide away gracefully.
And remember, those people standing at the scary booths? They were in your exact situation at the beginning of their career, too. They know exactly what it’s like to be a newborn fish in this giant pond.
The ultimate backup plan: your WICCON rescue crew
What if you step onto the floor, freeze up, and experience a sudden, mini "who-am-I-and-what-am-I-doing-here" identity crisis?
Do not panic. We have you covered!
Our volunteer crew gear is there for a reason. You will always find WICCON volunteers floating around the trade floor, ready to step in. If it all gets a bit too much, or if you just need a friendly face to help you escape an awkward silence, just look for one of us. We are always nearby to help you reset, grab a fresh coffee, or even walk you over to a booth to break the ice together. You are never on your own out there.
Your next opportunity is waiting
The trade floor at WICCON is not a gauntlet to run through. It is a gateway to the community. The companies supporting us are actively looking for fresh perspectives, eager learners, and future colleagues. They want to meet the people who are passionate enough to spend their days diving into cybersecurity.
So when you walk past the booths in the Lichtfabriek this October, take a deep breath, grab a cool sticker, and ask a simple question.
You never know which casual chat might end up shaping the next major chapter of your career.
We wish you all the best!