Event Planning

In today's digital age, leveraging celebrity brand ambassadors has become a popular strategy for businesses, including startups. As someone who's been a brand ambassador for various companies over the years and dabbled in startups myself, I've seen firsthand the ups & downs of this approach. People often ask if it's always beneficial to have a celebrity endorse your products or services. I’ll break it down to the most important things to consider. Visibility - Celebrities bring a massive following, offering increased visibility & reach to a wider audience that may have been difficult to engage otherwise. This exposure could enhance brand recognition & create positive associations in consumers' minds. Credibility -  The right kind of celebrity could inject a dose of credibility into your brand. Consumers may in turn perceive your product as reliable, particularly important for startups aiming to build a solid reputation & carve out a slice of the market. Engagement - Some celebrities are able to forge personal connections with their community. By aligning your startup with a celebrity, you may be tapping into that emotional connection & that community may be more likely to show interest in your brand. Costs - Engaging a celebrity ambassador comes at a price. Even if you opt for an equity-based deal, you still need to allocate valuable resources to amplify the association, potentially diverting funds from other key areas of requirement. Authenticity - The alignment between the celebrity & your product must seem genuine. If the partnership feels like a misfit or forced, the results can be counter productive. Today's consumers are evolved & can sense inauthenticity from a distance. Sustenance - While celebrities can generate a buzz in the short term, building interest & loyalty requires consistent effort & a solid value offering that goes beyond the celebrity association. Your product still needs to deliver exceptional value beyond the initial buzz.. Relevance - Ensure the celebrity aligns with the startup's target audience, values & offerings. The endorsement should make sense within the startup's brand identity & goals. Budget - Assess whether the startup can afford the associated costs, especially including the ongoing marketing efforts. Do not assume that bringing a celebrity on board itself is going to win you the war. It’s just a head start. Long-Term Strategy - A well-crafted partnership should naturally integrate into your overall marketing & branding strategy & solidify your position & bring sustained growth. Timing - Most importantly, remember, spending so much in early stages, or early dilution in equity can have long-term consequences, so ask yourself if you’re really ready at this stage. Ultimately, the decision to engage a celebrity brand ambassador should be based on your unique circumstances & goals. Hopefully this will help some make an informed decision. #BrandAmbassadors #CelebrityEndorsements #InfluencerMarketing

What is the future of universities in the UK? It was great to have an opportunity to discuss this vital question in the Houses of Parliament this evening. Our panel included a politician, a UK Higher Ed policy expert, a Japanese higher education policy maker, a psychologist, a school head teacher and myself. I pointed out that universities are increasingly boxed in by a set of macro forces and many of the ways out of the box are not particularly effective or realistic. Finding a genuine way out requires looking at other sectors where there have been genuine disruption and turn arounds. The lesson from research on those sectors is that finding efficiency is important but just doing this won't solve the problem longer term. What drives sustained turn around in the longer term is innovation - in processes, products, business models, and cultural framing. The good news is that the UK higher education sector has gone through moments of stagnation and turn-around in the past. It found its way out through experiment and innovation. It hopefully should be able to do it again. Here is the HEPI report (with Diana Beech) where these ideas are expanded on: https://lnkd.in/e5ChU8xq

We studied 2 lakh+ Indian threat indicators in 2025. And here’s what 2026 regulators now demand (but most companies still don’t do.) 2025 changed the game. We tracked threats across every state in India, from Maharashtra to Manipur. The scale of activity is no longer random. It’s strategic, coordinated, and sector-targeted. And now, so are the regulators. Here’s what 2026-ready companies are expected to do (but 90% still haven’t): 01. State-wise Risk Mapping is now a compliance expectation. 82% of malware volume came from just 6 Indian states. But the fastest-growing threat zones were Tier-2: Punjab, Odisha, Assam. Regulators now want geo-behavioral segmentation, and not just IP logs. 02. Proof of real-time detection, not just dashboards. In sectors like BFSI and energy, response time is now being scrutinised. Can you prove your system reacts in seconds, not hours? 2026 audits will ask: “Show me what your XDR did the last time your East zone flagged an anomaly.” 03. Sector-specific threat coverage: not optional anymore. Pharma, power grids, BFSI, healthcare, they’re all being hit differently. A generic firewall rule isn’t compliance. Mapping sector threat intel to your stack is now a regulatory demand, not a suggestion. 04. The death of checkbox compliance. 68% of compromised orgs in 2025 were “fully compliant”. But only 12% had active breach simulations in place You can have 100 tools. But, if nobody’s testing them in real-world breach drills, it won’t save you in 2026. 05. From centralised to hybrid monitoring Work-from-anywhere isn’t new. But regulators now want user behavior-based controls that adapt to geolocation, risk context, and device intelligence. 2026 audits will go beyond log files. They’ll ask: “How does your system behave when a user travels from Pune to Patna?” Regulatory audits in 2026 will feel more like red-team simulations. What are you seeing across sectors? Seqrite Quick Heal #CyberSecurity #ThreatIntelligence #XDR #RegTech #CISO #Compliance #CyberRisk #IndiaCyber #BFSISecurity #CriticalInfrastructure #SecurityLeadership

🔕 Design Guidelines For Better Notifications UX (https://lnkd.in/ehgF7Taa), with practical techniques on how to make notifications more useful and less annoying — with snooze mode, by exploring how and when they are triggered and measuring their use (scroll down for the newsletter ↓). 🚫 High frequency of notifications is a very frequent complaint. ✅ Not all notifications are equal: some are more useful than others. ✅ Users value updates from close contacts, transactions, insights. 🤔 Users ignore automated, irrelevant, promotional notifications. ✅ Sending fewer messages can improve long-term product use. ✅ Let users choose notification modes (silent, regular, power). ✅ Suggest switching from push notification to email digests. ✅ Let users snooze, pause, mute if high volume is expected. ✅ Track how often notifications are ignored and acted upon. 🚫 Avoid disruption and notification fatigue by sending less. And most importantly: scrutinize the decision tree to find the right timing to send the right types of notifications. Experiment with wording, timing, grouping and frequency for different user segments. And when in doubt, postpone, rather than sending through. --- 👋🏼 I'm Vitaly Friedman, and you can find useful UX resources on my profile. I’m also running “Smart Interface Design Patterns” 🍣 (https://lnkd.in/d4CNaTxR) with a friendly video library and live UX training. 😊 #ux #design #notifications

I've delivered 500+ keynotes. Here's a pro-tip for speaking/presenting. Your pre-performance ritual isn't optional. It's essential. The difference between good and transformational always comes down to those final 15 minutes. HERE'S MY NON-NEGOTIABLE RITUAL: T-minus 30 minutes: Tech check complete. No more logistics. T-minus 15 minutes: Complete isolation begins. This is when I start programming my nervous system for peak state. T-minus 10 minutes: Active preparation. I pace backstage, repeating my opening lines until they're cellular: "Change itself has changed..." "When we think about transformation..." "Let me tell you about the moment..." T-minus 5 minutes: Full state activation. No conversations. No distractions. Just presence. Why this matters: Your opening determines everything. If those first 30 seconds land perfectly, you're in flow for the entire presentation. If they don't, you spend 10 minutes trying to find your rhythm. THE SCIENCE: Your prefrontal cortex can hold 7±2 pieces of information. Your opening sequence needs all of that bandwidth. A "quick chat" deletes 3-4 of those slots. Now you're on stage trying to REMEMBER your opening instead of BEING it. FOR SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS: Protect your ritual. Write it into your contract: "15-minute isolation period before stage time required for optimal performance." This isn't being difficult. It's being professional. FOR THOSE HIRING SPEAKERS: Want maximum impact? Give us space to create it. We're not being antisocial. We're preparing to transform your audience. Think of us like athletes before a game or surgeons before surgery. The ritual isn't preference, it's preparation. THE FRAMEWORK: 1. Decide your optimal activation time (10-30 minutes) 2. Communicate boundaries clearly and early 3. Design your ritual for YOUR nervous system 4. Practice until it's automatic 5. Never apologize for protecting your performance Your boundaries aren't limitations. They're the architecture of excellence. What pre-performance ritual would unlock your next level?

Never miss a chance to participate in industry exhibitions and forums. They are a perfect opportunity to understand the industry better, study competitors and view demos (which might be difficult otherwise), engage in meaningful discussions with peers, spot trends and bets the industry is making. Above all, you will have the pride of representing your organisation, showcasing your solutions / value differentiators thereby increasing brand awareness and winning customers. I have always raised my hand at such opportunities. I love to be involved right from stall and artifacts design, story boarding demos, planning fun competitions, to making presentations at such events. It has always led to enriched learnings and valuable networking. If you have been part of multiple day expos, I am sure you can relate to how we try to identify lean timings during the day when we can leave the stall to walk around and check out others, esp the competition! To make the most of such events, here are some tips to consider: 1. Be mindful of the attendees and customer segments who will visit and plan your stall tuned to their interest areas (what do they want + what do you want them to know). What you present, how you present, aesthetics, layout- everything follows. 2. If there is info on stall layouts/spots, guest speakers and panel discussions, plan for your must visit stalls and speakers ahead of time. Rotate stall manning accordingly. 3. Dry run your demos multiple times and in the exact configuration and environment expected at the event. Obviously, rehearse your speech in case you are presenting. 4. Expos are the best time to test ideas using small pilots and gauge user reaction. 5. Everyone loves gifts and take aways. Make it meaningful and memorable. 6. Ensure all members are aware of the lead gen process and follow it diligently. And if you promise to get back to someone on any queries, do ensure you close the loop post event. 7. Do not leave your stall unattended. 8. If you are an introvert and attending one such event, do not be bothered by lack of colleagues or friends accompanying you. You can look around at your own pace and slowly you will find yourself opening up, asking questions and enjoying the atmosphere. 9. Do network and have fun! If there are post event get togethers, do not miss it. What are your favourite events and memories? #learningneverstops #industryevents #learning #networking #businessdevelopment #professionaldevelopment #eventplanning #exhibitions #selfdevelopment ----------------------- Some memories: presenting at the IoT Congress in Barcelona, giving away an Alexa to a game winner, final test of a demo setup, cheering on participants at our immersive zone at Excon

When I started as a SOC Analyst, I thought the job was all about me, my SIEM, and my alerts. But I quickly realized: Even the best detection is useless if no one understands what I’m saying. If the IT team doesn’t get my request, they won’t isolate the machine. If leadership doesn’t understand the risk, they won’t support action. If developers don’t see the threat, they’ll push vulnerable code again. Here’s how I started building better communication skills — and how it changed everything: 1. Translate Technical to Practical Instead of: “We detected TTPs consistent with MITRE ATT&CK T1059 via base64-encoded PowerShell.” I now say: “We found someone trying to run malicious PowerShell on a user machine. It could lead to ransomware. We blocked it.” Simple. Clear. No jargon. 2. Listen Before You Send I used to send long, technical emails — assuming the other team would read and respond. Now, I ask: “What does the IT team care about?” (Steps to fix) “What does management care about?” (Business risk, cost) Tailoring your message is respect. 3. Speak Their Language For IT: Use system names, impact, urgency For Leadership: Talk risk, reputation, compliance For DevOps: Focus on secure coding and CI/CD integration 4. Document Your Ask Clearly I learned to write tickets or emails like this: What happened What I need from them Deadline or urgency Contact if they have questions This clarity saves time — and builds trust. Final Thought: You don’t just need to detect threats — you need to communicate them. The more clearly you speak, the faster your organization can act. Cybersecurity is a team sport. Communication is your bridge. How do you make sure your messages land across teams? #CyberSecurity #SOCAnalyst #SoftSkills #CrossTeamCommunication #BlueTeam #InfoSec #IncidentResponse #Leadership #DevSecOps #SOCLife #SecurityAwareness #CyberCareers #SpeakToLead

🏀 The Future of Sports Partnerships: Less Logo Slaps, More Impact 🚀 Not long ago, sports sponsorships were all about logo placements—billboards, jerseys, static signage. But in today’s world, brand partnerships need to do more than just “show up.” They need to resonate. The best sponsorships aren’t just transactions; they’re strategic integrations that drive real impact for brands, teams, and fans alike. 🔹 The Shift: Brands are moving from passive visibility to active engagement—think interactive activations, digital integrations, and immersive fan experiences. 🔹 The Opportunity: The right partnership can’t just exist; it needs to enhance the game-day experience, tell a compelling story, and build emotional connections. 🔹 The Challenge: How do we create sponsorships that feel authentic instead of forced? 💡 Here’s what I’ve learned from negotiating partnerships at the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx: 1️⃣ Innovation Wins – The most successful partnerships are the ones that create new categories and unlock untapped revenue streams. If it’s never been done before, that’s the opportunity. 2️⃣ Cultural Relevance Matters – Fans don’t just love sports; they love the culture around it. The best sponsorships tap into local pride, viral moments, and emerging trends. 3️⃣ ROI is More Than Impressions – Brands aren’t just looking for visibility anymore; they want measurable engagement, data-driven insights, and proof that their investment drives results. At the end of the day, the best deals aren’t just signed—they’re built. They’re the result of deep conversations, creative problem-solving, and a commitment to aligning brand objectives with fan passion. 🔥 What’s the most creative or unexpected sports partnership you’ve seen recently? Drop your thoughts below—I’d love to hear! 👇 #SportsSponsorships #BrandPartnerships #SportsMarketing #FanEngagement #RevenueGrowth

The most exciting project I worked on in 2023 was boosting registrations for an event. Here is what we did: Context: 5 weeks before the event. Message We benchmarked the event against the competition. We diversified the message, in this case, to move from education to networking and entertainment. Early bird canning This event overdid early birds. Our recommendation was to start marketing price increases instead of price reductions. Inverse psychology that, while stimulating FOMO, contributes to the overall perception of the event. Destination Leverage The destination was under-leveraged. We crafted email and social messages to showcase what the destination offered to stimulate last-minute sign-ups. Reg Software In most cases, reg is not optimized. Making sure every single option to sell better is turned on is paramount. We set up remarketing pixels and group codes. Social We coordinated a campaign to get the whole team to share the event on LinkedIn to boost last-minute peer pressure. LinkedIn is often ignored and it has a major impact on last minute conversions. Ambassador tech We recommended using referral platforms such as InGo, Snoball, or GleanIn. These platforms can be very different in their impact, and some integrate better with specific software. We projected a 30% increase in reg based on a proper implementation. Cart abandonment We found hundreds of abandoned carts and created a sales and email strategy to reach this audience. Understanding why they are not committing or proposing a discount code does wonders. Sources We optimized higher sources of conversions. In this case, email. We devised an email campaign with different levers to pull (community, team discount opportunity, destination showcase). This was key to diversifying the message. We turned this around in two weeks. Objective: achieved. Steal these tactics for your event.

A leader’s job is not to avoid turbulence. It’s to prepare for it. If there’s one thing I learned from two decades of studying crisis leadership, it’s that. You cannot operate as if disruption is a rare occurrence; you must expect the unexpected and learn to thrive amid uncertainty. I recently had the opportunity to contribute to this thought-provoking piece from the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program exploring what will define great business leadership in the period ahead: https://whr.tn/4btMkIQ The through-line among the responses is striking: While we may be living through a time of rapid technological transformation, it’s deeply human qualities that will distinguish the most effective leaders. From Diane Brady’s reminder that today’s leaders must serve as “communicators-in-chief,” to Andrew Ross Sorkin’s call for relentless self-inquiry, to Linda Hill’s vision of the leader as an “explorer,” each of these perspectives reinforced the need for more listening, reflection, and trust. My view is that the leaders who differentiate themselves will display three qualities: 1. Stamina, withstanding immense pressure over prolonged periods of volatility 2. Foresight, capable of anticipating and mitigating, rather than just reacting to, emerging risks 3. Humanity, because humility and authenticity produce trust I maintain that all three can be built like a muscle if they are not innate. But doing so requires a reframing of our mindset – instead of merely asking, “How am I responding to all this change?”, also asking, “Am I ready for what’s next?”