The Smart Vendor’s Guide to Crushing RSA: What to Do & What to Avoid
The RSA Conference (RSAC) 2025 is one of the biggest events in cybersecurity, bringing together vendors, buyers, investors, and industry leaders from around the world. If you're a cybersecurity company looking to make an impact, you need a game plan.
Here’s what you should do—and what to avoid—to maximize your business success at RSAC 2025.
What to Do at RSAC 2025
✅ Have a Clear Business Goal
Are you there to generate leads, close deals, meet partners, or build brand awareness? Define your top priority before you land in San Francisco. Every interaction should align with that goal.
✅ Book Meetings Before the Event
RSAC is huge—if you wait until you're on the floor to set up meetings, you’ll miss out. Reach out to prospects, partners, and media weeks in advance to secure time with them. Calendars fill up fast.
✅ Engage with the Right Audience
Not every passerby is your ideal customer. Train your booth staff to quickly qualify visitors and prioritize the ones who matter.
✅ Make Your Booth an Experience
A table with brochures and a laptop isn’t going to cut it. Demos, live hacking challenges, interactive displays, or even a fun game will make people stop and engage. Just make sure it ties back to your product.
✅ Be Present at Off-Site Events
Some of the best networking happens outside the conference—dinners, happy hours, and invite-only gatherings. If you’re not on those lists, find out where your audience is going and make your way in.
✅ Leverage Social Media & Press
If you’re launching a product or making an announcement, reach out to media in advance to get coverage. And don’t forget to post updates, tag RSAC, and use conference hashtags to stay visible.
✅ Follow Up Immediately
RSAC generates a ton of leads, but most companies fail at follow-ups. Send personalized follow-up emails within 48 hours while the conversation is still fresh.
What NOT to Do at RSAC 2025
❌ Don’t Just Show Up Without a Plan
Walking in with no strategy is a waste of time and money. Know your targets, messaging, and goals before you land.
❌ Don’t Expect People to Come to You
You’re competing with hundreds of vendors—just having a booth isn’t enough. Actively engage attendees and give them a reason to stop.
❌ Don’t Have a Boring, Sales-Heavy Pitch
No one wants to hear a five-minute company history lesson. Get to the point. How does your product solve a real problem? Lead with that.
❌ Don’t Ignore Smaller, Intimate Events
RSAC is more than just the expo floor. Some of the best deals happen at off-site events, private dinners, and investor meetups. Don’t just focus on the booth—get into the right rooms.
❌ Don’t Give Away Cheap Swag
Branded stress balls and pens? No one cares. If you’re giving away something, make it useful, unique, and tied to your brand. (Also, bring extra luggage space—you’ll be getting swag, too.)
❌ Don’t Forget Your Competitors Are Watching
RSAC is a competitive intelligence goldmine—and that goes both ways. Be mindful of what you share publicly and keep your key differentiators close.
Final Tip: Have a Post-RSAC Strategy
What happens after the event is just as important as what happens during it. Have a plan for follow-ups, content marketing, and nurturing leads to turn conversations into real business opportunities.
If you go to RSAC 2025 with a solid game plan, you’ll get way more value than just collecting badges and shaking hands.
What’s your #1 tip for making RSAC worth the investment? Let me know! 👇
