A look back at CSA Seattle in 2022, and where we're going in 2023
TL;DR:
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Last year we had low traction on our events, and things puttered out. We've learned from this.
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Official chapter communication will happen via email
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We will announce events further in advance
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We have 2 events planned for March and May! Please block your calendars!
Last year we fell short of our goal of having 10 meetups for the year. We didn't execute as well as we needed to when it came to event planning and marketing. While we did have some good events at the beginning of the year, the next few that we tried to schedule were either advertised too late, or the topics weren't compelling enough to encourage significant signups. We had a lot of big ideas for 2022, but we never quite managed to get the traction we needed for success.
In December, we took a breath and started planning for the new year. I'll highlight some of our key plans to improve, below:
The Board
We've moved to weekly board meetings to try and improve focus. One idea was to provide each board member with more specific responsibilities vs the previous model of "board member at large." We came up with a list of board roles and descriptions, and had board members pick a role they felt they could provide value in. We're already seeing this provide empowerment and responsibility.
Communication
Another of our issues in 2022 was communication: There's a LinkedIn group and Circle board, the Meetup group, and then the social medias to market on. This wasn't just an issue for chapter members: In one case a board member missed a meetup as they hadn't seen the announcement. We'll soon start sending official communications via email.
Planning
We're going to try a mixture of networking events and talks/panels this year, and we will be planning them further in the future so you have more visibility of what's coming up, and more time to plan.
I'm happy to announce our first two events of the year: On March 22nd we'll gather at Optimism Brewing to network, catch up, and talk about all things Cloud Security. On the 11th of May we'll have a panel recap things we liked and disliked from the RSA conference. We're finalizing a location for the May event, but do save the date!
We will continue working with other local cloud- and security-related groups in 2023. We see this as a way for us to grow our networks as well as help educate others about cloud security. We're open to suggestions here that you think might be a good fit!
Execution
We can have the best ideas, but if we don't act with intention to turn them into reality, then we have an unhealthy chapter. I'm not happy with how we did in 2022, and am working to ensure 2023 is a significantly better year. We'd love your support of feedback, ideas, and energy to help create one of the premiere CSA chapters for 2023.
I hope this finds you well and off to a strong start in 2023!
John Kinsella
President of the Board
Seattle Chapter of the Cloud Security Alliance
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John
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