Hello everyone,

Thank you for being here at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit. I hope you’re enjoying hearing from exciting speakers and networking with old friends and colleagues as much as I am.

However, I do want to issue an apology. I’m sorry that some of you have experienced very full rooms, and in some instances rooms so full you were unable to attend a session you had marked on your calendar.

We know we need to do a better job of understanding which rooms will be very full and which sessions might not need as many seats. Especially being in this venue for the first time, it was difficult to predict where people would travel, how traffic would flow and which sessions would find themselves inundated with attendees. 

Also, the snow was a factor, though not for the reason you might expect: It looks like most of you made it to the event, but almost none of you left. The attrition we normally expect during breakout sessions simply didn’t happen. Just about all of you stuck around and enjoyed our high-level education.

Of course, all of that is immaterial to you if you had your heart set on seeing Jessica Rich and found yourself shut out. All I can say is that we’re doing everything in our power to address the issue. If you don’t have the app downloaded, do it now (Apple version here, Android version here). It has the latest program developments.

Finally, my simple advice is this: If you really want to catch a session, get there early.

Thank you for being here at the Summit and helping to make it an event I am truly proud of. If there’s anything you need, please reach out to one of our IAPP staff members, wearing black shirts and badges with red flags.

Sincerely,

J. Trevor Hughes, IAPP President and CEO