“Outboarding” is a destructive and unethical technique used by people or companies looking to capitalize on the success of an event by directly stealing attendees by inviting them to parties, happy hours, or any other kind of getaway that draws them away from the event at a conflicting time. They even use the event branding to make people think that their activity is a sanctioned part of the summit.

“Suitcasing” Is when a person or company, who should have sponsored the event, will gain entry to the event with or without paying the registration fee and try to get attention from potential clients by schmoozing, handing out, swag, flyers, or buying drinks.

Both of these practices are directly stealing from the event as well as stealing from the official sponsors who paid to be there in front of that specific audience. Any person / company caught doing either of these things will be banned.

What you can do as attendee and/or a paid sponsor is be conscious of these activities and make sure any activity you attend is actually part of the official event. Official sponsors are listed at multifamilywomen.com/sponsors.

And, most importantly, if you see something, say something. Let someone who is part of the conference team know what is going on because this kind of behavior is a lose-lose for everyone.