How I Sneaked Onto the Main Stage

"For everyone invited, be at the Volunteer hub tomorrow, 13:45 sharp."

Dammit, why wasn't I invited?

This was many years ago, and I was volunteering at a large tech conference. On the last day, a couple dozen volunteers got picked randomly to go up on stage in front of a giant crowd.

And I wanted to be there.

So I made a plan. Well, it wasn't much of a plan, I just decided to act like I belonged.

The following day, I arrived a few minutes early: just long enough to not be in a rush, but late enough to not be the first one.

"Hey, is this where the people going up on stage should be? Or is it somewhere else?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Ah, yes! Did you get the email? Can you grab one of those blue shirts as well, so everyone is dressed the same?"

And just like that, it seemed to work perfectly.

Could it be?

We walked by the security guards.

Through an underground passageway.

Past the speakers.

Past the VIP room full of international celebrities.

With each minute I got more nervous that they'd start calling names, and I'd stand out.

But suddenly, we found ourselves at the side of the enormous front stage. And as the speakers blared with epic music, we entered to a standing ovation from an entire stadium.

This picture is all I got to show for it.

See, for me, going to a tech conference isn't about the business cards.

It's not about telling everyone what you do, and how they should connect with you on LinkedIn.

It's about the spontaneous things that happen.

The odd talk from a speaker you've never heard of that you find so inspiring, that you later find yourself reading all the books they've written.

The chat you have over a beer with a random guy, who later turns out to be a VP at Google.

The feeling of community that lingers in the air.

This story sometimes reminds me to fake it till I make it.

Don’t sneak onto random stages, kids.

But do go volunteer at conferences. It's awesome.