By Dan Donovan
Founder & Managing Partner, Stratoscope Holdings (Stratoscope, Ingressotek, StratosK9, Ford K9)
The 2025 tech conference season isn’t just about AI rollouts and future-forward breakthroughs—it’s about managing risk in a new era where activism and innovation collide. Last week, our team at Ingressotek was on the ground in Seattle providing security for Microsoft’s Build conference. What began as a well-coordinated, high-profile event quickly evolved into a case study in how fast the landscape is shifting: employee-led protests interrupted the keynote, a senior engineer was terminated after disrupting Satya Nadella’s remarks, protestors clogged event entry points, local law enforcement used pepper spray to clear protestors from blocking entries and bike racks were used as weapons attempting to break in.
Headlines were made far beyond the technology being announced. This is no longer an anomaly. It’s a trend.
Conferences Are Now Culture War Flashpoints
Whether it’s ethical concerns over AI applications, defense contracts, climate accountability, or labor treatment, the world’s largest tech stages have become fertile ground for protest—not from the public, but from within. Employees are organizing. Audiences are recording. And corporations are walking a tightrope between transparency and control.
What This Means for Security Leaders
Security at major events can no longer just be about credential checks and crowd control. We must operate in a layered environment of:
• Insider threats (intentional or ideological disruptions by credentialed personnel)
• Media manipulation (where a single protester can hijack a global headline)
• Corporate liability (especially if the perception of “over-policing” leads to reputational blowback)
At Stratoscope & Ingressotek, we approach this with a holistic strategy:
Human intelligence. Predictive analytics. Strategic restraint.
We train our teams not just to respond, but to read the room. Emotional intelligence and de-escalation are now just as critical as physical presence.
What Companies Should Be Doing Now
1 Pre-event intelligence reviews – Not just for external threats, but internal signals like petitions, Slack chatter, or public LinkedIn commentary.
2 Cross-functional coordination – Align security with PR, legal, and HR in advance to agree on protocols.
3 Scenario planning – Roleplay protest scenarios and PR fallout, not just natural disasters or shooter drills.
4 Community-first posture – Recognize that today’s protester may be tomorrow’s whistleblower or social media lightning rod.
5 Security & Crowd Management Enhancements – Consider bag policies, restricted items, vehicle mitigation, event ops centers for increased situational awareness.
Why This Matters
As someone who has led large-scale event security operations at everything from Super Bowls to large tech conferences, I can say this: the threat is no longer just what’s outside the venue. It’s what’s already inside—emotionally, politically, and ideologically. We’re not just securing conferences. We’re safeguarding reputations, revenue, and trust. If your next high-profile gathering doesn’t include a strategy for security at the executive table, you’re already behind.
Dan Donovan is the Founder & Managing Partner of Stratoscope Holdings, overseeing Stratoscope, Ingressotek, Ford K9, and StratosK9—leaders in event safety, explosive detection, and integrated security operations. He is regularly quoted on topics involving major event security, protest preparedness, and organizational risk mitigation.
