Risk is a serious business, which is why it makes such a pleasant change to describe all the fun activities arranged for RAG New Orleans, the next free conference from the Risk & Assurance Group, scheduled for the University of New Orleans on April 5 and 6. If you are not coming, then you will be sorry you missed out!
The smoking hot news is that New Orleans legend Kermit Ruffins (pictured top) has kindly agreed to perform for us on the evening of Wednesday April 6. Kermit is one of the city’s best-loved musicians, having spent 40 years performing in the feel-good style of Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan. In the 1980’s he was central to the rejuvenation of the New Orleans brass music scene as one of the founders of the Rebirth Brass Band, before going on to form other bands and releasing a series of albums oriented around his bright, silvery trumpet style. Kermit gained international fame through his regular guest appearances as himself on the HBO television series Treme and his joyous duet with Bill Murray of “The Bare Necessities” for the soundtrack of Disney’s live action remake of The Jungle Book.
Kermit will perform for RAG at one of New Orleans’ most treasured institutions, the Rock ‘n’ Bowl (pictured middle). All the conference attendees will be welcome to take full advantage of the Rock ‘n’ Bowl’s unique mix of dancing, food and ten-pin bowling, with lanes reserved just for RAG and more jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice than anyone can eat. The night before, Tuesday April 5, will also be a delight for food lovers, as there will be plenty of the fresh seafood that New Orleans is famous for at The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar, overlooking the marina at Lake Pontchartrain (pictured bottom left).
With so much fun to be had in New Orleans it is possible to overlook the strength of the conference agenda, which has 32 expert speakers including senior managers from T‑Mobile, AT&T, Discovery, Netflix, USCellular, Bell Canada, TELUS, PCCW Global and Millicom Group. In addition, the agenda features: a former Chief Technology Officer for the FCC; the current chair of the STI‑GA governance authority for STIR/SHAKEN in the USA; an expert in social engineering who was previously a Special Agent in Charge at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency; the Vice Chair of the Internet Society Canadian Chapter; and a researcher responsible for the largest ever study of robocalls.
There are still some free seats available for employees of communications providers, digital service providers, regulators and law enforcement. If you qualify for a free seat then you just need to register using your work email address by completing the form here. And do not forget, you actually have to travel to New Orleans to take part, as the sensitive nature of the content means none of the agenda will be recorded or broadcast. So be sure to book a hotel room for the night of April 6 as well, so you can join the post-conference party with Kermit at the Rock ‘n’ Bowl! Meanwhile, click on the following video to enjoy “Well, Alright”, one of the tracks from Kermit’s 2017 collaboration with Irvin Mayfield.
