Nathan Hessler on ExMex and Conferences

Nathan Hessler, organizer of ExMex and RBQ Conf, is back four weeks out from ExMex 2026 in Austin. We cover MCing Rails World, how he picks speakers and keynotes for a single track, what running a Ruby conference taught him, and the free CFP he built on Google Sheets that's turning into an agent friendly event harness. Then we get into TUIOS and agents that talk to each other, why PR review still matters, bootstrapping vs VC, and why conferences beat job boards for landing your next role.Use code MentoredFriends for $50 off your ExMex ticket (enter it in the promo code field on the site, not the checkout pop-up).00:00 - Introduction01:38 - MCing Rails World and introducing DHH05:45 - Picking speakers for a single track08:26 - What makes a great keynote10:41 - Why he doesn't curate topics14:01 - Four weeks out: hurry up and wait16:14 - How RBQ Conf went18:42 - Scheduling a single track19:50 - Using AI for conference marketing21:58 - Privacy and what agents can see25:36 - A free CFP built on Google Sheets32:30 - An agent friendly event harness38:52 - TUIOS and agents that talk to each other43:23 - Why PR review still matters with agents45:03 - MCP, skills, and usage rules51:23 - Building is the easy part56:30 - Bootstrapping vs VC59:01 - ExMex promo code and swag1:06:47 - Why go to conferences1:09:00 - Hiring, AI slop, and referrals1:14:02 - Do conferences make money?1:18:27 - MicroConf comes to Austin1:23:33 - Remote work still needs in person1:27:07 - Free community ticketsResources Mentioned:- ExMex: https://exmexconf.com/?utm_source=elixir-mentor- ExMex community tickets: https://exmexconf.com/community-tickets?utm_source=elixir-mentor- RBQ Conf: https://rbqconf.com/?utm_source=elixir-mentor- KinSwitch: https://kinswitch.app/?utm_source=elixir-mentorConnect with Nathan:- X: https://x.com/spune?utm_source=elixir-mentor- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhessler/?utm_source=elixir-mentor- Hessler Consulting: https://hesslerconsulting.com/?utm_source=elixir-mentorSponsors:- BEAMOps: https://beamops.co.uk/?utm_source=elixir-mentor- Paraxial.io: https://paraxial.io/?utm_source=elixir-mentor- Jido: https://agentjido.xyz/discord?utm_source=elixir-mentorSUPPORT ELIXIR MENTOR- Elixir Mentor: https://elixirmentor.com/?utm_source=elixir-mentor#ElixirLang #MyElixirStatus #ElixirMentor