Add another C to CCC, this one for Classy.

Loyal readers will remember that I popped over to Berlin this summer to speak at Chaos Communication Camp.  It was a blast, kind of like a really clever camping rave for geeks.  Laser light shows every night, roaming art projects on trucks, invigorating conversation about internet freedom, and incredibly tight organization and comfortable infrastructure to support about 3000 smart, curious, mischievous people in the woods for 5 days.  I was incredibly impressed by how well the event ran, how creature comforts were taken into consideration, and how nice the organizers were.

I also noticed that every single time I looked around, I saw women.  I didn’t feel gendered, and I never felt like my credentials were in question.  As Bl00 has said, it felt like people assumed that if you were there, it was for a good reason.  C-Base, their headquarters in Berlin, was just as wacked out and cool-looking as I’d hoped.

So, super good stuff.  But this morning they outdid themselves with uber-classiness.  I got an email saying that as a thank you for speaking this summer, I have a token waiting for me for a free ticket to the 28th Chaos Communication Congress (28C3) this December.  Free tickets are always nice, but this comes with an extra premium.  Tickets are hard to get a hold of and are released in carefully timed batches.  If you don’t get your ticket before you travel, you run a very real risk of showing up at Alexanderplatz in Berlin, 2 days after Christmas, to find a sold-out event.  And then, well, good luck.  Enjoy your winter vacation.

So this gesture is that much more clever and lovely.  Someone has done their customer relations homework, and the result is that I feel appreciated, welcomed, and motivated to participate in their events.  Everyone wins, and they look like they consummate professionals.  It’s even getting me thinking about what talks I might propose next…