RSVP to an event

I need to RSVP to the Product Marketing Summit happening Friday at 9 AM. RSVP as Attending under my profile Anna Lopez, include a short comment: I’ll bring a deck on go-to-market mistakes, and add a private note to the organizer, Paul Nguyen, asking if there’s a 10-minute slot for lightning talks. Do this now so the organizer sees our name before Wednesday.

Before I RSVP, make it easy for the organizer to accept a lightning talk: put the meeting purpose up front; in the public RSVP comment keep it under 15 words and benefit-focused; in the private note to Paul show topic, two bullet takeaways, and preferred timing; and flag anything in my profile that might make us look like a vendor instead of a peer. Give me the final text for both the public comment and private note.

I clicked Attending for the Summit and left the 15-word public comment, but I can’t find a private message field to ask Paul for a slot. I’m afraid RSVP alone won’t surface us to the program team, and I don’t want to spam Paul’s inbox. Should I RSVP now and follow up by InMail, or wait and try to get an intro from a mutual connection? Recommend the best next action and a short script for the follow-up if we InMail.

Over the last year I RSVP’d to eight events and we got one intro and no speaking slots. We waste time announcing attendance without converting it into visibility. What habit should I change to turn RSVPs into stage time or introductions? Give one change to how I RSVP and one to how I follow up afterward.