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 - Introduction
01:38 - MCing Rails World and introducing DHH
05:45 - Picking speakers for a single track
08:26 - What makes a great keynote
10:41 - Why he doesn't curate topics
14:01 - Four weeks out: hurry up and wait
16:14 - How RBQ Conf went
18:42 - Scheduling a single track
19:50 - Using AI for conference marketing
21:58 - Privacy and what agents can see
25:36 - A free CFP built on Google Sheets
32:30 - An agent friendly event harness
38:52 - TUIOS and agents that talk to each other
43:23 - Why PR review still matters with agents
45:03 - MCP, skills, and usage rules
51:23 - Building is the easy part
56:30 - Bootstrapping vs VC
59:01 - ExMex promo code and swag
1:06:47 - Why go to conferences
1:09:00 - Hiring, AI slop, and referrals
1:14:02 - Do conferences make money?
1:18:27 - MicroConf comes to Austin
1:23:33 - Remote work still needs in person
1:27:07 - Free community tickets
Resources 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-mentor
Connect 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-mentor
Sponsors:
- 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-mentor
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- Elixir Mentor: https://elixirmentor.com/?utm_source=elixir-mentor
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