Five CSOs and Six Directors: A Trade Show Mentalist for Akamai at Black Hat USA 2026
Hear It From the Booth Team
In His Own Words: Clint Huffaker, Akamai
Akamai’s Director of Product Marketing on the qualified leads Gentry hunted down at Black Hat 2026, and why he has never seen anyone else find them the way Gentry does.
The short answer: at Black Hat USA 2026, Gentry walked about five CSOs and six directors to the Akamai booth, and Akamai's Director of Product Marketing said the qualified leads he hunted down drove serious ROI on the company's investment in the show. He did it over three days: a cocktail reception the night before the floor opened, then two full days working the exhibit hall and performing on the booth stage.
The exhibitor and the problem
A booth at Black Hat is a six-figure bet. The Business Hall at Mandalay Bay is a sea of vendors, the attendees are security professionals paid to be skeptical, and the usual result is a booth full of staff waiting for the right people to wander in. Badge scans are easy to collect. Conversations with the people who sign off on security budgets are not.
Akamai's goal at booth #2561 was the second kind: qualified conversations with senior buyers, and a way to carry its security story to an audience that has seen every booth gimmick there is. (The engagement was booked by LayerX through the event agency TeamUp. Akamai completed its acquisition of LayerX before the show opened.)
What Gentry did
Broke the ice the night before. On August 4, at "Akamai Sips, Celebrate and Secure," Akamai's evening event at the Chandelier Bar, Gentry scouted the room, saw a loud bar with dispersed seating and constant foot traffic, and recommended working it as a cocktail reception instead of a stand-up show. He moved through the room with close-up mind reading for the small groups that formed through the night, so guests and Akamai's reps were already talking before the booth opened.
Hunted down qualified leads on the floor. On August 5 and 6, from 10 AM to 4 PM, he worked the aisles of the Business Hall instead of waiting at the booth. He engaged the people Akamai wanted to meet, held their attention with a demonstration they could not explain, and walked them back to booth #2561 for a warm handoff to a named rep.
Filled the booth stage. A giant LED wall asked passing attendees, "Can this guy hack your brain?" Between Akamai's product presentations, Gentry performed short pieces tied to the next speaker, including a three-person routine that ends with a secretly made drawing reproduced in front of the crowd, then handed a seated, attentive audience back to the presenter.
The theme carried the message. Mentalism is a live demonstration that perception can be steered, and security is the business of not being steered. As Akamai put it, the "hacking the mind" strategy fit its key narrative, so the entertainment set up the pitch instead of interrupting it.
The results
About five CSOs and six directors brought to the booth, by the count of Akamai's Caroline Hermann, who saw it herself
Five to ten qualified leads in the first hours of the floor opening, according to Akamai sales rep Sean Jullien
A head start from the night before: two more reps said the cocktail reception broke the ice with guests before the booth even opened
What the client said
"I am totally impressed with Gentry at Black Hat 2026. The number of qualified leads he has literally hunted down has really driven some serious ROI for our investment in being here. There is a sea of vendors at this trade show, and the mentalist strategy, built around the theme of hacking the mind, fit remarkably well with our key narrative. What Gentry does is very unique. I've never seen anyone else go out and find qualified leads like he does. I'm confident that we will be reaching out to him again in the future."
Clint Huffaker, Director of Product Marketing, Akamai Technologies. Watch Clint and the booth team in the videos on this page, or read more client reviews.
Why it works on a show floor
A booth is built to be walked past. A person is not. When Gentry brings an attendee back to the booth, the introduction does the work a banner never can: the visitor arrives curious, already in conversation, and already thinking about the problem the exhibitor solves.
Security buyers are the hardest version of this test. They are trained to spot manipulation, so a performance built to be checked, and still not explained, earns their attention honestly. Gentry's background is rhetoric and critical thinking, not stage patter. He taught at Carnegie Mellon, Temple, Duquesne and the University of Pittsburgh, and his work respects the intelligence of the people in front of him. More on this approach: Black Hat booth ideas, RSA Conference booth ideas and cybersecurity trade show entertainment.
Questions exhibitors ask
How many qualified leads can a trade show mentalist bring to a booth?
It depends on the show and your target buyer. At Black Hat USA 2026, Akamai's team saw Gentry bring about five CSOs and six directors to the booth, and one rep counted five to ten qualified leads in the first hours. At ModMed MOMENTUM 2026, the booth staff tallied about 68 qualified opportunities over two days (read that case study).
Is it worth it next to what we spend on the booth?
The booth space, build, travel and staff are already paid for. The question is how many of the right people talk to your team. Akamai's Director of Product Marketing said the leads Gentry hunted down drove serious ROI on the company's investment in the show.
Does he wait at the booth or go find people?
He goes and finds them. He works the exhibit floor, engages likely prospects where they are, and brings them back to your team by name. In Akamai's words, they had never seen anyone else go out and find qualified leads like he does.
Can he also work our booth stage and evening event?
Yes. At Black Hat he performed between Akamai's booth presentations and worked the company's evening reception, so attendees met him on the floor, on the stage and over drinks. Each piece can be tied to your theme or to the next speaker.
Do you work with our event agency or booth team?
Yes. The Akamai engagement was booked through the event agency TeamUp, and Gentry coordinates handoffs, schedules and stage timing with whoever runs your booth.
How far ahead should we book for Black Hat or RSA Conference?
As early as you can. Exhibitors plan the big security shows months in advance, and show weeks are the first dates to go. Send your show dates and you will get a straight answer on availability.
What does it cost?
That depends on the number of days, stage sets, evening events and travel. See pricing, or check availability for your show.
Planning Black Hat, RSA Conference or your next trade show?
If your booth needs the right people to stop, tell Gentry about your show. See how he works trade show booths and presentations, or Las Vegas trade show entertainment for Black Hat and other Vegas shows.