A few days ago, I had dinner with an old hand in the industry, and we talked about the guest list for that closed-door meeting in Dubai.

I casually asked, "Why aren't some pretty popular domestic influencers on the list?"

He picked up some food and said slowly, "Look at those who got in—aren't all their faces right there on their social accounts?"

I was stunned for a moment.

Later, I figured it out—the top-tier events never care whether you have a million or ten million followers. The core requirement is just one thing: do you dare to show your real face on camera?

Because once you put your face out there, you're using your identity as a guarantee. Every word, every prediction you make on camera is tied to that face. Trying to escape? The industry has a long memory.

If you look at those truly able to sit in those small circle conference rooms, they may not be the loudest or the most popular, but they're always the ones whose faces you remember.

That's the rule of the game:
Numbers can be faked, but your persona can't.