This viewpoint paper considers the relationships between conferences and activism by examining the events surrounding the "World's Oldest Oppression," a conference held in Melbourne, Australia in 2016. This conference attracted swift protest action from local sex workers, much of which was executed online. Drawing from the documentation of these events in blogs, opinion pieces, and social media, this paper develops two observations. First, it situates the "World's Oldest Oppression" within a trend toward conferences that blur the lines between academic and activist, and considers its use of feminist pedagogies to make space for marginalised stories. Secondly, it posits a tension between the stories the conference sought to generate and share, and the unsolicited stories of sex workers. Characterising this tension as a clash of counterpublics, it discusses the implications of an activist-oriented conference being met with activism of another kind, arriving unauthorised and unannounced.