Hello and welcome everyone, Tib3rius here, and DEF CON is the one hacker convention
I try to attend each year without fail.
In my opinion, it's still the best in terms of location, speaker lineup, and
the sheer amount of things you can do.
However, DEF CON can be a daunting experience for newcomers.
A year ago I made a video with my top 10 tips for DEF CON newbies, and I
think with some of the changes that have happened this year, it's worth a reshoot.
I'll put all relevant links both on screen and in the video
description, so please check that out.
As always, please consider giving this video a like, subscribing to the channel,
and leaving a comment with your thoughts.
Without further ado, here are 10 tips in no particular order to
make sure your DEF CON experience is both enjoyable and memorable.
Make reservations early.
DEF CON is still providing pre-registration, which
I think is a great idea.
While you can still buy a slightly cheaper ticket in person using
cash, I always recommend using the pre-registration option.
Not only does it guarantee you a non paper badge, but in my experience, the
line to collect your pre registered badge moves significantly quicker.
Last year there were production issues with the main badge, meaning
a lot of people who used cash only got a temporary paper one.
Hopefully those issues are resolved this year, but regardless, you have until
July 5th to pre-register for a badge.
With this year's venue change to the Las Vegas Convention Center, booking
a hotel early is also a good idea.
There are generally two attitudes I've seen in the community towards hotel
choices: the "I want to be as close as possible", and the "I hate change".
Personally, I see benefits to both.
I think it's likely that lots of attendees will still be using the circle bar at the
LINQ in the evenings as a drinking spot, and given that there is a monorail you can
get from that cluster of hotels to near the venue, it's still not a bad choice.
Having said that, I prefer to be close to the venue, so I
snagged a room at the Marriott.
DeviantOllam made a great video about the walking distances from each hotel
in the Convention Center vicinity, so I definitely recommend checking that out.
Don't forget, if you're planning on enjoying what Vegas has to offer in terms
of live shows and restaurants, especially if you're going with a large group,
make sure you reserve those early too.
Take extra days if you can.
DEF CON starts on a Thursday and ends on Sunday, however registration
and the merchandise line starts early Thursday morning, so I
recommend arriving the day before.
This gives you enough time to adjust to the time difference if
necessary, and get enough sleep.
Sunday is a short day, so unless you want to stay around for the
closing ceremony, you aren't missing much if you want to fly back early.
DEF CON is best experienced with friends.
As I said last year, it's known as Hacker Summer Camp for a reason.
If you can, plan to meet up with people and discuss going to
talks or other events together.
Line CON, the line to pick up your badge and buy merchandise, gets long
fast, and standing in line with friends is always better than doing it alone.
I've found that setting up a group chat using Discord can be
the best way to coordinate with everyone during the convention.
Another thing I was made aware of is the Lonely Hackers Club, a group of
hackers who go to DEF CON solo, but meet up with each other to form a
social group where you can find people interested in hanging out and seeing
the same things you want to see.
Check them out if you're going solo this year.
Don't overpack your case.
You'll likely end up bringing back more stuff than you took with you given the
amount of merchandise and stickers from both DEF CON itself and the villages.
Also, Vegas is Vegas and you never know what you might buy on the strip.
Even though the convention is four days long, I would recommend
bringing a large suitcase.
I fill any empty space with those inflated airbags you get from delivery boxes.
Then when I'm packing to go home, I simply deflate the ones I don't need anymore.
Bring cash, food, and drink.
In last year's video I highly recommended bringing a lot of cash, not only
if you are planning on buying your badge at the door, but also because
the official merchandise could only be purchased with cash as well.
Last year the merch prices remained pretty much the same, so I don't
expect them to change again, however there is no guarantee.
T-shirts ranged from $35 to $50, hoodies from $45 to $100, hats from
$25 to $65, and flags were $30 each.
2XL clothing was an extra $10 and 3XL an extra $15.
Now, last year I actually overslept a little the morning I'd planned on picking
up my badge, and in my hurry to get to the line I forgot to pack a drink and a snack.
So please remember to always have a drink with you and some kind of snack to give
you a boost of energy, because I was in the line for over three hours and was
honestly close to passing out by the end, especially with how hot it got with
thousands of people all huddled together.
Hacker Tracker!
The Hacker Tracker app is available on both Android and iOS and gives you easy
access to information about schedules, events, parties, contests, and more.
Last year, DEF CON even integrated their merch sales into the app,
giving people a more streamlined experience during Line CON.
The app also provides maps of convention areas, so you can easily plan where
you need to go, though hopefully with everything in one building this year,
it will be significantly easier anyway.
Oh, and did I mention this is not just a DEF CON exclusive app?
It supports conventions like BSides and OWASP among many others too.
Convention Etiquette.
The 3, 2, 1 rule is something of a meme in the community,
but it's one worth featuring.
Make sure you are getting a minimum of three hours sleep,
two meals and one shower a day.
Note the word minimum there.
Not all of us can survive on the edge of sleep deprivation, so please make
sure you are getting enough during the convention, as well as eating,
drinking, and showering enough too.
Vegas is hot, especially in August, and you will easily be walking over 15,000
steps a day, likely with a backpack on.
Be a hygienic hacker and shower often.
You'll likely encounter well known content creators and hackers like John
Hammond, NahamSec, InsiderPhD, etc.
while walking around.
It's okay to approach them and ask for a photo, but please be
polite and don't interrupt them if they are talking to others.
Remember that they are at the convention to have fun too.
If you see them swarmed by fans, don't join in the fray
and try to meet them later on.
As a little addendum, please don't take photos of people from
far away without their consent.
Everyone knows what John Hammond looks like.
It's not cool to just snap a photo if you see him walking around
Vegas and post it to social media.
Ignore the fear of missing out.
DEF CON has multiple main talks happening at the same time and the
villages have full day schedules too.
It's impossible to attend absolutely everything you want to see.
Most main talks will be recorded and eventually uploaded to YouTube, so unless
you really want to be there, consider other activities on the schedule.
There are several big events which happen every year, so missing out
doesn't mean you can't attend next year.
Some contests, like the Scavenger Hunt and Red Team CTF, require an
almost full time commitment if you want to place high on the leaderboard.
While others, like Hacker Jeopardy, Who Slide Is It Anyway, or Feet
Feud (if they approve us this year) only last an hour or two.
Use Lyft, Uber, and the Monorail.
Lyft and Uber tend to be cheaper than taking taxis, though some hotels put the
pick up location in inconvenient places.
If you're staying on the strip, especially near the LINQ, and looking
for a place to eat, check the walking distance first, as some places
are closer than you might think.
For getting to and from the main convention centre, it looks like the
monorail is going to be a popular choice, but since this is the first
time the convention has been held there, I'm unsure of how busy it will
be getting, especially in the mornings.
Plan for Plan Changes.
It's good to have an idea of what you want to do, but I guarantee
your plans will change at least once during the convention.
So try to go with the flow.
Expect the unexpected, whether that's the flash floods in 2022, the bomb scare
mass evacuation of 2023, or whatever fate has planned for us this year.
Give yourself enough leeway to do the things you really want to do, and
you'll have one hell of a convention.
Thank you so much for watching, I hope it was informative.
Feel free to share your own tips in the comments, and if you enjoyed the
video, please consider giving it a like, subscribing to the channel, and
I hope to see you at DEF CON this year.