DefCon Noob - what to expect when I arrive

[dook]

TheCotMan, thanks for the info.

As per DT's comment last year about "Registration Everywhere!" Is there anyone you can contact and find out if there are any confirmed plans/info on this? Or is it just a case of show up and see what registration options/plans there are?

The uncertainty of people not knowing if it'll be easier to get a badge, so in turn decide to start queuing up super early to ensure they get one, might be helped by more info on the expected registrations processes this year.

[TheCotMan]

TheCotMan, thanks for the info.

As per DT's comment last year about "Registration Everywhere!" Is there anyone you can contact and find out if there are any confirmed plans/info on this? Or is it just a case of show up and see what registration options/plans there are?

The uncertainty of people not knowing if it'll be easier to get a badge, so in turn decide to start queuing up super early to ensure they get one, might be helped by more info on the expected registrations processes this year.

This reply is not the answer you want to read. Sorry about that.

For the comment from DT, you'll have to ask him about that. I really try hard to limit my discussion with him to critical items (server operation, services, change in configs, unexpected outage, etc.) I know he is a busy guy, and the best way I know to thank him is make sure most of our conversations are valuable to both of us. It increases my chances for a quick response when there really is an emergency or serious problem.

Last time I checked, the people involved in dealing with the registration process were still working on how it will work, and had not fully finalized all the plans with all the approval for plans completed. I do not want to interrupt their work with a question I am pretty certain they won't yet be able to answer without knowing the future. I would guess that once they have the plan, everyone is in agreement on it, someone will announce the decision somewhere, but sometimes these things are not fully decided until the last minute. It is a complex problem with many stake-holders (casino, casino security, RedShirt goon, staff to support, physical access limitation, fire marshal, approval and sign-off from other departments and more.) The people involved in planning registration have a difficult job, and often must suffer imposed restrictions that make seemingly obvious solutions illegal, or impossible while under contract.

If/when I see a public announcement from a goon responsible for how this might work, I will try to include a link to their comment from the forums.

As I wrote elsewhere, I would bet badges would go for sale some time between 8am and 10am on Thursday based on presently public information:
* You won't be able to visit most of Thursday DEF CON without a badge (published above here in this thread)
* Schedule of many of these includes some things on Thursday which start at 10am : https://www.defcon.org/html/defcon-2...-schedule.html

*** Conclusion: However badges will be sold, in order for people to have a chance at seeing 10am scheduled events on Thursday, they will need a badge before 10am, and if Thursday is the first day badges will be sold, then a starting time for sale between 8am-10am seems like a fairly good, educated guess on when people will be able to buy a badge.

How soon to arrive is a harder question to accurately answer. If I guess that badge sales open at 9:30am, and I suggest people show up at 9:00am, people may see this as an indication to show up at 8:30am. If I suggest an earlier time, then people may shoot for even earlier. The earlier people show up, the more difficult it will be to stay up later and party on Thursday.

* Once badges sales open on Thursday, they historically have been open for sale all day, and then each following day of DEF CON all day. The estimated 8am-10am for a gues son when badge sales will open is an estimate on the opening time, not a range for when they will open and close sales. Sales would likely be all day, every day of DEF CON, except Sunday, when they will likely close before closing ceremonies.

If it were me, going on what information has been made public, I would regularly check the schedule ( https://www.defcon.org/html/defcon-2...-schedule.html ) for when badge sales will open, then arrive a little earlier than that. I would also bet that the process for badge sales is probably going to be fast, and once sales begin, the line will be processed very fast, maybe less than an hour in line for people that arrive right at the time badge sales begin. (This is *just* an educated guess, nothing more.) In this way, you would be ready for whatever method for acquiring your badge was made available, new or old.)

Hope this helps,
-Cot

[dook]

Cheers CotMan. But you were wrong, thats exactly the sort of answer i want to read.

Your not sure yet, but neither are the people still organizing it, and as you said once they know, i'm sure they'll let others know.


Appreciate your efforts, if i spot you at DC i'll but you a beer...or an Apple Tini...whatever floats your boat :)

[sainate]

TheCotMan, just wanted to say thank you for the responses. As a Def Con n00b, I'm drinking from a fire hydrant trying to figure out the have-to-do's, need-to-do's and want-to-do's for my first con and trying to make sure that I get all of the have-to-do's out of the way as quickly and efficiently as possible, get as many of need-to-do's in the same manner so that I can have as much time to do the want-to-do's while I'm there. I appreciate you taking the time to gather the intel and put it together. Many thanks!

[TheCotMan]

TheCotMan, just wanted to say thank you for the responses. As a Def Con n00b, I'm drinking from a fire hydrant trying to figure out the have-to-do's, need-to-do's and want-to-do's for my first con and trying to make sure that I get all of the have-to-do's out of the way as quickly and efficiently as possible, get as many of need-to-do's in the same manner so that I can have as much time to do the want-to-do's while I'm there. I appreciate you taking the time to gather the intel and put it together. Many thanks!

You are welcome. The best way to "repay" is to help others with what you learn, or have learned, and provide constructive criticism on how you would make things better for other people new to DEF CON. (Just because a person is new to DEF CON does not mean they are new to hacking.) Many of the people that plan DEF CON have been attending or volunteering for 10 15 or 23 years. The con has changed a lot, and the experience for new attendees now it very different from when they were new attendees. As a result, the kinds of problems faced by today's people new to DEF CON are likely different, and possibly not understood by today's "old timers." Any insight you can provide to help identify and suggest solutions to problems you see at DEF CON for yourself and other first-time attendees is welcome.

Every year, I start a thread post-DEF-CON to ask how we could do better next year. To you and anyone else that is interested, please consider contributing to it with your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks!
-Cot