DEF CON 24 Floorplan

[Nikita]

Hi everyone! This is the final floorplan for DEF CON 24! We've changed a few things up this year so check it out.


"final floor plan" version posted on DEF CON at https://www.defcon.org/html/defcon-24/dc-24-venue.html


OLD Versions
https://www.defcon.org/images/defcon-...eta-public.pdf
https://www.defcon.org/images/defcon-24/dc24-fp-beta.jpg
Version from 2/12 : https://www.defcon.org/images/defcon...plan-beta2.jpg

[Tynius]

Nice - some thoughts in no particular order:

1) I appreciate the new location of Rootz, as I'll be able to pop in on them without having to add a significant digit to my pedometer
2) I'm concerned that we'll end up with the same Day 1 mosh pit issues we did last year. Didn't we move DC101 over to Bally's to disperse the crowd a bit from Paris?
3) Lists always look better with at least 3 items. I need more caffeine.

Ty

[Billinnc1]

Hello, I am looking to contact someone about DEF CON 24, I am working with DARPA in setting up the Grand Cyber Challenge and need to discuss the venue and payment. I am looking for a POC so that I can have our Purchasing Agent contact them.

[TheCotMan]

Hello, I am looking to contact someone about DEF CON 24, I am working with DARPA in setting up the Grand Cyber Challenge and need to discuss the venue and payment. I am looking for a POC so that I can have our Purchasing Agent contact them.

Did you work with DEF CON on the previous DARPA event at DEF CON? If so try the same contact as last year.

I asked the people that grant allocation to DEF CON resources for contests/events, and they said you should contact contests@defcon.org

From there, they should be able to direct you to who to talk to about whatever you need from DEF CON in running a contest/event.

This applies for anyone looking to run a contest/event/village. Direct your questions/requests through email to contests@defcon.org

HTH,
-Cot

[encrypt3r]

This will be my first DC, I look forward to seeing how your plans work out!

[Nikita]

Hello, I am looking to contact someone about DEF CON 24, I am working with DARPA in setting up the Grand Cyber Challenge and need to discuss the venue and payment. I am looking for a POC so that I can have our Purchasing Agent contact them.

Contact Charel at Defcon dot org.

[Nikita]

Nice - some thoughts in no particular order:

1) I appreciate the new location of Rootz, as I'll be able to pop in on them without having to add a significant digit to my pedometer
2) I'm concerned that we'll end up with the same Day 1 mosh pit issues we did last year. Didn't we move DC101 over to Bally's to disperse the crowd a bit from Paris?
3) Lists always look better with at least 3 items. I need more caffeine.

Ty

We have a plan for item #2. There will be more info announced in the future. Things will be a little bit different this year :-)

[sainate]

Couple of things:

• Thing one, huge thank you and kudos to everyone that works so hard to make Def Con possible. You guys rock and all of your hard work is appreciated.
• Thing two, beta floorplan looks awesome.
• Thing three (ok, so technically 'couple' is two), the egress from DC101 last year was into the hallway where tracks 2 and 3 on the beta floorplan. If memory serves, this new floorplan puts it where the vendors were last year and that opens up into a pretty big area with 4 places that the crowds can disperse (to the left towards tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4, to the right toward the stairs, to the right toward Bally's or kindof straight toward Paris). Seems like, unless *everyone* is going the same direction at the same time again (from where tracks 2 and 3 are now [the previous location of DC101 I believe], there aren't a lot of options of where to go), this is a really good option. This will potentially divide the crowd into 4 rather than 1. Also, it seems like the DC101 crowd also intermingled with folks still in the registration crowd last year (which would also be a non-issue with the current layout).
• Thing last, thank all of you guys again, stoked to see DC24 starting to ramp up!

[Nikita]

Good news everybody!!!!!!!! <--- Requires excessive exclamation points for dramatic effect.

Last year we had some "issues" with the hotel elevators, and those caused some long lines at times to get upstairs. Basically, elevators couldn't go up till the other one came down. It brings me great joy to report that we have since worked with the hotel to get changes made to that process. ( Thank you Charel) The engineers were called in and they fixed the mechanics, so now more elevators can move at the same time! Which means more efficiency and less wait! They've also offered us MORE Express elevators straight to the 26th floor. :-) Which is double less wait!

Also, a bit of clarification, what's labeled as "lounge" on the 26th floor wasn't our best way of describing what will be up there. ( this is a beta map after all) We plan to have lots of activities on the 26th, some smaller new villages and hopefully some returning ones from last year. The plan is to expand the hacker social area, it won't be a dimly lit bar with soft jazz, but more of a hub for villages with hands on areas where you can sit and chill, learn a few things and maybe watch or participate in a few fun contests. The 26th floor will prove to be a very connected part of DEF CON, with the added bonus of comfy couches all around! We just haven't come up with a "name" for that space yet and "lounge" was the lazy placeholder.

We still have some more "to be announced" awesomeness, we're not done yet! Since I've always wanted to say it in closing on a post....."Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other."

[P33V3]

Nikita, one suggestion based on last year. Could we switch the ChillOut Room and DC101? This would make things easier and would flow better for Registration and SWAG. We had traffic flow issues last year with everything located right there on Registration day. Additionally it would give people a centralized place (including staff) a place to get a quick bite or drink.

[geeksedition]

Hi!

I'd like to echo Sainate's comment on "Thing 1" Hats off, and a HUGE Thanks!!!! I am so looking forward to 24 providing the Canadian $ does not slide any more! Anyway The floor plan is great on paper, and I would like to make a suggestion. We all know that there were serious traffic flow issues at 23. But it was the first time in a new place.

I have a fair amount of trade show experience and would like to offer a suggestion. Take it or leave it, but I would really love to see traffic flowing much better. Registering (under assumed names) is likely out so having a standard trade registration in place is not going to happen. That being said, since talks all start and end at the same time, there will be MASSIVE crowds. With nobody registered and knowing they will have a seat in their talks, people are really wanting to move around and quickly... this creates a problem.

So my suggestion to cut the crowd to half, is to put some of the talks in the other hotel. Disperse it more. This would prevent having a flood of people in one area. The other suggestion is to have a registration system where people book and select their talks. THis way only the people who have tickets for each talk will be moving about. This may also help keep the crowds to a minimum in the area. As I mentioned, I have trade show experience and would be very happy to volunteer some time to brainstorm on this. I was actually a little scared the fire department was going to shut things down last year as paramedics were trying to get through the crowds and could not...

So excited for 24!!!!

Cheers,
GeekSedition

[sainate]

geeksedition , I dig the signature!! I cut my teeth on "trash 80's" (it was an upgrade from my Aquarius) and BBS's at 300 Baud (the 1200 Baud upgrade was *nice*). Anyway, very cool sig!
Back to DC24, I agree that having all of the talks stop and start at the same time is an issue but would prefer not to have any kind of registration. Some of the talks that I thought that I wanted to see at DC23 I wasn't able to see for a myriad of reasons (lines, forgot to go, overslept, got caught up doing xyz some where else and just didn't make it). I didn't worry about it because, since there was no registration, I wasn't impacting anyone but myself. If we register for the talks, that wouldn't be the case. If I was tied up doing something (lock picking, watching the pwnage in the Social Engineering village, enjoying an adult beverage, etc.), I'd have to choose to either stop doing whatever I was doing to make my appointment or miss the appointment (while keeping someone else from attending). One thing that comes to mind that may help with the traffic flow though would be to have a delay between the start / stop times (talks stop at xy:50 and the next talk starts at yz:00, so 10 minutes for the traffic to move).

[Nikita]

Nikita, one suggestion based on last year. Could we switch the ChillOut Room and DC101? This would make things easier and would flow better for Registration and SWAG. We had traffic flow issues last year with everything located right there on Registration day. Additionally it would give people a centralized place (including staff) a place to get a quick bite or drink.

Nope, sorry :( It's not possible to move that chillout lounge because of hotel logistics. We did put in a small cafe on the paris side exactly so you can get a quick snack and drink.

[dc0de]

Nikita,

As one of the Goons that was trapped in the hallway on Friday of DC23, I would strongly urge someone in leadership understand that dumping those two tracks, and having registration open, all in the same areas that existed last year, you are going to cause another crowd-lock and crush.

Hopefully, it won't happen, and hopefully if it does happen, no one is injured.

[EvilMoFo]

The only thing I hear about DC23 is crowding issues, I guess the contest area was so far away that most attendees didn't consider making the trek. Hopefully, having the vendors and chillout nearby will help with that.