Where to Shelter (Vegas '21)

[kevinkatz]

First-time DefCon attendee. Where should I seek tribal knowledge on where to stay? Any suggestions?

Also I'm dope AF who wants be homies hit me up

Kevin

[number6]

First-time DefCon attendee. Where should I seek tribal knowledge on where to stay? Any suggestions?

Also I'm dope AF who wants be homies hit me up

Kevin

I do not know your skill level. These answers are provided for you and anyone else who reads your question and also wants answers.

Stay at a hotel which is attached to DEF CON space. If the space is split between two hotels' convention spaces, then consider staying at the hotel closest to the parts of DEF CON you intend to visit the most. (For example, Is your primary interest villages? Speaker tracks? Contests? Something else? Choose a hotel room in the hotel where that thing is hosted in the convention space. Look up the various towers in a hotel, and ask for a hotel room in the tower closest to the space you want to visit the most.)

First place to check is the Official DEF CON FAQ:
https://defcon.org/html/links/dc-faq/dc-faq.html
Next, check out the pages specific to this DEF CON 29:
https://defcon.org/html/defcon-29/dc-29-index.html

Next, if it will happen, consider the presentation/speaker topic "DEF CON 101" which covers many things about culture and provides suggestions for first time attendees.

Next, there is/was an *unofficial* DEF CON FAQ (with some historical advice for when were were at past hotels like The Alexis Park -- hint, we are not at the Alexis Park and have not been for a long time.) It appear to not be available at the moment, by you could try using "The Internet Archive" ( https://archive.org/web/ ) to see what it had: https://defcon.stotan.org/faq/

Next, which should be first:
Do you know anyone (in person or on mailing lists or forums) who will be at DEF CON? Have they been to DEF CON before? Get suggestions from them. Maybe arrange to meet up with them in person.

From my own view, here is the best approach to take:
1) Get a list of ALL of the things happening at DEF CON. Build your own calendar, download an app like "The Hacker Tracker" or if made available by a volunteer, xml,or other format schedules. (Talks, Villages, Village presentations, workshops, Contests, events, parties, etc.)
2) Review ALL of the things that are happening and when they are *scheduled* to happen. (Schedules can change, especially last minute.)
3) Prioritize a "top 3" things for every hour, of things you would like to do, see, etc. so that at any point in time, awake or asleep, you have something to do.
4) Bring your list with you but be open to doing things totally not on that list. If you meet up with some awesome people or opportunity, consider that tangent and the opportunities it provides you.

Comments on speaker track and presentations:
I like presentations, but unless you have an urgent need for the information provided as a DEF CON Speaker track presentation, *or* you have need to ask questions, much of the speaker track presentation can wait until *after* DEF CON when it is made available for viewing on YouTube or download from https://media.defcon.org/ .

Some presentations won't be recorded or filmed (like some Village talks, or contest talks), or are provided with explicit direction to not record content (SkyTalks.) If a presentation won't be available to you later, maybe it could become a priority.

There is often limited seating, and with the risk for social distancing, the space available for speaker track rooms (or village presentations or SkyTalks if that will happen) is limited. Getting a badge to enter DEF CON does not guarantee access to each and every presentation. Sometimes there are lines which form outside speaker track rooms for people waiting for the next presentation. It is possible the speaker track rooms will be emptied between presentations, so if you think you will "hack" the line by arriving to the previous presentation to get the one you want, you may be disappointed. If you see one or more line forming outside a speaker track, ask a goon by the head of the line, near the door, what the line(s) is/are for. Sometimes, several talks in a row are popular, causing multiple parallel lines to form for the same room, but for different talks.

We have "Information Booths" or "Information Desks" for you to ask questions you can't find the answers for on your own.

TL;DR:
For most fun at DEF CON, prepare before attending, but be open to change your plans if something better comes along.

[Legionbane]

If you would be interested in splitting a hotel room, I have a reservation at Bally’s from August 3rd to the 10th. Inclusive of fees and taxes, the total cost would be around $568 per person.

[Justic3storm]

I'm interested!

[technoHerder]

Ellis Island is cheap and it is walking distance to the con; its dirty, but you get what you pay for.