Def Con 14 Location Discussion

[The Dark Tangent]

So to start the rumor mill going, we will not be back at the AP next year.

We have a new home, and I am working on an announcement that will cover most of the questions people will have reguarding the move.

Basically it means that the con will have to change to adapt to the new environment. Some things will grow, some will shrink, but on the whole it lets DEF CON expand. There will be more space, and the room grow. The future is now open, where at the AP we outgrew the place and could not explore hands-on classes, mini sessions, seating for more people, more sessions, or whatever.

Our options became limited, and it was time to look for a new place. It took about two years, but we found one.

No hard feeling with the Alexis Park, but we just needed a larger home.

[Deviant Ollam]

thanks, DT, for making DefCon what it is, for keeping it going, and for always rolling with what comes along. the AP was a real mixed bag, especially this most recent year under the new management... for all the things that aggravated some of us, there are certain nostalgic aspects over which i will shed a tear or so when we move to our new space.

two things i will miss a lot about the AP are...

1. ability to jack into the TV network for feeds, movie channel, etc.

2. sprawl nature of the grounds that allowed for casual socializing, DJ action poolside, and roaming parties at sundown

... care to reassure us at all with indications that our new hotel may offer similar features?

thanks again for everything,

- dev

[Tacitus]

It would be great if at the new hotel a "convention rate" on the hotel rooms meant lower prices than normal- not (near) double the normal rate.

[The Dark Tangent]

Room Rates

It would be great if at the new hotel a "convention rate" on the hotel rooms meant lower prices than normal- not (near) double the normal rate.

Well, I believe the rates are like $89 or so. I'll go look at the contract, but it is quite a bit cheaper than the AP. On the other hand We will have to charge more for DC next year, and current thinking is $100.

In the end the food is quite a bit cheaper and better, as well as the rooms being cheaper. It should end up saving the attendees much more than the price we have to charge.

[astcell]

The only place I have ever been for Defcon is the Alexis Park. I wonder what the feelings were the first year we were at the AP, was it more welcomed than its predecessor?

[TheCotMan]

The only place I have ever been for Defcon is the Alexis Park. I wonder what the feelings were the first year we were at the AP, was it more welcomed than its predecessor?

Some of my thoughts after having been to other DefCon hotels when looking at the AP/V the first time before it officially started:
Where are we going to get food?
Dang, that is a long way to walk.
I hope the AC works.
The rooms have to be better than the other DefCon Hotels.
It's so far away from the strip.
Parking sucks. (Full spaces near room => longer walks or waiting.)
It will be easier to get stuff to our room without carting it through the lobby, and risk inspection by many eyes.

We had other thoughts after it was over.

[big chopper]

Change is good

I was impressed the first time I saw Alexis Park (was it DC7?). After awhile, however, DEF CON started to assume the personality of Alexis Park--which wasn't totally a bad thing.

Any move will help restore the unique qualities of DEF CON.
--BC,

[astcell]

There is one thing that any other hotel will NOT have that we will NOT miss:

Alexis Park Security!

[Tacitus]

There is one thing that any other hotel will NOT have that we will NOT miss:

Alexis Park Security!

Yes- now we get diffrent security- and depending on the hotel- security that is concerned with protecting gaming devices and monies therein

[TheCotMan]

Yes- now we get diffrent security- and depending on the hotel- security that is concerned with protecting gaming devices and monies therein

Oh yeah... Casino Security is quite different from the AP Security. Though I am not the kind of person who would be overly cruel to AP Security, I don't think I would even consider playing around with Casino security.
Police departments have Internal Affairs to investigate complaints against officers, but casinos only have lots of money.

[renderman]

Police departments have Internal Affairs to investigate complaints against officers, but casinos only have lots of money.

And they know where the camera's are'nt!

I'm hoping that the con area is away from the Casino, thereby creating a 'insanity allowed here' zone. Otherwise, this could get messy.

Hmm, if it's not at the AP, then that means no pool 2 girl

[TheCotMan]

Hmm, if it's not at the AP, then that means no pool 2 girl

Yay!
Oh. I mean, that is such a terrible loss.

heh-heh

[Siviak]

I will miss the grounds and social availability that is gave us. I guess we're back to private parties and staying within our circles.... other than that I can only say that moving from the AP is like moving from an old shitty house... sure you hate it, sure it has issues, but it has been home for so long..... alas. but on the up side now we can torch the fucking place without having to worry about where we will drink.

[renderman]

I will miss the grounds and social availability that is gave us. I guess we're back to private parties and staying within our circles.... other than that I can only say that moving from the AP is like moving from an old shitty house... sure you hate it, sure it has issues, but it has been home for so long..... alas. but on the up side now we can torch the fucking place without having to worry about where we will drink.

And just think of all the new hotel staff we can traumatise

[TheCotMan]

I will miss the grounds and social availability that is gave us. I guess we're back to private parties and staying within our circles.... .

During DefCon 5, it was easy enough to find parties in the hotel. All you had to do was visit a few floors, and you'd find someone with a sign on their door that welcomed you to visit.

It kind of sucked later, because hotel security started cracking down on parties by ordering people not registered to a room, out of rooms with "too many people." The took down signs and generally harassed the people in any room that was "loud."

I think there were more pranks back then, than there are now.

Let's see, elevators forced open on specific floors,
Power failure to the hotel,
security cameras molested,
lots of room damage,
silly people recording their trespassing on video including lock picking,
Theft of telephone service (one room stealing their neighbors phone service to make many phone calls),
Trips to the roof/basement/office space/maintenance spaces,
People thinking stealing lineman set made them phreakers,
something about duct tape, and a person hanging out a window (or was this the AP?),
Hotel "payphone" that went missing,
Something about a sat. dish gone missing...
um. and lots more that I have forgotten.

I do not recall so many bad things at the AP... Maybe they were just different, maybe I just did not see them,
Kicked out path-lights,
Stolen golf cart used to demonstrate momentum and intertia,
Dye in water/fountains,
Two adult males getting naked in the chill-out room and dancing with each other while making funny noises,

Perhaps the forums will become more popular as a method to arrange events.

Maybe we are all assuming the new place is a tall building/hotel and not something like the AP, only different?