My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

[hckhckhck]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

Perhaps they could set up some kind of Con suite. They do it at other conventions. It's just a good sized suite that is open to everyone 24-7 and staffed by volenteers. They have munchies and a message board of some sort. Works ok.

I've staffed ConSuites at cons and they are great, but Defcon needs a big space, and the hotels
only want to give the regular guest rooms 24 hour access. The contest area was the hang out place
for me. Just needed to be open all night.

[Vyrus]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

correct me if im wrong but WASN't the contest room open 24 / 7? i know i hung out there quite a bit :P

[latras]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

correct me if im wrong but WASN't the contest room open 24 / 7? i know i hung out there quite a bit :P

No, at like 2am they would stop allowing people back there for some reason, though they wouldn't kick anyone out....At least that's what I experienced one night...

but the skybox was open 24x7

[DaKahuna]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

If you left the area you were not permitted back. Sunday morning I was stopped from going there at 0945.

[Dark Tangent]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

A couple of notes..

Sofar it loks like we will get at least one tower for con attendees. This might help people group together.

Many of the problems about when people could go place will change a bit. Now that the hotel knows us, things will be easier next year.

The big question, though, is the original one: How to increase interaction and hangout?

I'm thinking of moving B&W downstairs. I love the space at the Top of the Riv, but people had trouble finding it, just like they couldn't find the outdoors area even through it was in the program. It might make more sense to just centralize it.

We get more meeting space next year, and I'll post about it once I have the exact rooms. But the point is we will have more areas to do something with. It might make sense to keep us all together and not send people up to the Top of the Riv.

Singage will definately be better next year!

My 2cents as I finish some testing on the new pics server with Cot.

DT

[Vyrus]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

lol well i think the biggest thing we DIDNT do with the new space is "define where the new pool 2 is". lol once thats done i think were in the white house :P

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

Sofar it loks like we will get at least one tower for con attendees. This might help people group together.

rockin! will it be the monaco tower? i realize that this may become more of a moot point should the "top of riv" space fall into disuse, but it seemed like the tower with the best proximity to the convention space, skyboxes, etc. (if you walked a short stroll outside for a second you'd skip tons of crowds and long lines)

The big question, though, is the original one: How to increase interaction and hangout?

many people would say 24 hour pool access (and i agree that this is something i miss greatly from the AP) but i think it's more nuanced than that. i think a "chillout" type of hangout space is best when it can accomodate many people and many activities without anyone getting yelled at.

a good chill space would (idealy, in my opinion) be...

• a spot where anyone is free to show up at any hour of the day
• a place with an assload of seating, preferably a mix of straight back chairs and lounge chairs (although inflatable couches might be a nice, cheap touch)
• some scattered tables would be good
• a place where people could be free to hook up kickin' sound equipment and spin or listen to prepackaged tunes (right now pretty much all the convention floor space had, like last year, it's own sights and sounds. e.g. - the kenshoto guys were running great videos on the wall of the CTF room. that was entertaining and fun and i wouldn't have it any other way, but clearly no one would setup tables and play music in there since they'd be treading on others' entertainment already in progress)
• a place with (maybe, somehow, some way) some hot tubs for relaxation or the occasional impromptu orgy
• the case could be made that this would be better suited to either indoors or outdoors... but perhaps some way of alloting some indoor space that's along a wall with doors leading out and also having some outdoor zone as well would be pretty kickass. like a party at someone's huge, swanky apartment where there's also a terrace... a scene which clearly feels like it's part of the party but is removed slightly from it providing variation in music, atmosphere, etc.

I'm thinking of moving B&W downstairs. I love the space at the Top of the Riv, but people had trouble finding it, just like they couldn't find the outdoors area even through it was in the program. It might make more sense to just centralize it.

while that would definitely be a great way to clue people in to the location, i think that many of the "lost atendee" issues will resolve themselves if we continue to be at the Riv. this will be especially magnified if we're all in the monaco tower where you just have to take your elevator up instead of down. it's a bit like HOPE... with the talks, etc. on one floor and the chillout area on the other end of the spectrum and attendee rooms in between. heh, like HOPE with faster elevators, a better attitude and more chill vibe, and more alcohol and nakedness.

i really thought the top of the riv space was pretty amazing. and it's so well suited for performances. but, really, i'd be happy anywhere we have it as long as we get the minibosses to come back and our DJ sets run their full course. (anyone spoken to regenerator since the con? hope they made out alright and will still come back for us next year)

Singage will definately be better next year!

sweet. addressing this will, i feel, make a lot of the other matters just sort of fall into place.

thanks for all that you and the others do to keep defcon evolving and keep it both fun and informative for everyone.

[theprez98]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

Reminds self not to click on "impromptu orgy" links when using government internet. ;)

[Abby_Normal]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

rockin! will it be the monaco tower? i realize that this may become more of a moot point should the "top of riv" space fall into disuse, but it seemed like the tower with the best proximity to the convention space, skyboxes, etc. (if you walked a short stroll outside for a second you'd skip tons of crowds and long lines)

I doubt it will fall in to misuse, as it stands we have already booked the penthouse again for next year, if the Riv is still willing to honor the reservation.

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

Turn the Top of the Riv into a 24/7 chill out area?

[latras]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

I plan on being more social next year and introducing myselt to people on the forums ...well..if I can find them :)

[Chris]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

I plan on being more social next year and introducing myselt to people on the forums ...well..if I can find them :)

You can always meet people from the forums at the forum meet. The time/place is noted in the program and is usually posted on here a couple of weeks before DEF CON.

[Vyrus]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

and THIS time perhaps it wont get messed up by being 2 hours late :P

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

and THIS time perhaps it wont get messed up by being 2 hours late :P

i actually was surprised about people's confusion with the first day's schedule... when fire marshal issues made the talks open 2 hours late, i simply assumed that it would push everything back by two hours in order to keep pace with the schedule (since most people had planned their day around attending various talks and events, etc) but i was hearing rumors of certain contests, etc. that were going off at their original time as opposed to following the delay. when did the forum meet actually happen this year? at the pre-defcon scheduled time (was that 21:00?) or at the modified, pushed time of 23:00? (which could be a really late time to get things kicked off, i suppose)

[Thorn]

Re: My #1 biggest problem with DEFCON this year...

The meet happened about 2100, although there were only about 6-8 of us there at that time. Most people wandered in after 2200.