I would also use that space for 'rapid talks' rooms. Use the extra space for villages and other in person things. Maybe have 2 rooms with high impact talks, everything else online. I would rather have many of the talks be online only, and have a Q&A room with the presenter set for a fixed time that questions could be asked. Sitting in a room with 5,000 other people and getting death by power point, is not that productive. If I ask myself what I would change, it would likely be the big talks. If DefCon made a VR version of the con, and I think they have the right demographics for it, I would pay to attend that.īased on comments and thinking about it.

But I am currently not getting the value I want out of it. It's growing pains you get with any con that is expanding. Now that it's near $500, I expect a bit more out of the venue and to have more ability to get into the talks I want see. It's been that way, and worse in the past, but there is less of an expectation when the ticket price is $100 and it's at an almost out of business hotel. Price is a factor, but it just got to crowded. I have skipped the last 2 years and will be skipping this one. I'm not connected with DefCon in anyway so I have no idea what to do with this info, but you are definitely satisfying my curiosity. I am still planning on going, and a good portion of my friends are also still planning on going despite these defections but I am curious if anyone else has encountered this.ĮDIT: Thanks everyone who is responding. (Also one was really unhappy with room block costs, they apparently compared costs the week after and thought the hotels were gouging, but that seems to really be outside DefCon control (I personally have not compared costs)). Ancillary reasons have included they don't like the new venue, aren't happy with some of the village changes, and skytalks cancellation, but those have all been partnered with cost. In the process I have had a few friends (like 4 at this point) who have been fairly regular attendees tell me they aren't going this year, citing cost as a major reason.

To the meat of the matter now, so we are like 9 weeks out and I am starting to try and track down which of my friends are going to be attending this year and arranging get togethers and such. I am just interested if anyone else is seeing the same thing. Second, this is purely anecdotal - I am not trying to make any sweeping generalizations about this is the doom of DefCon or anything like that. First, I don't know what drove the big price bump this year - inflation, venue costs, whatever - so this isn't necessarily a criticism of the price bump.

Defcon tickets reddit cost