Generally, Affiliate Summit West is the only large-scale conference I bother attending in any given year. However, this month I just needed to get my nerd conference fix. Sure, there is Affiliate Summit East, but that’s in NYC, and I just got back from NYC last month. Also, I needed an excuse to go to Vegas (just a few days after my last Vegas trip). The solution? Black Hat!

True, the conference has pretty much absolutely nothing to do with internet marketing. But…it’s got a lot to do with internet! It would be prudent of all of us to stay up to date with the latest news in cyber security, seeing as how we are all flourishing in this space, right? So, I made the 3hr and 50min drive out to Vegas (got up to 122mph near stateline) and checked it out.

Things that I Liked

Caesar’s Palace
Not the greatest spot on the strip, sure, but it’s up there.The convention area is top-notch. A friend of mine who also attended opened up a tab at the little round bar by the casino one night and we all went nuts. Thanks, buddy. Sometimes you have to make your own open bars.

The Exhibit Hall
My only real basis for comparison is Affiliate Summit. Well, in contrast, the Black Hat exhibit hall is much smaller, maybe a quarter or even a fifth of the size. Unlike Affiliate Summit, there was no beer to be found. Why is this listed under things I like? Well, the people from the various security companies were actually incredibly friendly. Also, the conference issued these little stamp booklets to black hatters which you could use to go to participating booths and get them stamped (in exchange for them scanning your badge). Completed booklets would be eligible for prize drawings. Seemed like a really smart incentive to get people visiting and interacting with more booths. It also seemed kind of fun, since you had to hunt down the booths you needed.

Blackberry Security
You guys were awesome. Even though you couldn’t help me charge my phone, you were still the best booth in the room. I will cherish my flashlight keychain forever.

Lisa @ Lunch
Lunch was provided in one of the conference rooms, banquet style. It was okay. Nothing to write home about. However, a young woman named Lisa that was serving us was phenomenal. She was extremely friendly and helpful. We requested coffee, and even though it was provided already in the hallway (unbeknownst to us), she managed to dig up a pot and some cups for us in the back. The coffee was actually incredible. Someone should give Lisa a promotion. Lisa might actually be my favorite thing about Black Hat.

Things that I Did Not Like

The Dude that Checked me in
…was a dick. Actually he didn’t even check me in, he said I had to come back after 4pm, but he was a dick about it.

Dell/Qualys Party at The Bank @ Bellagio (aka The Absolut Cloud Party)
Their invite system was pretty cool. You had to visit each respective booth (Dell and Qualys) and get a stamp on your little party card, then when you had both stamps, they would give you a wristband. However, the party itself was not so cool. A couple of friends and myself did our darndest to accurately calculate the male to female ratio. Our best guess, and I am being totally honest and not trying to exaggerate in the slightest bit, was about 20:1. That is including club employees. To make matters worse, the bar was only sort of “open.” I first ordered a Tanqueray 10 martini, and was quickly informed that 1) Tanqueray 10 was not on the menu, and 2) Martinis were not on the menu. So, I drank Tanqueray + tonics all night. Still, not the worst drink the world.

I’m not trying to complain about the quality of the free booze. Well, I guess I am. Perhaps I am just spoiled by the excess of Affiliate Summit parties. Maybe that is not a fair basis of comparison…but that’s all I’ve really got! Plus, this thing was in Vegas. How can you expect me to not be confused?

The Badges
They were pretty dumb looking. That is an area that could really use some improvement.

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I didn’t stick around for DefCon. From what I hear, it was way better than Black Hat, but I really have no idea.

All in all, it was worth the visit. I can’t say I learned a whole lot about cyber security, but I did win like $850 bucks on craps at the Bellagio. I’d call it a successful trip. I’m sure that those who were spending all day at the trainings/briefings must have been getting something out of it as well.