0wn the Con / Growing Up ShmooCon
Shmoo Group
ShmooCon XX (Final) · Day 3 · Bring It On
The "0wn the Con" talk is a long-standing tradition at ShmooCon, offering attendees an unprecedented look behind the curtain of running a major hacker conference. Unlike typical security presentations focusing on vulnerabilities or exploits, this session, delivered by members of the **Shmoo Group** (primarily AR and Mr. Potter), delves into the intricate logistics, philosophical underpinnings, and sheer human effort required to bring ShmooCon to life year after year. This particular installment, titled "Growing Up ShmooCon," carried significant emotional weight as it marked the final iteration of the conference, providing a retrospective on two decades of operation and a unique forward look from the perspective of the organizers' children.
AI review
This is not a zero-day talk, but it's a deep dive into the guts of running a decades-long, community-focused conference. The Shmoo Group, along with their children, lay bare the monumental effort, the financial realities, and the personal sacrifices involved in building and sustaining a vital hacker gathering. Their brutal honesty about logistics, CFP reviews, and the decision to end the con, coupled with the unique multi-generational perspective, offers invaluable lessons for anyone serious about community building and event management. It's a masterclass in transparent operations and the…