The latest episode of the Exploring Information Security podcast is out. Check out Episode 171, What is ShowMeCon 2024?

I have been told I’ll be speaking at ShowMeCon 2024, which I’m super excited about because it’s a great conference that is a nice change of pace from the other conferences in the industry. The people that attend are the biggest draw. Not just the organizers and the friends I’ve made in the St. Louis area but also the attendees. They’re attentive and ask really great questions.

The conference hits that sweet spot between hacker and local chapter conference. There’s lots of great hacking personalities and talks but it also has that professional business feel. You won’t have to worry about logistics such as caffeine or food. You can just focus on the content the conference has to offer. The content is great with well known speakers such as Kevin Johnson and Jayson E. Street and lesser known ones like me! Here are some of my favorite moments from past ShowMeCon iterations.

St. Charles and St. Louis

The venue and location are fantastic. The conference is held in the Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa. The conference center is spacious and well setup. They have breakfast, lunch, and a happy and dinner. The rooms are fantastic. St Charles is a great spot to hang out and St. Louis has a lot of really great free options for family such as the zoo. The pool is a popular spot with the biggest draw being the music underwater! This is the best venue and location I’ve been to for a conference.

Speaking at showmecon

I was shocked when I went to the podium at ShowMeCon for the first time to present on How to Build a Home Lab. There were way too many people in that room for my talk. It was absolutely packed and it went really well. I even got a great laugh from the crowd which is always a great feeling for a presenter. I heard the next year when I was brought back that I had a lot of really great feedback on the talk which surprised me but it’s something I’ve always remembered and appreciated being told. I did an application security talk that I don’t remember much about. My last year there I was invited to do an Exploring Information Security panel which was great and had a lot of great interaction from the crowd.

Dave Does a talk with a guitar

One of my favorite talks from the conference is when Dave got on stage for a talk with his guitar. As he mentioned on the podcast, he did that because his talk wasn’t ready but he needed to do something so he got up on the stage with his guitar. It was a really great improvised talk on security with a guitar. Dave is a pretty good musician.

Malort

Very few people like the taste of Jeppson’s Malört. Made in Chicago it is one of the most vile things you will ever taste. Johnny Xmas, another speaker at the conference, brought a bottle to share in the speaker room. These were the results:

Hope to see you at ShowMeCon 2024!

This post first appeared on Exploring Information Security.