BSides Detroit 2012 Planning

[b00st_Sec/Ryan]

So before you know it June will be here so we need to start thinking
about planning and the various aspects of such.

First things first you should familiarize yourself with the Security
BSides Wiki and what the whole BSides thing is about if you don't
already know. Secondly think about where you can help out and be
realistic about how you can help out. If you don't think you can help
too much, thats fine just make sure you tell us that so we can plan
accordingly. Don't accept/volunteer for something if you don't think
your schedule can permit you to work on it. My goal is to make the
con 100 times better than the first and I need everyone's help in
doing that. With that said lets get on with it! ;)

I need people to volunteer for the different areas of the planning.

Audio/Video - All aspects of the audio setup to the streaming setup.
Depending on venue this could involve wrangling all equipment
including projector/camera/mic/mixer etc.

Sponsor Wrangler(s) - Call the sponsors or potential sponsors, bug
them, whatever because without their wonderful help we have no con!

Speaker Wrangler (s) - Helping the speakers with whatever they need up
until the end of the con.

TShirts/Badges - Find tshirts and get badges printed, etc....

Security goons - event day security and setup/teardown staff the day
before/after event.

That is all I can think of at the moment. If you think of anything
else add it to this post.

Thanks!

Ryan

[J Wolfgang Goerlich]

Hello b00st_sec,

Let's roll. Sign me up as the sponsor wrangler.

--
J Wolfgang Goerlich
http://www.jwgoerlich.us (Computing)
http://jwgoerlich.solarbotics.net (Robotics)

[Chris Jenks]

I'm not sure what I could be useful for, beyond the Lock Pick village,
and helping to set up.

[Justin Ryder]

Count me in. I can setup A/V, "tend" the bar, etc... Just let me know.

[Kyle Creyts]

I'm in. To the hilt. Sorry about not kicking this all off earlier. Personal life stuff. Let's pow-wow.

[Steven Fox]

All,
 
I can help reach out to potential sponsors and to secure a venue for the conference.  I suggest we discuss bsides marketing as a team since the ideal approach would involve all of us promoting the conference in some way.
 
Steven
 

---

Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:26:09 -0400
Subject: Re: [BSidesDetroit] Re: BSides Detroit 2012 Planning
From: kyle....@gmail.com
To: bsides...@googlegroups.com

[J Wolfgang Goerlich]

Agreed. Tighter coordination around a strong message will make getting sponsors, venues, and attendees much easier.

Perhaps we can have a BSides meeting before #misec? The next meeting is October 20th, if that works for everyone.

-- 

J Wolfgang Goerlich 

http://www.jwgoerlich.us (Computing) 

http://jwgoerlich.solarbotics.net (Robotics) 

[Kyle Creyts]

I'll be there for the pre-#misec talk. If anyone wants to do a prelim chat at ArbSec[1] on the 5th in Ann Arbor, or SUMIT at UMich[2] on the 6-7th, I will be there as well.

I think we should focus on a message of community integration and development(#misec), plus communal learning while carrying the B-Sides banner. This is about bringing education to everyone.

On Sep 20, 2011 5:13 PM, "J Wolfgang Goerlich" <jwgoe...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Justin Ryder]

I have a minor logistical issue in being 3.5 hours away, but I'm sure we can work around that. I'll focus on bringing the significance of this conference to potential sponsors on the western side of our state. As everyone that attended GrrCon knows, we have an enormous medical community here that may have interest in supporting what we're doing and sending some of their infosec people to the conference to benefit from it. Any leads or suggestions are always appreciated.

-Justin

[J Wolfgang Goerlich]

Hey Justin,

My conference room -- where we hold #misec meetings -- is equipped for conference calls. If you are available when we meet, perhaps you can call in and join us remotely.

The GrrCon community was quite impressive, and I look forward to seeing how we can collaborate.

Wolfgang

[Justin Ryder]

Sounds good. Throw me the number and I'll make time to dial in.

[Matt Johnson]

I can be a speaker wrangler and whatever else you guys need.

--
$ContactInfo = @{
 Name    = "Matt Johnson"
 Email   = "mjoh...@mwjcomputing.com"
 Phone = "734-743-1695"
 Blog    = "http://www.mwjcomputing.com/"
 Twitter = "mwjcomputing"
 MSN     = "mjoh...@mwjcomputing.com"
 XMPP    = "mjoh...@mwjcomputing.com"
}

PS C:\> New-Contact @ContactInfo

[Matt Johnson]

Also, I am going to try to be at Arbsec on the 5th and MiSec on the
20th so I am down to talk there as well.

[Chris Jenks]

Just double checked the reregistration email, SUMIT is listed as the 18th

[Kyle Creyts]

Ahh, too true. Michigan Cybersecurity Summit is the 6-7th, and UMich SUMIT is the 18th.

http://safecomputing.umich.edu/events/

[Isabel, Dawn]

I will be available the day of for setup, and should be able to help out with miscellaneous stuff beforehand. I will be at SUMIT too.

- Dawn

[David French]

I look forward to helping get the word out and helping to coordinate.  You can also count on us for sponsorship again for sure.  Talk to you soon.

[Ryan Harp]

I will be at #MiSec and at SUMIT so anything is fine with me.  I agree that this iteration needs to be much more coordinated and I am psyched to see all the people step up and volunteer their help and time.  You people are what this whole thing is about and it is awesome.  Looking forward to talking to all of you soon. 

Thanks,

Ryan

Also, David thanks for all your help and for Qualys's sponsorship!  We love Qualys!

On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 6:33 AM, Isabel, Dawn <d...@umich.edu> wrote:

[Steven Fox]

Everyone,
 
We have about 8 months to organize an amazing BSides Detroit experience.  This gives us ample time to build up a few things I feel will help us get more sponsor dollars, provide an outstanding conference experience, and promote a positive perspective on the Michigan InfoSec community.
 
1) Build our 2012 Brand.
 
We should build on the core "anti-conference" BSides Brand by focusing on what made last year's event a success.  Our brand should appeal to both our target audience/speakers and to the corporate sponsors that will help cover expenses.
 
2) Develop a Sponsorship Prospectus.
 
I've been studying Blackhat's sponsor document (http://www.blackhat.com/docs/bh-us-12/sponsors/bh-us-12-sponsors_prospectus.pdf) for some ideas on how we can market ourselves successfully.  While we don't share Blackhat's branding, several elements from this document could be used in our pitch.  For example, we can present some statistics on the individuals that attended last year. their affilation, and their role.  We include positive comments made by those attendees to show that a market exists for those sponsors that would invest in our event.  We should also diversify our sponsorship options so that company can sponsor at multiple levels.  For example, one sponsor could cover the cost of flying in a big-name speaker while another could cover the cost of gift-bags for the speakers.
 
3) Develop a Marketing Plan.
 
We should beging viral marketing as soon as our brand image is solidified.  This is consistent with the core BSides brand.  However, I suggest that we investigate working with a PR firm if the sponsorship dollars make that possible.
 
I have other ideas to make 2012 an amazing year, but the above steps need to be done before we explore them.  I welcome your thoughts and opinions.
 
Steven

[Kyle Creyts]

Steven,

I wholeheartedly agree that it would be nice to see a more diverse sponsorship, and I certainly wouldn't complain about having more budget flexibility. I would, however, prefer to avoid venturing into paying for speakers to come out. To the best of my knowledge, no B-Sides event has ever paid travel for speakers, and it is my belief that it goes against the core ideals of the organization.

Speakers should be people with a desire to share, educate, partipate, attend and add to the event. While not every speaker can fit this profile, and it is my genuine belief that the unconference, grassroots nature of the organization is at the core of its success.

Please, don't take it the wrong way when I suggest refraining from hiring a PR firm. Building a social brand is easier, free, and a proven success. Last year, we succeeded in being the first BSides event to ever break even. Every other event has gone into the red.

Further, just by way of social media and word of mouth, we attracted over 110 attendees, from a broad range of fields. I would like to grow the social campaign, and I would love to attract traveling and excellent speakers, but I would strongly suggest hiring a PR firm as a last result.

Everyone,

We should have a meeting to sit down and discuss the marketing plan, and continue the fleshing out of the event plan that I understand has already begun.

I am available for lunch every day next week, wherever anybody who wants to discuss BSides wants to meet, and for dinner as well, with exceptions Monday and Thursday.

BSides is in my blood, and it is something I feel very passionately about. I would love to hear everyone elses thoughts on this and other ideas as well... Perhaps I have reacted too strongly.

Kyle Creyts
Merit Network, Inc.

[J Wolfgang Goerlich]

Hello Steven, Kyle, et al,

Some thoughts ...

1) Build our 2012 Brand.

I agree that it starts with building our brand. Everything else flow from the brand, including the sponsorship prospectus, the logo, the t-shirts, the badges.

As the "Sponsor Wrangler," I have good news. White Haired Man Design has agreed to contribute time and materials towards branding. Michael Galligan will be working with us, and walking thru their branding process. I have done this process before and been very pleased with the results.

At a high level, Michael does one-on-one interviews and a couple group interviews. This gives him an understanding of our culture, goals, et cetera. He then comes up with some concepts. After some back and forth with us, one concept is selected. White Haired Man Design then refines the concept into the final brand and logo.

2) Develop a Sponsorship Prospectus.

Steven, thank you for pointing me to Black Hat’s prospectus. Ryan also has provided me with the BSides prospectus. Between the two, we have what we need to build a strong case.

Kyle brings up an interesting point about sponsoring travel for speakers. While this is common among every conference that I have presented at, it may not be the BSides way. Then again, BSides is about being flexible. I would like to see us keep the idea on the table for now.

3) Develop a Marketing Plan.

Recent conferences in our region have set a high bar. Michigan’s own GrrCon was well run and had over 500 attendees. DerbyCon followed a month later, with over 1,000 attendees. Now we may not want to grow to that size (we had 110 last year). However, it is clear that we have the opportunity and the local talent to greatly expand and enhance BSides Detroit.

Branding comes first. I am excited to be working with Michael Galligan again. He does great things. PR and marketing comes second. Grass roots and social media will play a major role in that effort. Perhaps, as a last result or final step in the process, I can find a sponsor to help us in the PR area.

I will start another thread on getting the BSides organizers together. The next eight months will go by fast. Please let's keep brainstorming. Keeping all ideas on the table until we hash them out together.

Regards,

Wolfgang

PS: Michael Galligan and I recently followed their branding process for an open source project. If you want to see the process in action, please see the webinar for the project team. 

SimWitty Branding -- Designer's Commentary
http://blip.tv/j-wolfgang-goerlich/simwitty-branding-designer-s-commentary-3388271

[Kyle Creyts]

Absolutely agree that the idea of branding should be embraced, and as soon as possible; we were a somewhat confused brand last year, it being the first time any of us had done this, but we came out with many lessons learned, and an earlier start with branding will be a huge boon. Last year, tickets flew every time we embraced a new aspect of brand, and associated with an identity. Thanks to EventBrite, we had and have amazing tools to track the success of our campaigns, which I intend for us to maximize again this year.

Steven, I apologize if it sounded like I wanted to scrub the idea of PR entirely; I want to make it clear that I am not trying, and will not try, to edge out any idea; we all have a say in this, and in the end, a larger pool of ideas will just help us to create a better experience. After having to generate so much of the ideas for last year's event in such a small circle of organizers, I am thrilled to see both new people and past planners participating.

I was also working on wrangling some local graphic designers, and design students in a call for shirt and poster designs. The faster we develop a brand, the sooner we can give them ideas to start playing with, and have some prospects to examine. 

For those of you who weren't around last year, I would like to say, it is great to hear JW intent on raising the bar. My goal is to grow this into a destination event, without a conference running in parallel. I have big plans for BSidesDetroit, and would love to see it become a core event of the BSides series. I don't know that growing it will always be a comfortable process for everyone who has been a part of it, myself included, but this isn't about me. I decided to bring BSides here with the sole aim of doing the most good, by bringing people together and getting them forming relationships, talking, sharing. The goal was to aid in forming stronger, more capable, cohesive, better integrated local, state-wide, and regional information security communities. Growing the scope of the event, the quality and diversity of the speakers, and the participants will only further these aims.

J, I would also encourage you to talk to Matt Hester, from Microsoft, regarding sponsorship. I spoke with him last year, but by the time we had developed a cohesive picture to present potential sponsors with, it was too late for him, as budget was already allocated. I actually have quite a few other leads from last year which I would love to forward you as well, now that I think of it, so I will throw all of those into a direct mail to you.

Thank you all for throwing in your stake, and I look forward to many good discussions.

Kyle Creyts

--
Kyle Creyts

Information Assurance Professional
BSidesDetroit Organizer