With security team workloads increasing year-on-year, it’s no surprise that practitioners are selective about the cybersecurity events and conferences they attend.
But despite reporting high levels of understaffing and burnout, most security pros find the time to attend these events. According to the 2023 Voice of the SOC report, which surveyed 900 practitioners in the US and Europe, 81% have attended at least one conference in the past two years.
The message here is clear: most security professionals view attending cybersecurity conferences as time well spent.
Key benefits of attending cybersecurity events:
help security practitioners stay informed on upcoming trends and threats
provide opportunities to connect with peers and learn how other teams are approaching common problems
explore the latest security tools and platforms
hear insights from industry leaders
In short, security pros walk away from these events with a deeper understanding of what they should focus on for the following quarter.
So which conferences are security teams prioritizing in 2024? According to the report, there are seven events that they find value in year after year.
The best cybersecurity events and conferences, according to security practitioners
1. AWS re:Inforce
Taking place annually in the US, AWS re:Inforce is a three-day conference inviting attendees to learn about cloud security, compliance, identity, and privacy. It includes leadership and breakout sessions, as well as details of new AWS launches in the event’s hotly-anticipated keynote.
Attended by: 39% of survey respondents
Next event:
AWS: re:Inforce, June 10 to 12, 2024 | Philadelphia, PA
2. Black Hat
Black Hat is an international event series that provides practitioners with the latest in information security research, development, and trends. Taking place in the US, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, the multi-day, in–person events offer hands-on trainings, as well as expert-led briefings on new research, vulnerabilities, and open-source tools.
Attended by: 37% of survey respondents
Next events:
Black Hat Europe, December 4 to 7, 2023 | London, UK
Black Hat Asia, April 16 to 19, 2024 | Singapore
Black Hat USA, August 3 to 8, 2024 | Las Vegas, NV
Event highlight: Black Hat Happy Hour with Tines and Drata
Wednesday, December 6, from 5pm to 9pm | Sunborn yacht, a minute’s walk from the main ExCel London entrance
The Black Hat Happy Hour with Tines and Drata offers a chance to connect with fellow security practitioners over drinks and canapés on board the Sunborn yacht. Drata EMEA Audit Alliance Manager Martin Davies and Tines co-founder and COO Thomas Kinsella host a mini panel discussion on the role security and automation play in compliance. Register here to attend.
3. AWS re:Invent
AWS re:Invent is a five-day learning conference for the cloud computing community. The in-person event includes keynote announcements, training and certification opportunities, and technical sessions.
Attended by: 35% of survey respondents
Next event:
AWS re:Invent, November 27 to December 1, 2023 | Las Vegas, NV
4. InfoSec
InfoSec is a popular event series for the information security community, taking place annually in the US and Europe. Attendees can expect learning and networking opportunities, as well as expert-led sessions and workshops.
Attended by: 27% of survey respondents
Next events:
InfoSecurity Europe, June 4 to 6, 2024 | London, UK
InfoSec World, September 23 to 25, 2024 | Lake Buena Vista, FL
5. DefCon
DefCon is a hacker conference held annually in Las Vegas, which proved to be particularly popular with security practitioners from smaller companies of 1,000 employees or less. Famous for its contests, the conference includes several speaker tracks covering a wide range of cybersecurity challenges.
Attended by: 27% of survey respondents
Next event:
Def Con 32, August 8 to 11, 2024 | Las Vegas, NV
6. BSides
BSides is a community-driven security event series that takes place in 60+ countries. Famous for its schedule of live talks and demos, and its collaborative atmosphere, BSides events are particularly popular with survey respondents in Europe - 30% said they’d attended a BSides event in the past 2 years.
Attended by: 24% of total survey respondents
Next events:
BSides London, December 9, 2023 | London, UK
BSides San Diego, March 30 | San Diego, CA
BSides Tampa, April 6, 2024 | Tampa, FL
BSides Seattle, April 27, 2024 | Seattle, WA
BSides San Francisco, May 4 to 5, 2024 | San Francisco, CA
7. RSA Conference
One of the longest-established events on this list, RSA is an annual cybersecurity conference which was designed to help practitioners strengthen the security posture of their organizations. Attendees can expect networking, contests, and expert-led sessions.
Attended by: 13% of survey respondents
Next event:
RSA Conference 2024, May 6 - 9, 2024 | San Francisco, CA
On the rise: new and noteworthy security events
ElasticON
Hosted by the team at search-powered solutions Elastic, ElasticON invites attendees to hear the latest insights from product experts and network with fellow users.
Next events:
ElasticON London, February 13, 2024 | London, UK
ElasticON Sydney, February 20, 2024 | Sydney, AU
ElasticON Singapore, March 5, 2024 | Singapore
ElasticON Chicago, March 12, 2024 | Chicago, IL
ElasticON New York, March 26, 2024 | New York, NY
SecureWorld
SecureWorld's list of events has grown steadily over the past 22 years, as attendees gather virtually and in person for training, collaboration, and panel discussions featuring recognized industry leaders.
Next events:
SecureWorld Boston, March 13 - 14, 2024 | Boston, MA
SecureWorld Miami, March 19 - 21, 2024 | Miami, FL
Fal.Con
Hosted by Crowdstrike, Fal.Con is an annual event featuring keynote speakers, breakout sessions, case study panels and strategy sessions. It also offers attendees a chance to get up to date on Crowdstrike's suite of cybersecurity products.
Next event:
Fal.Con, September 16 - 18, 2024 | Las Vegas, NV
Stay up to date with the latest security event listings.