Closing Ceremony

This closing ceremony for the 2023 BSides Las Vegas opens with the organizers reviewing the event's scale, including more than 400 submissions across ten tracks. They highlight the Proving Ground mentorship program, which pairs first-time speakers with mentors for six months so they can present on a national stage, and they ask attendees to recruit new voices for the coming year.

The middle of the ceremony covers the people and causes behind the event. The organizers introduce the team that runs Pros vs Joe's, a two-day offensive and defensive capture-the-flag game where a red team plays an advanced persistent threat against newcomers defending their environments. They recognize sponsors, volunteers, and a new career-focused track, and they describe charity support for the EFF and the Cognitive Security Institute. A live silent auction and raffle then followed, with donated badges, books, hardware, artwork, and collectibles, and all proceeds went to the EFF. A guitar built by one of the founders brought in about $1,500 for the same cause.

The closing remarks come from the board president, who frames BSides as a rejection of gatekeeping and asks attendees to share knowledge, submit to the call for papers, and return next year. For practitioners, the practical takeaways are to mentor newcomers, sponsor or volunteer for community events, and bring new speakers into the program.