So you want to help make BSides CambridgeMA a successful conference? That’s awesome – thank you! Here’s how you can help:
Ahead of the Conference
Submit a talk or workshop!
The lifeblood of the conference is high quality presentations and workshops led by members of the community. Read the Call for Proposals carefully. Keep in mind that what we’re looking for, first and foremost, is accessible and informative content. Even if you’re not the biggest expert in a field, if you can explain your topic of interest in a way that’s meaningful or entertaining then you have a pretty good opportunity to have your talk chosen! All submissions are judged blind, so the thought and care you put into your proposal submission matters a lot more than your formal credentials.
Convince a friend to submit a talk or workshop!
Even if you don’t feel ready to propose a talk, I bet you know someone smart who has some smart things to say in a smart way. Get them to submit a talk proposal on their subject of interest!
Get your employer to sponsor the conference!
We accept sponsorships to help fund the conference, so that everyone in the community who wants to come can attend regardless of their personal financial situation. Go have a conversation with your marketing or recruiting team and see if they have a little money in a budget somewhere they’d be willing to put towards a non-profit community event. A few hundred bucks doesn’t mean much to a large corporation, but it can make a huge difference for the conference. We’ll put your company’s name on the website and give a shout out during Opening Ceremonies.
Spread the word!
Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Share the newsletter. Post about the conference in your favorite Discord / Slack / Signal / Matrix / Fediverse / Bluesky / Telegram / WhatsApp / WeChat / iMessage group chat. We literally don’t spend any money marketing this thing, so people can only find out about the conference from other humans telling them about it.
Join the Proposal Review Committee
Proposal Review Committee is an important part of the organizing process. Thankfully, we currently have a great diverse crew of folks from different parts of the infosec community already in place to review proposals. If we ever need new spots, we’ll reach out!
Day of the Conference
Show up early and help with set up!
Organizers arrive on site around 0800 to load in supplies and help set up the hall. Come early and help us move stuff. It’s very helpful and the Armory staff appreciates the extra hands too. Shout out to Jason Platt for being a huge help ever year.
Bring zines, stickers, or other swag!
The conference is a great place to spread your ideas about how we can make the world a better place. Make and print a zine! If you don’t want to make your own, there’s tons of really cool zines out there online that are ready to print and fold. Bring subversive stickers to promote other hacker groups or just because they’re fun. You’re not allowed to sell anything, but handing out swag is totally OK. In previous years, we’ve had crews from Cult of the Dead Cow, DC207, and other local groups drop in and leave some treasures.
Stay after and help with break down!
The BSides CambridgeMA community is pretty good about cleaning up after themselves, but there’s always some stuff that could use tidying. Hang out a bit after the conference ends and lend a hand.
Something we haven’t considered?
If you have another idea for how to help, reach out to bsidescambridgema at proton.me and let us know what you’ve got in mind!