Education for the Masses

The Packet Hacking Village at DEF CON provides a learning experience for people of all skill levels, from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals.

Our Mission

To teach people good internet safety practices, and to provide an atmosphere that encourages everyone to explore and learn.

Outreach

When you sponsor the Packet Hacking Village, you enable us to provide education to over 10,000 people per year. Your support is what makes our work possible.

Executive Summary

Our purpose is to provide information security education to the masses through hands-on learning and mentoring.
The Packet Hacking Village is one of the largest and most storied villages at DEF CON, easily attracting tens of thousands of visitors during the convention. We are well known for our interactive teaching events including the Wall of Sheep, Packet Inspector, Packet Detective and our walk-through workshops. We are also widely known for our proprietary gamified training & skills assessment software, Capture The Packet, which has provided the platform for our Black Badge contest for over ten years.
Packet Hacking Village sponsors benefit from amazing industry specific exposure within a community that is both highly skilled and knowledgeable, but resistant to traditional marketing efforts. Whether you’re interested in reaching long-time professionals or people just getting their start, there’s no better way to build better, longer-standing, or further-reaching brand awareness.

 

Why sponsor the Packet Hacking Village?

Talent

Our Capture the Packet competition has been a Black Badge contest for over 10 years. When we say that we attract the most talented hackers on the planet, that is not an exaggeration.

These individuals are primed to engage with your brand simply by being present. And by sponsoring the Packet Hacking Village, you’re certain to get noticed.

Crowds

DEF CON is a massive convention, and regularly draws tens of thousands of attendees. Packet Hacking Village sponsors are visible to a huge cross section of people, from security engineers to industry strategists. If you’re looking to grow your team, or to increase your company’s reach, sponsoring our village is a guaranteed win.

Exposure

The hacker community is diverse, talented, and unique. However, hackers aren’t easy to market to. They often see traditional marketing appeals as a form of social engineering and being “sold to”, and as a result, these appeals are often less successful.

As one of the most popular and long-standing villages at DEF CON, we are also allotted some of the largest square footage at the convention. More space means more room for us to promote our sponsors, which directly translates into industry specific brand exposure and engagement.

What is the Packet Hacking Village?

The Packet Hacking Village at DEF CON provides a learning experience for people of all skill levels, from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals. We host practical training, network forensics and analysis games, and the renowned Capture The Packet event, which has been a Black Badge contest over 10 times and draws world-class hackers from around the world.

Our mission has always been simple: to teach people good internet safety practices, and to provide an atmosphere that encourages everyone to explore and learn.

We work hard to offer a unique experience within DEF CON. At the Packet Hacking Village, we provide an environment where everyone is welcome, regardless of industry or experience. We pride ourselves on giving attendees the opportunity to learn from industry professionals, try their hand at our extensive range of security-themed challenges and games, and benefit from free training.

And when it’s time to relax and escape the convention craziness, our DJs provide a chill atmosphere while they spin for the crowd in an open lounge area.

Your Sponsor Dollars At Work…

Corporate social responsibility is an important marketing tool, and sponsoring educational initiatives is a great way to show the community where your values lie. When you sponsor the Packet Hacking Village, you enable us to provide education to over 10,000 people per year. Your support is what makes our work possible.

Merchandising

We offer branded merchandise each and every DEF CON that is beloved by attendees and seen year-round. Attendees come by to collect our stickers, shirts and challenge coins every year by participating in our training and events. You sponsorship gets you a prime spot on our coveted village and Capture The Packet shirts, helping build brand awareness and forming ties with one of the friendliest hacker groups around.

The View From Inside

We provide every sponsor with exposure across all of our screens throughout the entirety of our space. That means you’ll gain exposure across all our events during the convention, from start to finish. We are one of the only villages positioned to provide this type of brand support, and with the number of DEF CON attendees we draw, your visibility will skyrocket.

Video Exposure

We provide customized video overlays to our Village Leads, Staff, Crew, Speakers and Workshop leads. These overlays prominently display sponsors’ logos. This placement is only available to Platinum, Gold, and Silver sponsors, and spots go quickly. We encourage you to reach out sooner rather than later.

Your sponsorship will have massive reach both during DEF CON and after. These are our most popular events where your brand will be displayed:

Our Events

Wall Of Sheep

The Wall of Sheep is an entertaining and interactive demonstration of what happens when network users let their guard down.

People don’t always think about internet safety in a practical sense. Even seasoned industry professionals get careless, and believe that technology will passively protect them. The Wall of Sheep puts these assumptions to the test, and shows that when people let their guard down, anything can happen – and often does.

We monitor the DEF CON network, waiting for users to log into their email, web sites, or other network services without the protection of encryption. Once found, we post redacted yet identifiable information on the Wall Of Sheep as a good-natured reminder that security matters, and someone is always watching.

Capture The Packet

Capture The Packet is a world renowned cybersecurity training simulator and skill assessment suite. This gamified system places players in an enclosed hostile network and pits them against hundreds of bleeding-edge challenges based on the most current cyber threats.

Capture the Packet has been a DEF CON Black Badge event for over 10 years, and we don’t plan on stopping. This event attracts the best of the best from around the world to play.

While Capture The Packet can easily scale for users of every level, we pull out all the stops to make this one of the most challenging and respected contests at DEF CON.

Packet Detective/Packet Inspector

DEF CON regularly attracts fresh talent in the Information Security field. Packet Detective and Packet Inspector engage newcomers and experienced professionals alike with hands-on, volunteer supported exercises.

These challenges promote critical thinking, teach core security tools, build on professional repertoires, and inspire attendees towards larger Capture The Flag (or Packet!) style events.

Packet Detective and Packet Inspector are a great way for new attendees to learn under the eye of our skilled volunteers. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and this is the best place.

Walkthrough Workshops

Walkthrough Workshops offer hands-on training at a self-guided pace. In these workshops, attendees take a deep dive into some of the most relevant subjects in cybersecurity with subject matter experts standing by to assist.

Cybersecurity is a trade that requires hands-on practice, and our team of experts from all walks of life provide mentoring to guide the way.

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WosDJCo

The Wall of Sheep DJ Company (WoSDJCo) brings music and atmosphere into the village space. Our goal is to keep the village staff and visitors entertained, motivated, and having a good time.

At the Packet Hacking Village, we work hard to create a unique mood and vibe. Our DJs are a big part of making this happen, and attendees come back year after year to enjoy their musical stylings.

2022 Packet Hacking Village Sponsorship Levels

Platinum

$40,000

Gold

$20,000

Silver

$10,000

Bronze

$5,000

Copper

$2,000
Sponsor on PHV T-Shirts6 x
Sponsor Logo on Video Overlays x x x
PHV Bulk DEF CON Badge Buy Option2 x x x
Sponsor Giveaways5 x x x x x
Sponsor Thanks on Social Media3 x x x x x
Sponsor Logo on Event Projectors4 x x x x x
DEF CON Badges 2 1 0 0 0
PHV Village Passes1 8 6 4 3 2

 

Notes

  1. Village passes and DEF CON badges are different. DEF CON badges are required for entry to the convention; village passes are required for entry to the Packet Hacking VIllage back of house.
  2. Bulk DEF CON badge buy option means that, on request, you may purchase and receive your DEF CON badges in advance. This is optional, and we will work with you to meet your needs.
  3. Social Media includes Facebook and Twitter.
  4. Logo to be displayed on large projectors for all Village events.
  5. Giveaways are optional and at sponsor’s expense. We provide the opportunity, you provide the promoted giveaways.
  6. For Platinum sponsor logos to appear on the village T-shirt, sponsor submissions must be received by June 30, 2022. After that date, sponsorship is still possible but we cannot guarantee that your logo will appear on physical materials.

A 25% non-refundable deposit is due within 30 days of contract signing. The remaining balance is due before June 30 2022. Failure to meet stated payment deadlines will result in forfeiture of sponsorship slot, and your deposit will be lost. Special accommodations may be requested and will be reviewed on a case by case basis. This date is set to minimize rush fees, ensure branding appears correctly and streamline planning overall.

Still have questions? Check our FAQ page for more information.

Your sponsorship is just one click away!

Are you ready to help one of DEF CONs biggest events happen?

I want to Sponsor!

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