'Hello World'

An Introduction:

Welcome to the beginning of the adventure that is BSides Cheltenham. To quote Dolly Parton (I know not the standard for a InfoSec conference), "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one." BSides Cheltenham started with a small thought, that Cheltenham didn't have any technical cyber conferences. Thats not to say that we don't have some amazing cyber security and tech talks, because we do especially with Cynam, but none that were all that technical. So in October 2021 I had a talk with Jack, from BSides Las Vegas. Things very quickly spiraled out of hand, until here we are with an event only a few short months away.

This first post will be short, more of a small introduction. In planning this event I have researched every BSides event in the UK and fell in love with BSides Bristol's blog and the transparency it gave to their event. So I decided I wanted to make BSides Cheltenham's processes just as transparent, so will be giving you regular updates and a real behind the scene look.

The first update:

While this is our first post, there has been a lot behind the scenes. We have registered the company, got the website up, got sponsorship and marketing packs completed, and overall started laying the groundwork for a very successful event. We have also gathered a group of awesome volunteers to help form the core team, who I can't wait to introduce you to.

One of the things I am probably proudest of is completing our code of conduct. As a female I know how intimidating cyber security events in general can be, and we are dedicated to make BSides Cheltenham a safe and inclusive environment for all.

This event is really is a 'by the community and for the community event' meaning we are currently looking for sponsors, if you or anyone you know is interested in sponsoring please contact us at sponsors@BsidesCheltenham.org.uk.

The exciting news:

There are a few very exciting things to take note of:

1. The call for papers will start March 1, 2022. Don't miss your chance to make your mark and speak at BSides Cheltenham.

2. We are hoping to announce our venue and exact date in the upcoming weeks, the suspense is killing me and I can't wait to be able to share our vision for this event in more depth.

We can't wait to share this experience with you and welcome you to BSides Cheltenham this summer. Make sure you follow us on social media to get the latest updates. Twitter | Linked in