Proving Ground
The BSidesLV Proving Ground program exists in order to give first-time speakers the opportunity to work with a seasoned industry professional to improve their public speaking skills, with the end goal of presenting their research on a global stage at BSidesLV. All accepted speakers spend 4 months working with an experienced mentor who will assist them with everything from talking points to slide layout, design, and delivery prior to giving their talk in Las Vegas.
Proving Ground will consider any speaker who has original research and has never presented a 25-minute or longer presentation at an international information security conference*.
Proving Ground mentors should have at least 3 years of experience in the information security industry, and should have either:
- successfully delivered at least one full-length presentation at an international information security conference*; OR
- extensive professional experience with public speaking, such as teaching, in-person training, or public lectures/speeches.
*For purposes of clarity, the Proving Ground program considers “international information security conferences” to be any multi-day conference that a.) makes conference recordings available online, and b.) has 1,000 or more attendees. Examples include Black Hat USA, DEF CON, Shmoocon, etc.
Each accepted speaker and mentor will be provided with:
- All speaker amenities at BsidesLV (including breakfast and lunch on both days of the conference)
- A BSidesLV Proving Ground program t-shirt
- A conference badge that will identify them as a part of the Proving Ground program
- An extra conference badge for a friend