Established in 2010 under the original name hashdays, Area41 is Switzerland's most well-known technical information security conference. Every two years, international speakers present cutting-edge research from a variety of fields, ranging from software vulnerabilities and malware research to threat hunting and offensive security practices. Area41 attracts a diverse crowd of information security professionals, technical managers, as well as students and enthusiasts interested in the field.
Area41 actively curates a lineup consisting of international speakers as well as promising rising stars. Our talk selection focuses on content first. Our speakers, while compensated for their travel expenses, choose to share their knowledge without further compensation.
Our YouTube channel is here.
Since our first sold out event in 2016, we have chosen to cap Area41 at a 400 attendees maximum to ensure that the atmosphere and the ability to connect with other attendees and speakers alike remains intact. Get your tickets early or you might end up on the waitlist.
Area41 is coming back in Summer 2020 for its 10th anniversary with a new location in the heart of Zurich, the Kaufleuten! We are excited to welcome you, once again, for two days of technical content, networking with peers and some surprises we do not want to spoil just yet.
The Call for Papers and Call for Volunteers will open in February 2020. Keep a close eye on this page for updates!
We are trying our best to make sure as many people as possible can attend Area41. However, since ticket supplies are usually lower than demand, consider getting your ticket early.
Ticket Price 2020 conference:
CHF 300Included in price: 2-day conference ticket, access to workshops (up to capacity), catered lunch on both days, BBQ on Thursday.
The Call For Paper (CFP) will open on February 14th 2020 and close on Monday April 13st 2020 @ 23:59 CET. We are looking for technical talks in English.
More details and submission page can be found at https://forms.gle/DvjNzcdrsPUVvm3y5
At Area41 we are proud of our electronic badges that every attendee receives for free. Ten years ago we started with an interactive badge that allowed to play games, followed up by (one of?) the first free conference badge with a full color display. We are currently playing with some ideas for the 2020 edition, so stay tuned. You can check out some of our badges here
Over the years, we had the pleasure to host many great speakers from all over the world. For the 2020 edition, we strive to live up to the expectations we established in previous years by presenting you with the best line up we can muster. Information on the Call for Paper process will be released February 14th 2020. Watch for announcement on this page as well as on the regular channels such as Twitter @A41CON.
A note from the organizers:
Since we started Area41, and before it hashdays, pricing has always been a controversial topic. So we feel like we should address it upfront this year. On one hand, our prices have always been significantly below what so-called "professional" conferences charge for their tickets. On the other hand, we cannot make Area41 a free event. Why? Even though our entire staff, including ourselves, volunteers their time to put into this event, it is extremely expensive to put up an event like this in the heart of Zurich, famously one of the most expensive cities in the world. We compensate our speaker's travel expenses and we provide two lunches and a dinner, as well as beverages for our attendees. And even like that, we could never cover the costs without our sponsors.
By buying a ticket, no matter which one, you are helping to cover costs, we personally won't have any financial gain from it. Once again: This is a non-profit event. If you cannot afford a ticket, consider volunteering some of your time helping out at the event. It's an excellent opportunity to meet new people, see some talks, and gain some insight into running a security conference.
CHF 300
CHF 60
CHF 500
CHF 999
Based on last edition's feedback, we have consolidated the presentation track to a single track. In addition, we will provide a variety of workshops and networking opportunities to enable attendees to make optimal use of their time while at Area41.
The schedule is tentative and subject to change. It will be finalized in the week leading up to the event.
We could not dream of putting on an event like Area41 without our generous sponsors, some of which have been with us for the past decade. If you are interested in supporting Area41 2020, please get in touch (sponsoring@defcon-switzerland.org) to receive our current sponsorship opportunities.
We are proud to present Kaufleuten as our 2020 conference location partner.
Situated in the heart of Zurich, Kaufleuten is a place full of culture with a history reaching back over 100 years. Over this period of time, it hosted Amy Winehouse, Madonna, James Morrison, and many other illustrious people. In 2020 it will provide a platform for some of the important voices of information security
Kaufleuten.ch
Pelikanpl. 18, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
The Kaufleuten is located in the heart of Zurich, just minutes away from Zurich Main Station HB, which can be easily reached by train when arriving from Zurich Airport (ZRH).
We recommend using public transport since parking is sparse and expensive.
Nearest Parking is Talgarten 39.-/day
Nearest tram stations are:
There are many hotels in Zurich. For example the following hotels are nearby:
Call For Paper (CFP) will open on February 14th 2020 and close Monday April 13st 2020 @ 23:59 CET.
If you have a suggestion for a workshop, then send us details at committee @ defcon-switzerland.org. We are mainly interested in short workshops.
Absolutely. If you would like to help and give back to the community, then please get in touch with us committee @ defcon-switzerland.org. We will release more information around helping in February.
You can find more videos in our YouTube channel.