WICCON TIPS: First time at a security conference?

by Brigitte Heijkoop

Going to your first conference can feel exciting, intimidating, and slightly mysterious all at once. What do you wear? Do you need to talk to people? What if everyone else already knows each other? What if you don’t understand all the talks? What if you just stand there holding a cup of coffee, trying to look like you belong?

Not all conferences will help you feel welcome. We know that.

That’s why our mission is to do something different.

First of all: you do belong!

We built WICCON to be a welcoming place for people who care about cybersecurity, whether this is your first conference ever or just your first time coming to WICCON. You don’t need to be a speaker, a senior expert or a networking professional to feel at home here. You just need to be curious.

And you really do not need to know everything.

This is one of the easiest traps first-time conference visitors can fall into: thinking they need to understand every detail of every talk in order to “get” the event.

You do not.

Conferences are not exams and you are not supposed to leave with a perfect score.

You can listen to one talk, skip another, take notes, ask questions, or simply sit in the back and absorb things quietly. That still counts!

At WICCON, the programme is mostly technical, but the atmosphere is supportive. The talks are there to challenge you, teach you, and maybe spark a few ideas you did not have before. You don’t need to know the answer to every question.

You just need to be open to learning something new.

You also do not need to arrive with a group of friends. Of course, it is fun to go with people you know, but it is completely fine to come on your own. Plenty of people do! You are welcome to keep to yourself, wander around, or slowly find your way into a conversation when it feels right. If you are nervous about meeting people, start small. Stand by one of the tables and let people come to you. If they interact, smile and say hi. Ask someone what talk they just saw. Mention that it is your first time. Take a break if you need one.

You only have to give it a chance.

WICCON is not your average cybersecurity conference. It is cosy, a little chaotic, a lot witchy, and very much about real technical substance. You will see people who care deeply about their work, people who have built strange and brilliant things, and probably a few capes, stickers, spooky accessories, and laptops full of tabs.

The important thing is this: WICCON is a space where women in cybersecurity take the stage to share their knowledge, and where the audience is there because they genuinely want to hear it. That changes the energy in the room.

There is no need to prove that you belong there, you instantly do!

If this is your first conference, a few things may help make the day feel easier:

• Wear something comfortable.

• Make a note of one or two talks you really want to see.

• Take a break if you need one. That’s okay!.

• Ask a question if you feel like it, but do not force yourself.

• Give yourself permission to just take it all in.

• You don’t need to do everything, meet everyone, or turn the day into a performance. Just enjoy your time with us crazy folk!

That is also what makes WICCON a great first-time conference.

It balances technical depth with warmth and accessibility. The programme is serious about content, but the event itself is not stiff or exclusive. It is community-driven, volunteer-powered, and designed to make space for women in cybersecurity to be visible and heard.

For first-time visitors, that makes a real difference, especially if you want to experience a conference where the atmosphere feels more human than formal.

So if you are reading this and still thinking, maybe conferences are not really for me, then WICCON would like to tell you: Challenge accepted! You do not need to have it all figured out. You just need a ticket, a little curiosity, and the willingness to be part of the room.

If this is your first conference, or your first time at WICCON, consider this your sign. Come along!

We think you might be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to feel at home.