Community calendar
Upcoming Cyber Conferences
From government, academia, and industry across the Midwest and beyond.
Our own summit
The Midwest OT Cybersecurity Summit — the only Midwest OT cyber conference. Friday, April 16, 2027 at Marquette University, Milwaukee. The Call for Speakers closes March 5, 2027.
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CypherCon
CypherCon is Wisconsin’s premier technology and hacker conference, bringing together cybersecurity professionals, tech enthusiasts, and innovators to share knowledge and explore cutting-edge ideas. With engaging keynotes, interactive workshops, and creative challenges, it fosters a collaborative and vibrant community. The tenth anniversary edition is March 24–25, 2027 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee.
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BSides
Join us at the Milwaukee BSides, an amazing event that will push you to your limits. Learn about tech, innovation and expand your horizons in the field. There will be many amazing opportunities offered during this event. Register now, and resist complacency!
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Wisconsin Governor’s Cybersecurity
For more than a decade, Wisconsin has led with a proactive, collaborative approach to protecting its digital infrastructure. This Summit offers focused, practical content built around real incidents, lessons learned, and proven solutions. Attendees hear directly from state leadership, military and emergency management partners, CIOs, CISOs, and industry experts on the issues most critical to Wisconsin’s cybersecurity posture. This summit equips leaders at every level to work smarter, respond faster, and defend the systems residents depend on every day. Protecting Wisconsin isn't just IT work; it’s public service. Join the partners across the state who are making security stronger, safer, and more resilient!
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Midwest OT Cybersecurity Summit (MOCS)
The only Midwest OT Cyber Conference — bringing together operational-technology practitioners from government, academia, and industry. Returning Friday, April 16, 2027 at Marquette University, Milwaukee.
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Cybersecurity for Energy Resilience Summit (CyFERS)
CyFERS brings together state and territory officials for three days of interactive and engaging cybersecurity training. As cybersecurity threats increase, so does the role of the states to work with industry to secure the nation’s energy infrastructure. CyFERS will advance state/territory knowledge of cyber threats, risk assessments, and cyber incident preparedness. CyFERS is hosted by the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the National Association of State Energy Officials, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the National Governor’s Association, and the National Conference of State Legislators.
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WiscNet Connections
WiscNet Connections, our annual membership meeting, is our most beloved event of the year — we’ll be at
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Milwaukee Official Cybersecurity Summit
is the must-attend event for CISOs and senior leaders looking to strengthen resilience, reduce risk, and align security with business goals. Join top executives, innovators, and experts for a full day of actionable insights, cutting-edge solutions, and high-impact networking. Experience interactive panels, exclusive solution showcases, and strategic discussions that go beyond theory to deliver real-world results, all complemented by a catered breakfast, networking lunch, and closing cocktail reception.
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Business Continuity & Resiliency Conference
Business continuity professionals sit at the center of organizational resilience, turning knowledge of operations, risks, and dependencies into plans that work under pressure. This session focuses on translating analysis into practical strategies through facilitation, clear communication with leadership, and relationship-building across IT, cybersecurity, HR, legal, logistics, and external partners. It also highlights how local and professional networking in Wisconsin becomes a critical source of insight and support long before incidents occur. Using real-world examples and exercises, the discussion emphasizes continuous improvement that strengthens readiness beyond compliance.
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Wisconsin Governors Homeland Security
The Wisconsin’s Homeland Security Council is a 16-member, non-statutory council responsible for advising the governor on homeland security issues, coordinating state and local threat prevention and response efforts, and producing periodic reports on the state of homeland security in Wisconsin. The Council works with local, state, federal, and tribal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private industry to improve citizen and community preparedness to threats to the state. The governor appoints council members. The chair of the Council is the Adjutant General, who also serves as the governor’s homeland security advisor. The Council has also created work groups and subcommittees that meet in between Council meetings and focus on specific strategic goals.
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Secure Iowa Conference
Iowa’s longest-running cyber security conference, going since 2012 — a single day of sessions on risk assessment, penetration testing, incident response, compliance, AI-driven threats and cloud security, worth six CPEs. September 9, 2026 at the Meadows Events Center in Altoona.
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Blue Team Con
The conference built for defenders rather than for the people breaking in — SOC analysts, threat intel, GRC, audit, architects and CISOs. Two days of training then two days of talks, September 10–13, 2026 at the Swissôtel Chicago.
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SecureWorld
A regional one-day circuit that stops in the Midwest more than once a year, including Detroit and the Twin Cities each September and Chicago each spring. Keynotes, panels and fifteen-plus sessions in a day, with CPE credit. Check the events page for the stop nearest you.
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GrrCON
Michigan’s big one, and one of the friendlier cons in the Midwest — around 2,800 people, multiple tracks, workshops and villages, without the sprawl of a Vegas conference. September 24–25, 2026 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.
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BSides Cleveland
The BSides serving north-east Ohio’s information security community, run as a one-day conference on a university campus. September 26, 2026 at the Tinkham Veale University Center, Case Western Reserve University.
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Wild West Hackin’ Fest — Deadwood
Three days in a Black Hills theatre with keynotes, hands-on labs, villages, a CTF and a cyberdeck build competition, plus optional pre-conference training. Attend in person or virtually. October 7–9, 2026 at Deadwood Mountain Grand, Deadwood, South Dakota.
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Iowa Homeland Security Conference
Iowa HSEM’s annual gathering of emergency managers, homeland security staff and state agency partners, where cyber incident response sits alongside disaster response and recovery — useful if your OT work touches public safety or utilities. October 14–16, 2026 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.
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Cyber Security Summit (Minneapolis)
Now in its sixteenth year, this summit deliberately mixes business, government, military and academic leaders in one room rather than keeping them on separate circuits. October 27–28, 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Bloomington, Minneapolis.
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Secure360
Run by the non-profit Upper Midwest Security Alliance since 2004, and broader than most — governance and risk, information security, physical security, business continuity and professional development on the same agenda. May 12–13, 2027 at the Mystic Lake Event Center, Prior Lake, Minnesota.
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THOTCON
Chicago’s hacker conference, named for the city’s first area code and run non-commercially on a deliberately small budget. It happens every other year, and the venue is kept secret until the week before. THOTCON 0xE lands in 2027; dates not yet announced.
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BSides312
Chicago’s BSides — one day, non-profit, and a good first conference to speak at. Held at the Irish American Heritage Center on the north side. The 2027 edition is announced each November.
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Circle City Con
Indianapolis’ long-running community con, with training, talks and a CTF across a weekend. Dates for the next edition are posted on their site.
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WISCON
The Wisconsin Information Security Conference, held in the middle of Madison at the Overture Center. June 17, 2027 — and worth noting if you want to speak: the Call for Papers opens December 1, 2026 and closes February 14, 2027.
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S4
The largest ICS and OT security conference there is — over a thousand people across three stages, aimed squarely at practitioners deploying secure industrial systems rather than at newcomers. S4x27 runs February 8–11, 2027 in Tampa, Florida.
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SANS ICS Security Summit
Two days of ICS and OT talks and workshops — practitioner case studies, and labs on real OT devices — followed by a week of SANS training courses. Summit June 7–9, 2027, training through June 15, at Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
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ICS Village
A non-profit that hauls real industrial equipment to conferences so people can put hands on it — you will find them at DEF CON, and at their own Critical Effect event in Washington DC, which puts OT practitioners and policymakers in the same room. Their site carries the current schedule.
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DEF CON
The one everybody has heard of, and genuinely worth the trip for OT people because of the villages — ICS Village runs trainings and talks on real industrial gear on the floor. DEF CON 35 is August 5–8, 2027 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.