Four things we learnt from Black Hat MEA 2024

Welcome to the new 59 cyber warriors who joined us last week. Each week, we'll be sharing insights from the MEA community. Read exclusive interviews with industry experts and key findings from the #BHMEA stages.

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This week we’re focused on…

Four things we learnt from MEA 2024. 

Why? 

Because we see every edition of BHMEA as a learning opportunity. And YOU – our community of cybersecurity practitioners and organisation leaders – are our best teachers. 

We’re dedicated to delivering more knowledge, partnership opportunities and more impact every year. Here are just a few of the observations we’re using to feed into our plans for 2025.

(Side note, if you want to exhibit at MEA next year, the exhibition floor is set to sell out soon. Now is the time to register your interest!).

1. Cybersecurity people want to connect human-to-human 

So many exhibitors, speakers and attendees at BHMEA24 reached out after the event (or posted on their socials) to say how much they appreciated the opportunity to connect with the community, build meaningful relationships, and enhance partnerships. 

Businesses and cybersecurity practitioners who’ve been working together remotely got to meet and collaborate in-person – which made those existing relationships stronger. It’s just easier to work closely with other teams when you’ve spent time with them face-to-face, isn’t it?  

2. Hands-on cybersecurity experiences let you learn, your way 

We wanted to curate an exciting, fun and eye-opening lineup of hands-on hacking experiences at our 2024 event – like a smart home hacking activity, and our (huge) Capture the Flag event, to name just a couple. 

These practical elements showed us how much cybersecurity practitioners from all segments of the sector, and at all levels, appreciate hands-on learning. So many of you got involved and connected with each other while you solved simulated problems – and vendors gained new, engaged customers by offering real-life experiences of their products and services. 

3. The global cybersecurity is not suffering from information fatigue 

You’d think that cybersecurity practitioners would be tired of gathering new information. There’s so much out there, with fresh threats to learn about all the time – don’t you just want to draw a line under all that learning and switch off sometimes? 

No. You don’t.

Across the agenda, experts from around the world introduced new and emerging cybersecurity topics to our incredible audience. And as we watched them absorb all this information, it struck us: 

The cybersecurity community is endlessly curious. 

You just don’t get tired of absorbing new concepts, ideas, and threat intelligence – and integrating it all into your own professional practice. 

4. You really want to do it all again next year

We welcomed more than 450 local and international brands at MEA 2024. They took to the exhibition floor with endless energy to showcase the latest in cybersecurity tooling and technologies. 

And when we closed the event, demand for exhibition spaces at next year’s event was instantly at an all-time high. 

The show floor will sell out imminently. So if you want to secure a prime spot for your brand, now is the time to get in touch: 

Head to our 2025 Exhibit Form to register your interest. 

Do you have an idea for a topic you'd like us to cover? We're eager to hear it! Drop us a message and share your thoughts. Our next newsletter is scheduled for 15 January 2025.

Catch you next week,Steve DurningExhibition Director

Join us at MEA 2025 to grow your network, expand your knowledge, and build your business.