Got conference fatigue? BHMEA can help.

Explore our weekly delivery of inspiration, insights, and exclusive interviews from the global BHMEA community of cybersecurity leaders.

Keep up with our weekly newsletters on LinkedIn — subscribe here. 

This week we’re focused on…

Why Black Hat MEA feels different – and how it helps you feel better about cybersecurity events. 

Why? 

Because conference fatigue is a thing. Too many sessions at too many events; endless badge scanning, and rushed hallway conversations that never quite go anywhere. 

But the mood is different at Black Hat MEA. And we’re not just saying that – CISOs and cybersecurity practitioners throughout the 2025 edition kept telling us the experience is special. 

Gary Hayslip (VP, Senior Security Advisor, Field CISO at Halcyon) said: 

“I go to the Black Hat in the US a lot… here [in Riyadh] I find it’s a lot more organised, there’s a drive and a feeling to it, people are here because they want to learn.”

A learning-first energy

That learning-first energy came up again and again. Hayslip described it as a place where you can get a little bit of everything in one place without the chaos that often defines large events.

“The best way I can explain it is… I guess you can say it’s a place where technology comes together with the people that are in that field, that are making the changes or that are driving the new threats and the new start up. So everything comes together, the people, the technology, all the different resources, everything in one place.”

Technical depth meets board-level strategy 

Timothy Lee (CISO for the City of Los Angeles) sees that blend as intentional. He said he thinks BHMEA offers great learning and networking opportunities for technical people, and also gives strategic level insight for leaders – 

“So different types of audience, they can all find something they’re interested in.” 

That duality (deep technical content alongside business risk strategy) is difficult to get right, and something our team works hard to deliver every year. The convergence of technology and board-level decision-making is critical for the future of cyber resilience, so we want to make sure all the relevant people are together in one place.

Scale without stress

Temi Adebambo (General Manager and CISO at Microsoft Gaming) spoke about something less tangible: the atmosphere.

“Most conferences are really packed and very stressful. It’s not like that at all. It’s been very very exciting, lots of really cool vendor booths, lots of activities, the sessions have been insightful and it’s all co-located in a really nice exhibition area – so it’s not like you’re walking from one hotel to another.”

Scale without stress is hard to achieve – but we design every moment to make your experience as positive and easy as possible. 

Priya Mouli (CISO at Sheridan College) described the sheer size of the event:

“The energy is intense, it’s a lot. So I would say that 50,000 people in one huge hall, in one arena, you know with that set – the energy is a lot.”

A truly international event 

But what stood out to her was the global mix:

“You’re not just networking and interacting with Canadian Cybersecurity leaders, you’re also interacting with the US, you’re interacting with the local cybersecurity leaders, you’re interacting with Europe. So it’s really a combination of cybersecurity brains from across the planet.”

For knowledge-sharing and market resilience, that global cross-pollination is a huge advantage. As William Lin (Co-Founder and CEO of AKA Identity) put it:

“Every single organisation that I know has had an incident related to a global outage. And because of that we have to always be prepared for what's possible at the global level versus at the local level.”

Collaboration as a resilience advantage 

The theme running through all these conversations was intentionality.

Stefan Baldus (CISO of Hugo Boss) captured the collaborative undercurrent:

“I think the importance of those kinds of events is really to make sure that we cybersecurity experts, exchange [knowledge and information] even more. Because I think the bad guys do this on a day-to-day basis. And we, as the good guys guarding our companies, we talk too little with each other – and maybe also only on regional levels.”

Far from just being a trade show, Black Hat MEA is a junction point where everyone meets – North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, academia, vendors, practitioners, regulators, and more. And at this junction, a real community grows. 

Hayslip said: 

“Here it’s almost like you’re meeting family.” 

Because when conference fatigue starts to hit, we’re here to remind you what it’s all really about. 

In an industry defined by speed, pressure and permanent crisis mode, an environment that brings everyone together and starts to feel like home? It’s a resilience advantage. 

We can’t wait to see you back in Riyadh for the next edition.