When people talk about the great hacker conferences, the big names usually come up first—DEF CON in Vegas, Black Hat, or maybe ShmooCon if you’re an East Coast insider. But in the heart of the Midwest, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, there’s another event that has quietly become a pillar of the cybersecurity community: GRRCon.
For more than a decade, GRRCon has been building a reputation as the Midwest’s hacker playground, drawing thousands of professionals, researchers, students, and hobbyists each fall. The 2025 edition is already sold out—a testament to its cult-like following.
The Schedule THIS Year! (Don’t miss these speakers - world class presentations from world class thought leaders!)
Why GRRCon Matters
GRRCon is often described as “DEF CON with a Michigan accent.” That’s not just a catchy tagline. The parallels are real:
Community first. GRRCon isn’t a vendor-dominated show. It’s built by hackers, for hackers. (Sure there is vendor presence, but the core of this is REAL content, not product pitches.
Content over marketing. Talks go deep into exploit development, digital forensics, red team tradecraft, blue team strategy, and the latest in AI-driven attacks and defenses.
Accessibility. Unlike some of the big shows where ticket prices and travel costs can be prohibitive, GRRCon has always been about keeping the doors open to students, hobbyists, and early-career professionals.
This democratization of access is what makes GRRCon powerful. It’s not just a conference—it’s a pipeline of future talent for Michigan and the broader cybersecurity industry.
The Experience
Ask anyone who’s been, and they’ll tell you: the hallway track is as valuable as the official agenda. The conversations that happen between talks—whether it’s two researchers sketching out an idea on a napkin or a veteran CISO mentoring a college student—are the lifeblood of the event.
But the formal content holds its own:
Technical Deep Dives. From reverse engineering workshops to live exploit demos, GRRCon is where theory meets practice.
Policy & Risk. Sessions on compliance, governance, and national security bring a balance of perspectives.
Villages & Competitions. Capture the Flag (CTF) contests, lockpicking villages, and IoT hacking zones keep the hands-on spirit alive.
Michigan’s Cybersecurity Identity
Cybersecurity is often portrayed as coastal—Silicon Valley startups, Beltway contractors, Wall Street CISOs. GRRCon flips that script. It’s proof that the Midwest isn’t just participating in cybersecurity—it’s helping define it. The evidence is here.
Michigan, with its mix of manufacturing, automotive innovation, higher education, and growing tech hubs, has unique challenges: securing critical infrastructure, protecting intellectual property, and building cyber resilience in industries that literally keep America moving. GRRCon has become the meeting point for those challenges.
The Culture
What truly sets GRRCon apart is its culture of inclusivity and curiosity. It’s not unusual to see:
A first-year security student from Michigan State debating tactics with a senior engineer from a Fortune 500.
A hobbyist who built a homegrown IoT exploit demoing it to an audience of hundreds.
A panel where policy wonks and penetration testers sit shoulder-to-shoulder.
That mix—grassroots, raw, authentic—is why GRRCon feels less like a conference and more like a community reunion.
Looking Ahead
With GRRCon 2025 tickets already gone, the demand speaks volumes. The Midwest cybersecurity scene is not only alive—it’s thriving. Events like GRRCon remind us that talent, innovation, and culture don’t have to come from the coasts. They’re being built right here, in places like Grand Rapids, by communities that care about the craft.
For Michigan, GRRCon isn’t just the “DefCon of Michigan.” It’s a proof point: cybersecurity belongs to everyone, everywhere.
Learn more and keep an eye out for 2026: grrcon.com