If you want to give a talk at this year’s HOPE conference, the deadline for early submissions is Thursday, April 30. Please have your proposals sent to speakers@hope.net by then. If your talk is accepted, you will be
assured of a spot on our schedule, no matter how many more submissions are received after then. Note that this is NOT the final deadline, but that
submissions received before this date will be given first priority.

We’re looking for all kinds of interesting and diverse subject matter
pertaining to technology, hacking, privacy, and more. Speakers get free
admission to the conference and a chance to share ideas with a unique
and enthusiastic audience.

Specific guidelines can be found at https://www.hope.net/call-for-speakers/.

As is our tradition, the HOPE conference will be running a fundraiser for the Electronic Frontier Foundation during the month of April. For every ticket sold, 10 percent of the total price will be donated to EFF!

This is a great way to be a part of this year’s historic HOPE conference and also become more aware of what EFF is involved in – digital rights, fighting threats from big tech, spreading the word on government overreach, developing helpful innovations, teaching the facts about surveillance, and so much more. You can get your ticket and support EFF here.

HOPE is now back in Manhattan, at the New Yorker Hotel in midtown! This will be a momentous gathering of some of the greatest minds in the tech world. Details on the program will be coming soon. We encourage you to secure your heavily discounted hotel room by following the link here.

Be sure to look for EFF in the vendor area at HOPE and on stage with a bunch of timely and important talks!

Miracles are indeed possible. After last holding a HOPE conference in Manhattan in 2018, it seemed inconceivable that we would ever find another venue after the destruction of the Hotel Pennsylvania. But thanks to our team’s hard work and stubbornness, we’ve got some really good news.

HOPE 26 will mark our return to Manhattan. The conference will be held
from August 14th through 16th at the New Yorker Hotel, which is literally one block away from Penn Station, much like our previous venue. It was built in 1930, has over 1,000 rooms, and was the home of Nikola Tesla. We are beyond thrilled.

Tickets for HOPE 26 will go on sale Tuesday, March 24 at noon EDT at
https://store.2600.com/products/tickets-to-hope-26. Virtual tickets will also be available at that time. We are moving at an accelerated pace since we had to spend a few months putting all of this together. But we believe you’ll be extremely pleased with this next chapter in HOPE conference history.

There’s plenty of space for the conference, plus a discounted room deal for attendees at https://newyorkerhotel.book.pegsbe.com/promo?offerCode=08132026HO. HOPE attendees will be able to make unlimited domestic and international phone calls from their rooms for free! (This would have been inconceivable at Hotel Pennsylvania.) There is also free Wi-Fi and around the clock free access to the hotel’s fitness center, as well as the business center. It’s all part of the daily $40 facility fee – which is being waived for all HOPE attendees! We encourage you to book your rooms early – you won’t be charged until checkout.

There is so much nightlife around the New Yorker Hotel that we can’t
possibly sum it all up here. There are several restaurants attached to the
hotel including, of course, the infamous Tick Tock Diner, open 24 hours a
day with a full liquor license. But if you choose to step outside, we guarantee you’ll be able to find a huge variety of activities around the
clock in one of the most lively areas in the entire country.

We’ve opened up speaker submissions as well as workshop submissions. We will be processing them quickly and we have some great presenters already on tap. All of the instructions on how you can be part of this are on our website (https://www.hope.net/).

And, of course, HOPE would be nothing without its many volunteers. Whether it’s speaker management, A/V work, stage announcements, or any of the dozens of tasks that are essential to a successful conference, they are all accomplished by volunteers – which includes everyone in this organization. We all believe in HOPE and, after all of the challenges we faced getting this year’s conference together, this could be the best one yet, and you can help! Please email volunteers@hope.net expressing your interest. And please help us spread the word about this historic rebirth of the Hackers On Planet Earth conference.

There is such potential at our new venue and we have been met with a
great deal of enthusiasm from everyone who has seen the space. It’s
a real turning point – and the first chapter in this new location. We hope you’re a part of it.

It’s no surprise to anyone that the past few years have been challenging for the HOPE community. The closing and destruction of the Hotel Pennsylvania and the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental effect on so many of us. We were also devastated by the loss of close friends and organizers like Kevin Mitnick, Cheshire Catalyst, as well as our HOPE core coordinator Greg Newby. Most recently, we were forced to leave our new home at St. John’s University over their recent unacceptable restrictions on speech.

After all this, the wise move might be to give up. And yet, we’re still here.

We want to proudly announce that the HOPE On Planet Earth conference is now officially a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. While we will always have a relationship with 2600 Magazine, HOPE is now its own independent entity. The possibilities are significant.

Many of you have been asking over the years how to contribute to HOPE and make it even better. Now we have the means to receive tax-deductible contributions from individuals and organizations. Every hurdle we have struggled with in the past can now be surmounted with the help and support of the community.

What exactly does all of this mean? We’re still figuring much of that out. But we believe this major milestone will open up some doors that were closed to us in the past. Becoming a non-profit was a dream of Greg Newby’s, and one of his last acts was to guide the organization into this status by meticulously going through all the required paperwork. Another one of Greg’s dreams was to see us return to a hotel in Manhattan and bring back the enthusiasm of years past. This is just one of the possibilities we’re currently working on and it’s dependent on the level of excitement, support, and knowledge that we’re able to produce here. While we’re still working on details, the future is bright.

We invite you to be a part of that future. Please consider donating via the links below and, if you like what you’ve seen from the past 16 conferences, please volunteer to help make our 17th happen. HOPE is nothing without all of you.