ShmooCon. 2005 
This looks awesome. It's the first convention I actually want to go to and it's called ShmooCon. 2005. It's the first of an all-new, annual East Coast hacker convention dedicated to showcasing technology exploitation, inventive software and hardware solutions, and critical information security issues. So, aside from being a bunch of hackers, it seems like there should be some good info. Also, there's a Hack-or-Halo competition for cash prizes where you can compete against other con-goers in either network destruction or a first-person shoot-out. So, check it out and I'll let you know how it is, when it rolls around in February.