Search results are saying that defcon sees some 30k people. The 2023 Chicago Auto Show had 300k. Major city with all the amenities.

https://www.chicagoautoshow.com/the-2023-chicago-auto-show-c...

It's very capable to handle large conferences and does throughout the year.

Historically, Vegas had a cost advantage. I don't know if that's still the case.

Let's look at San Francisco. A city that is not as well-suited for conventions as Las Vegas. Dreamforce (Salesforce's annual conference) draws 40,000 people. DEFCON drew 30,000 this year. DEFCON could easily be held in SF. I'm not suggesting they'd want to or should move to SF, but it would be... fine.

As someone who (very) occasionally goes to conferences, Vegas is fun! I get that. I enjoy Vegas, at least for a few days before I get sick of it. There are good restaurants and shows, and virtually no puritanical laws around alcohol consumption like you find in nearly all other places in the US. It's a 24/7 city, the only one in the US. I see the appeal. (And also get why many people dislike it, largely for the same reasons many people like it.)

But c'mon, there are plenty of other US cities that have the infrastructure to support a conference like DEFCON. Conference organizers pick Vegas because they like it, not because other cities can't support them.