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Host an Open Source Conference §

Pattern Summary §

Host a conference or high profile event on the theme of open source to increase the visibility of the academic OSPO and to demonstrate its value.

Problem / Challenge §

A lack of awareness and visibility of an academic OSPO may create a number of challenges for the OSPO including:

  • Students, faculty and staff may not know that the OSPO exists or understand its relevance to their work.
  • Open source efforts continue to take place in siloes across departments, research groups and student organizations.
  • The impact of academic contributions from the OSPO’s institution are not recognized.
  • The OSPO experiences difficulties in connecting with internal and/or external partners.

Pattern Category §

  • Building University OSS Community
  • Demonstrating value as an OSPO
  • Funding & Financial Support
  • Raising awareness
  • Sharing OSS Best Practices
  • OSS Advocacy and Policy
  • OSS Education & Skills
  • Working with Tech Transfer / External Partners

Context §

A university with diverse departments of varying levels of OSS expertise and needs.

An OSPO has been established.

Forces §

Students, researchers and faculty do not know how or where to access information and support from the OSPO that they need.

An OSPO with the capacity to organize/co-organize events.

Resources are available to finance or part-fund the event.

Solution §

Host a conference or large scale event to boost visibility of the OSPO and to foster networks with strategic partners.

The following tasks cover the broad areas of work that will need to be undertaken:

Assemble a planning team and program committee §

  • Include representatives from faculty, students, administration and the OSPO.
  • Designate leads for logistics, communications, programming, registration and sponsorships.

Define the purpose of the conference and the target audience §

  • Clarify the event’s goal: awareness e.g., collaboration, training, research alignment, etc.
  • Identify primary audiences e.g., students, faculty, external partners, open source maintainers and/or members of the wider open source ecosystem.

Choose the Format and Scope §

  • Decide on a format e.g., a single-day symposium, a multi-day conference, hackathon, an unconference, etc.
  • Determine whether the event will be in-person, hybrid, or virtual.

Secure Institutional Support §

  • Get buy-in from university departments, IT, facilities and legal if necessary.
  • Consider co-branding with departments, research groups or external sponsors.

Set a Budget and Seek Funding §

  • Estimate costs e.g., venue, catering, A/V, travel costs.
  • Apply for internal university funds, external sponsorships and/or community grants e.g., OSI, GitHub, Google Open Source

Create a program that reflects OSPO goals §

  • Use mailing lists, posters, social media, department announcements and partner networks to advertise the Call for Papers.
  • Invite keynote speakers and other key strategic partners who can discuss open source in research, education and industry.
  • Include hands-on sessions (workshops, sprints) to promote learning and engagement.
  • Spotlight student and faculty open source projects.

Publicize the event §

  • Use mailing lists, posters, social media, department announcements and partner networks to advertise the event itself.
  • Highlight opportunities to present, mentor or sponsor.

Ensure Inclusivity and Accessibility §

  • Provide hybrid/remote options, captioning and accessibility accommodations.
  • Follow a code of conduct and make it visible.

Document and Archive the Event §

  • Record sessions, collect slides and publish post-event write-ups.
  • Archive on OSPO web pages or repositories for future reference.

Follow Up and Sustain Engagement §

  • Gather feedback.
  • Send thanks to participants and sponsors.
  • Share outcomes publicly (blogs, newsletters, reports).
  • Build on the momentum for future events, projects or community activities.

Resulting Context §

There are a wide range of potential benefits to hosting a conference or event for an academic OSPO:

Community Building: Brings students, faculty and external collaborators together to explore open source on campus.

Education and Skills: Events present an opportunity to offer introductory workshops, hackathons, and mentoring opportunities that build technical and community skills amongst students and researchers.

Institutional Recognition: OSPO events can position the university as a leader in open source innovation and potentially influence rankings, funding opportunities, and partnerships.

Knowledge Sharing: OSPO conferences facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices, and research between diverse disciplines and institutions.

Recruitment and Retention: OSPO events can create appealing learning and networking opportunities that attract new students and keep them engaged throughout their academic career.

Funding and Sponsorship Opportunities: A well-attended event can attract sponsorships from industry, nonprofits and government agencies interested in supporting open source.

Documentation and Legacy: Conferences often result in articles, videos, and other artifacts that serve as resources and inspiration long after the event ends.

Additional Learning from the Georgia Tech Open Source Program Office §

We also provide information about funding opportunities such as the Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) at our conferences. This is a great way to connect projects to funding programs that they may not be aware of.

Additional Learning from the GW Open Source Program Office §

We used Drupal to host our conference pages and to manage our registration and CFP forms.

We also used VolunteerSignup which is free for non-commercial use (but may not be open source).

Known Instances §

References §

Academic Conference Planning Resources §

  • Ex Ordo’s No-Panic Guide to Organising Successful Scholarly Events A practical guide aimed at simplifying the conference planning process. It includes tips on abstract management, scheduling, and leveraging technology to streamline event organization.
  • Fourwaves’ 13 Steps to Plan a Great Research Conference A step-by-step approach to organizing scientific conferences, covering everything from defining objectives and assembling a planning committee to budgeting and selecting keynote speakers.
  • Community Tool Box – Organizing a Conference Developed by the University of Kansas, this resource provides insights into the purpose of conferences, planning logistics, and strategies for effective execution, making it suitable for academic and community-focused events.
  • Wharton School’s Conference Planning Guide Targeted at student-led initiatives, this guide from the University of Pennsylvania offers practical advice on marketing, administrative tasks, and vendor coordination, making it a valuable resource for academic institutions.

Contributors & Acknowledgement §

In alphabetical order:

  • Allison Kittinger, University of Wisconsin-Madison, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3104-5995
  • Bethany Philbrick, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Bill Branan, Johns Hopkins University, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4735-6624
  • Ciara Flanagan, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3153-7673
  • David Lippert, George Washington University, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6444-9595
  • Emily Lovell, University of California Santa Cruz, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5531-5956
  • Fang Liu, Georgia Institute of Technology, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3383-2191
  • Jacek Plucinski, Université du Luxembourg
  • Jeff Young, Georgia Institute of Technology, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9841-4057
  • Kendall Fortney, University of Vermont, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3898-0771
  • Laura Langdon, University of California Davis
  • Lorena Barba, George Washington University, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5812-2711
  • Megan Forbes, Johns Hopkins University, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2611-1441
  • Sayeed Choudhury, Carnegie Mellon University, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2891-0543
  • Stephanie Lieggi, University of California Santa Cruz, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5647-6540