openSUSE Conference 2013: Geeko Gets Geared Up!

Today, the openSUSE community is happy and proud to announce the openSUSE Conference 2013, oSC13. On July 18, the openSUSE Community will flock to the land where 2500 years ago, Philosophers started the Age of Reason. Humbly standing on the shoulders of these giants, we’ll work, enjoy the great climate and each other, developing the technology for the future of humankind. The Greek Philosophers were part of a revolution which changed the world. So are we, and thus, under the motto of “Power to the Geeko”, we will gather and work on our very own Free Software revolution!

About the conference

From July 18 until July 22, 2013, Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece and home to no less than 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, will be host to the fifth openSUSE Conference. Once again, we’ll discuss topics related to our distribution, Free and Open Source technology and ‘open world stuff’ in general, inviting participation from people within as well as outside of our openSUSE Community.

The slogan of the conference this year is ‘Power to the Geeko’, as we would like to emphasize the bottom-up nature of our Free Software movement (an excellent fit with the country where early democracies developed). Thessaloniki provides many opportunities to Have a lot of Fun! The city features beautiful beaches and a lively night life as well as good food and drinks. We expect plenty of socializing between the technical sessions and code.

About Thessaloniki and the Greek community

Greece, or Hellas, is a southern European country, south of the Balkan Peninsula. It is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa and it is surrounded by sea - Ionean Sea, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea - with a plethora of islands, ideal destination for summer vacations.

Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and the capital of the Central Macedonia region. Air traffic to and from the city is served by the Macedonia International Airport for international and domestic flights. The city is renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general, and is considered to be Greece’s cultural capital. Events such as the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually, while the city also hosts the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora. In 2014 Thessaloniki will be the European Youth Capital. For 2013 National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide. Thessaloniki is well known for the night life and the delicious food.

Community

The Greek community, affectionately known as Greekos within the openSUSE community, coalesced in a semi formal way approximately 3 years ago. This group of dedicated local supporters meets on a regular basis and promotes the use of openSUSE and FOSS within and outside of Greece. With the repeated experience of organizing the openSUSE Collaboration Summer camps and the Greekos involvement in the orchestration of previous openSUSE conferences it was an easy decision for the openSUSE board to support Thessaloniki as the first openSUSE conference that will be organized solely by the community.

The local team of volunteers is working with great dedication to provide an awesome experience for everybody at oSC13.

Travel support

The openSUSE Travel Support Program will once again offer help to those those openSUSE contributors that would like to attend the openSUSE conference but have financial limitations. Following the procedure at the Travel Support wiki you can send your support requests to the TSP team from April 23rd to May 3rd. Earlier requests are possible but note that the travel team will allocate travel funding according to the guidelines and inform all applicants by May 13th. This should allow a sufficient amount of time to make your reservations.

Sponsoring and supportive attendee registration

The openSUSE conference is a very big event for the community to organize and orchestrate. While the countless volunteer hours make the event great, financial support by sponsors is invaluable and necessary. Sponsorship money is used to fund the event location, costs for keynote speakers, marketing material and other conference expenses. The openSUSE community is very inclusive and this shows at our events in the participation of many that are not directly involved in openSUSE. Thefeore, the openSUSE conference provides a unique opportunity for sponsors to not only reach the openSUSE community but also reach members of other FOSS communities.

Sponsorship opportunities for the openSUSE conference are available. For details please contact our openSUSE Conference sponsorship Manager with inquiries:

Izabel Valverde Sponsorship manager openSUSE Conference Organization

A sponsorship brochure with predefined options will be available in the near future. However, we encourage you to work with us to meet your sponsorship needs.

Registration and tickets

As in previous years registration and attendance of the openSUSE conference is free of charge. Tickets to support the event may be purchased at the cost of $50 for supporter tickets and $250 for professional tickets. Buy your tickets from the SUSE Shop:

• North America, Latin America and Asian Pacific: Supporter ticket, Professional ticket.

• Europe, Middle East and Africa:Supporter ticket and Professional ticket.

The money from the sales of these tickets is used to fund the event and help with the openSUSE Travel Support Program to allow as many openSUSE contributors as possible to attend the event. Supporters and professional ticket holders will receive a special thank you surprise upon check in. The support of the event through ticket sales is vital part of the funding of the event.

Website and call for help

The conference web site can be found at conference.opensuse.org and it will be updated regularly with new information. The organization of oSC13 requires the close collaboration of many people who are distributed across the globe. This is an exciting environment and if you would like to participate in the organization of the event you are more than welcome. Please subscribe to to our mailing list and introduce yourself during one of our IRC meetings (announced on the mailing list).

The Greek Philosophers were part of a revolution which changed the world. So are we, and thus, under the motto of “Power to the Geeko”, we will gather and work on our revolution. Look for the Cfp and registration announcement in the near future!

Power to the Geeko!