Overview
Thank you for your interest in co-locating an event alongside KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022!
This guide serves as your main resource for information, best practices, and FAQs around contracting and planning your sponsor-hosted co-located event. We attempted to answer all frequently asked questions here, so please bookmark and share this page with your planning team!
If after reviewing/referencing this guide you still have a question, contact us!
North America 2022 Co-Located Event Requirements
- All attendees of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022, including co-located event attendees, are required to be fully vaccinated and must abide by KubeCon + CloudNativeCon health and safety measures
- Companies hosting co-located events must be KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022 sponsors
- Host companies are asked to choose between five co-located event packages (page 10)
- Deadline to submit a request for on-site event space: Friday, July 29 at 11:59 PM PT
- Deadline to submit a request for off-site cross-promotion package: Friday, July 29 at 11:59 PM PT
- Final Deadline to Submit Event Information for Posting: Friday, September 16 at 11:59 PM PT
- Co-located events will run from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET with access to meeting space starting at 8:00 AM for set-up
- All receptions must be held off-site unless held within your meeting room during the allotted event time
- The minimum recommended registration fee for co-located events is USD $50. If the host company elects to donate its profits to the Dan Kohn Scholarship Fund, this will be reflected on the website
- Companies looking to customize their event beyond the packages offered are encouraged to look at local venues and cross-promote their event on our website, event schedule, and registration platform for $10,000 + registration processing fees (Cross-Promotion MPO – See page 10 for more information)
- Please ensure someone from your team is available to check the room set-up, orders, shipments, etc. the day prior to your event (either Sunday, October 23 or Monday, October 24). More information on scheduling your room check/tech run-through will be provided closer to the event date.
- To maintain a uniform website, all co-located events will be listed with:
- Title (Event Name hosted by Company Name)
- Date + Time
- Event Format: Virtual-only, In-person only, or hybrid
- Location (Huntington Place or off-site location)
- Registration Fee
- 300-word max description
- (Optional) External event link
- All on-site event rooms will be set classroom style, and the configuration is required to remain as such throughout the duration of your event.
- If using “Kubernetes” or another CNCF project in your event title, please refer to The Linux Foundation trademark guide for the correct and incorrect usage examples.
On-site Packages A – D Inclusions
- Meeting space in classroom setup (required)
- Access to meeting space for pre-event walkthrough October 23 or October 24 (more detail will be provided closer to event date)
- Access to meeting space from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET on event day (8:00 AM set up access)
- Access to conference Wi-Fi + Dedicated Hardline to Lectern
- Power for presenter at podium
- Basic audio visual (AV) services: (1) projector, (1) screen, (1) wireless presentation advancer, basic audio, (4) microphones
- In-room AV technician for the duration of your event
- Meeting room + health & safety + wayfinding signage
- Contact information of registered attendees including:
- First name
- Last name
- Company
- Title
- Email address
- Country
- (1) Session scanner for managing attendee check-in on-site
- (1) Attendee check-in table and (2) chairs outside event space
- (1) Standard KubeCon + CloudNativeCon in-person pass for presenter
- All-day water/coffee/tea
- On-site event support
- Marketing + promotion
- Featured placement on KubeCon + CloudNativeCon website, registration form, and schedule
- Managed event registration and fee collection (less 2.9% credit card processing fees)
Additional Items/Services for On-site Packages A-D*
*Available at the sponsor’s expense to be ordered and paid for directly with the on-site service provider. Ordering information will be available in the co-located event-specific electronic resource center portal (ExpoGenie) once your contract is fully executed.
- Additional AV equipment: Additional screens, projectors, monitors, microphones, etc.
- Dedicated internet: if more than 1 hardline is needed
- Video recording: Session recording and/or live streaming
- Catering: Breakfast, lunch, and break options
- Power: To each classroom table or charging stations at the rear of the room
- Additional session scanners and/or lead retrieval devices
Off-site Cross-Promotion Package E Inclusions
- Marketing + promotion
- Featured placement on KubeCon + CloudNativeCon website and schedule
- (Optional) Managed event registration + fee collection (less 2.9% credit card processing fees)
- NOTE: Cross-promo MPO sponsors are responsible for securing their own platform/venue and planning their respective events.
Important Deadlines
- Deadline to submit a request for off-site cross-promotion MPO (Package E): Friday, July 29 at 11:59 PM PT
- Deadline to submit to on-site co-located event (Packages A-D) request form: Friday, July 29 at 11:59 PM PT. Late requests will not be accepted.
- Priority contracting deadline for Diamond + Platinum Sponsors: Monday, June 20 at 11:59 PM PT
- Package A-D Contract Execution Deadline: 10 business days after contract receipt (Once the 10 business day deadline has passed, space will be released to the next sponsor in line.)
- Optimal “Promotion” Window Deadline (Soft): Friday, September 2 at 11:59 PM PT
- Final Deadline to Submit Event Information for Posting: Friday, September 16 at 11:59 PM PT
code of conduct
Cloud Native Computing Foundation and its project communities are dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for participants at all of our events, whether they are held in person or virtually. CNCF events are working conferences intended for professional networking and collaboration within the open source community. They exist to encourage the open exchange of ideas and expression and require an environment that recognizes the inherent worth of every person and group. While at CNCF events or related ancillary or social events, any participants, including members, speakers, attendees, volunteers, sponsors, exhibitors, booth staff and anyone else, should not engage in harassment in any form.
Please review the full Code of Conduct, which may be revised at any time by CNCF and the terms are non-negotiable. Your registration for or attendance at any CNCF event, whether it’s held in person or virtually, indicates your agreement to abide by this policy and its terms.
contracting information
Request a Contract
Please complete the co-location request form for all event requests (including cross-promo MPO). (NOTE: Completion of this form does not guarantee contracted space; space is contracted on a first-come, first-served basis.) Priority will be given to diamond and then platinum sponsors for the first week, ending Monday, June 20 at 11:59 PM PT. Space allocation will then follow in the order requests are received.
Diamond + platinum sponsor contracts will be sent out the week of June 20. All other contracts will be sent out starting the week of June 27. Contracts for packages A-D must be executed within 10 business days of receipt. Once the 10 business day deadline has passed, space will be released to the next sponsor in line.
Contracting Deadlines
- Deadline to submit a request for off-site cross-promotion MPO (Package E): Friday, July 29 at 11:59 PM PT
- Deadline to submit to on-site co-located event (Packages A-D) request form: Friday, July 29 at 11:59 PM PT. Late requests will not be accepted.
- Priority contracting deadline for Diamond + Platinum Sponsors: Monday, June 20 at 11:59 PM PT
- Package A-D Contract Execution Deadline: 10 business days after contract receipt (Once the 10 business day deadline has passed, space will be released to the next sponsor in line.)
- Optimal “Promotion” Window Deadline (Soft): Friday, September 2 at 11:59 PM PT
- Final Deadline to Submit Event Information for Posting: Friday, September 16 at 11:59 PM PT
Planning Guidance
Budgeting
Ensure a budget is set aside for all event requirements, including items not included in your package (e.g. food and beverage service beyond coffee/water/tea service, additional AV requirements, power for attendees, and session recording or live streaming).
Communication from CNCF
As a courtesy, the CNCF co-lo team will send order deadline reminders. Room allocation communication will go out one month before event day. A “Know Before You Go” guide will be sent a week from event day.
Competitor Registration Policy
In the spirit of community, we do not endorse or recommend that sponsors place restrictions on registrations from “competitor” companies or organizations. If the sponsoring company insists on restricting who can register for their co-located event, said company is required to list such registration stipulations/parameters in their event description prior to canceling existing registrations or declining new registrations. We also require that said sponsor reach out to the individual directly to explain why their registration is being canceled prior to sending said cancellation requests to our team for processing.
Content
Event topics are not exclusive to one event. Posting event details early allows attendees to plan their travel (and tends to ensure higher ticket sales)!
Demo Presentations
A hardline internet connection will be provided at the lectern. Should you intend to conduct any live demo sessions, we recommend utilizing this connection to ensure maximum speed for the presenter(s)!
External Food and Beverage, AV Services, Charging Strips, Recording/Livestreaming, Signage
All food and beverage, AV, charging, and recording/live streaming services must be placed with the on-site vendor provided in your Expo Genie portal; no external orders/services/service providers will be permitted onto the premises. Wayfinding and room signage is included for all on-site packages; placing additional/external signage within the venue is prohibited.
Health + Safety
All attendees of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022, including co-located event attendees, are required to be fully vaccinated and must abide by all KubeCon + CloudNativeCon health and safety measures.
Marketing + Promotion
In addition to CNCF’s marketing efforts, we encourage host companies to market their event to their target audience! You may also create an external website to be linked on our official co-located event page. (For security reasons, on-site events may not utilize external registration systems in addition to ours. Sponsors contracting a cross-promotion package have the option of using our registration system or their own.)
Publishing Events to the Official Website
Events may be posted once the co-located event contract/addendum is fully executed. In order to have your co-located event listed on the website and registration form, please complete the information collection form sent to you via email as soon as possible (but no later than Friday, September 16 at 11:59 PM PT). PACKAGES A-D ONLY: Once your form submission is received, co-located event Expo Genie ERC login information will be emailed to your event coordinator.
Preliminary Information Needed for Website Publishing
- Official event title – Event Name hosted by Company Name
- Event time frame (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET max for Packages A-D)
- Registration Fee (USD $50 minimum recommended)
- 300 word (maximum) event description
- (Optional) Link to external event website
- Email address for attendee questions
- Event day contact information for attendee questions
- Venue + room name/number (Cross-Promo MPO only)
- Pre-planning coordinator name and email address
- On-site event coordinator name, email address, and cell phone number
The deadline to submit event information for posting is Friday, September 16 at 11:59 PM PT. You may view published co-located events here.
Need to revise your event listing? For accuracy and efficiency, please create a Google doc to share update requests with the CNCF co-located event team. Kindly notify the co-located event team via email or by tagging them in the doc when updates are required. Deadline for website/Sched/registration updates is Friday, September 16 at 11:59 PM PT.
Registration
All attendees, including speakers, organizer, facilitators, and internal staff, MUST be registered for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon AND your co-located event in order to enter the venue. Attendee information (including first and last name, company, title, email address, and country) will be shared via private registration portal link. Once your event sells out, it will be marked as “Sold Out” on the co-located event website and in Sched.
Sponsors are required to ensure all attendees — including internal staff, trainers, speakers, etc. — are registered prior to event day. This responsibility lies solely with the sponsor and special registration requests may be considered until Monday, September 19 at 11:59 PM PT. No requests will be considered after this deadline. Unless otherwise stipulated in your information collection form response, event registration will close at the event’s published end time. (NOTE: If you stipulated a different registration close date/time, the deadline to notify our team of registration close date/time changes is Friday, September 30 at 11:59 PM PT. Change requests will not be accepted after this deadline.)
All registration discount or comp code requests should be directed to the CNCF co-located event team and should include the code desired, discount percentage/amount, and number of uses.
Room Assignments
Room assignments will be provided via email 45 days prior to the event start date.
Sponsor Emails to Attendees
Turning leads into revolving customers takes time and dedication. Analyze the available data in your registration portal carefully and develop a lead nurturing strategy specific to the attendees and the content they interacted with during your co-located event. One size does not fit all. Following up in a timely manner with personalized and relevant content is key to stay on top of mind of prospective customers.
All KubeCon + CloudNativeCon sponsors are required to abide by these terms and best practices when sending emails to attendees. Sponsor emails should always:
- Be sent from an email address affiliated with your company (e.g. address@company.com)
- If using a personal account, clearly identify that the sender is employed by your company (e.g. “Hi, I’m Jane with XYZ Company”)
- Indicate how you came into possession of the attendee’s email address (e.g. “You are receiving this email because you registered for our co-located event at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon”)
- Provide targeted content based on the attendee data that you’ve gathered instead of sending generic boilerplate messages. Personalize emails whenever possible.
- Don’t bombard attendees with messages. Receiving too many emails is one of the top reasons for recipients to unsubscribe. Find a balance between staying in consistent contact and giving recipients time to digest your information.
If you require further information/clarification on these terms, please feel free to contact the CNCF co-located event planning team!
Staffing
Please ensure at least (2) team members are prepared to staff the event check-in table outside of your room, and at least (1) team member attends the pre-event walkthrough to see the space and pick up your session scanner. Your team is responsible for ensuring the correct attendees are checked in at your event.
Wi-Fi
Please send all packets and downloadable information to attendees prior to the event, as no amount of bandwidth is guaranteed to support 100+ people downloading all at once.
ON-SITE LOGISTICS | Best Practices + Reminders
Arrival + Badge Pickup
Please plan to pick up your badge at one of the pre-published registration locations on or before event day. Please build in extra time to make your way through health and safety checkpoints on event day, as there will not be separate sponsor checkpoints due to COVID protocols at this event.
Attendee Check-In
All attendees must be registered for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America AND your co-located event in order to attend. Registered attendees will have an abbreviated name/code for your co-located event printed at the bottom of their badge and will show up “green” when you scan their QR code.
IMPORTANT: Your session scanner is not a registration device; it is solely enabled to check-in pre-registered attendees. Please direct persons looking to register and/or pick up their badge to any of our registration locations. We strongly discourage permitting unregistered persons into your space, as you may be giving away the seat of a pre-registered attendee, room capacities cannot be altered, and your attendance report data will be skewed.
Food & Beverage Reminders
Due to COVID protocols, all-day beverages will be available to attendees at select stations throughout the venue. Please note that consumption of food and beverages is prohibited inside breakout rooms.
On-site Event Activities
All activities must take place in your meeting room. No signage may be placed outside of your meeting room (except on your check-in table).
Photography
You may see a CNCF photographer pop in and out during your session. Please note these photos are solely for CNCF’s use and will be available on the CNCF Flickr page.
Pre-Event Set-up + Walkthrough
We will be on-site and available to show you to your room and distribute your session scanners on Sunday, October 23 or Monday, October 24. More information on scheduling a walkthrough time will be provided closer to the event date!
Room Set-up
Room diagrams will be provided with room assignment notifications 45 days before event start. Per your contract, all rooms will be set classroom style with the number of seats stipulated in your contracted package and must remain in said configuration for the duration of the event. We will provide signage outside of your room along with (1) attendee check-in table and (2) chairs. Sponsor-specific signage may be utilized inside of your room but is prohibited in the hallways.
NOTE: A camera riser will be set in every room for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon breakouts on subsequent days. These may not be removed.
Security
Please be mindful of your personal belongings while on-site. Though this iteration of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon may be smaller than usual, there will still be thousands of people milling about. We have no way of ensuring items left unattended in your event space (or elsewhere on the premises) will be there upon your return!
Session Scanners
A session scanner and charger will be allocated to you during event walkthrough/set-up hours on Sunday, October 23 or Monday, October 24 only. Please ensure your scanner remains charged while it is in your possession; scanners that power down will need to be reset to your particular event by our staff. Please return your scanner to the Co-Located Event Helpdesk by 5:30 PM ET on your event day; a fee for unreturned scanners will be charged to the sponsor.
IMPORTANT: If your event has multiple sessions/timeslots, your scanner should automatically switch to the next session. Should you encounter any scanner issues, please do not hesitate to utilize the contact information below!
Signage
We will provide both wayfinding signage directing attendees to your room as well as a sign with your event name outside of your room. All additional signage must be placed inside your meeting room; sponsor signage/decor is prohibited in the hallway.
Venue Maps + Parking
Huntington Place | Floor Plans
Huntington Place | Parking
Address: Huntington Place – 1 Washington Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226
Wi-Fi
WiFi network information will be shared with sponsors via the Know Before You Go Guide. Anticipate receiving this the week before the event starts!
IMPORTANT: Please send all attendee materials, downloads, etc. before arriving on-site, as there is no amount of bandwidth that will ensure speed for 1000+ people downloading all at once.
POST-EVENT GUIDANCE
Attendance Reports
An attendance report based on session scanner data will be provided to your team within 72 business hours of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon close.
Post-Event Breakdown
Please ensure you clear your room of all supplies, signage, banners, merchandise, etc. at the conclusion of your event. To ensure you are not held fiscally liable for your session scanner, please do not forget to return it to the Co-Located Event Help Desk by 5:30 PM ET on your event day!
Post-Event Payment
If you are charging a registration fee for your event, The Linux Foundation will pass through registration revenue less credit card and registration processing fees (2.9%). Within 30 days post-event, you will receive an email noting your revenue (less fees) with instructions to submit an invoice to The Linux Foundation for payment. If you are donating your fees to the Dan Kohn Diversity Scholarship Fund (previously the CNCF Diversity Scholarship Fund), we will confirm the final amount donated.
Contact Us
We attempted to answer all frequently asked questions here, so please bookmark and share this page with your planning team!
If after reviewing/referencing this guide you still have a question, please send your inquiry to our sponsor-hosted co-located event lead, Wendi West.
See you in Detroit,
Your Sponsor-Hosted Co-Located Event Team
