Speaker Guide

Welcome

We are excited to welcome you as a speaker for Open Source Summit North America 2023. The event is happening Wednesday, May 10 to Friday, May 12, 2023 at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada.

Please click through the tabs on this page to access information.

Registration

Your registration serves as confirmation that you will be speaking, and you will need to register by Monday, March 27, 2023. Please see your notification for the discount code. Please email cfp@linuxfoundation.org if you need this information sent to you again. 

If you have a co-speaker or panelists, please confirm with them before selecting your session format. All session presenters + panelists will need to align with the talk type delivery mode (i.e. for any session, a primary speaker cannot present in person with a co-speaker who can only speak virtually. Both speakers would need to present virtually).

Please be aware of our onsite Health & Safety protocols. Please note that masks are not required at the event. We are also not requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination or a test in order to participate onsite, though this is subject to change.

Visa Letter Requests

If you require a visa letter, please register for the event and then complete the visa letter request here.

Travel Funding

If you are applying for travel funding and have not submitted your request, please do so as soon as possible. The deadline for travel funding applications is March 22, 2023. You can access the form here. 

*  Please note: talk acceptance does not guarantee travel funding.

Venue & Hotel Accommodations

This year’s event will take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada.

We have negotiated a discounted rate at multiple hotels in the area. Please visit our Venue & Travel page for more information. Rooms will likely sell out in advance of the room block close date listed for each hotel – we encourage you to book early to secure a room at the conference rate.

Schedule, Timing & Speaker Profiles

The schedule will be announced Tuesday, March 14, and will be posted on our website using sched.com.

Most breakout sessions are 40 minutes in duration; lightning talks are 7 minutes in duration; and tutorials are 95 minutes in duration. Please view the schedule for your exact session time. 

If you have a conflict with the timing of your talk or find that it conflicts with the content of another talk; or are having problems uploading your bio and photo to sched.com, please contact cfp@linuxfoundation.org.

AV Details & Requirements

Please note the following technical requirements:

• All speakers must supply their own computers and adapters to use during their talk.
• Presentation slides should be formatted in 16:9. 
• The room will include a screen, projector, and (2) microphones; panelists will each receive their own microphones.
• If you require any additional AV, please email cfp@linuxfoundation.org with those needs by Wednesday, April 19. The Linux Foundation will make every effort to accommodate additional AV needs; however, final approval for additional AV requests will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Presentation Template & Slide Upload

All speakers are required to submit their final presentation slides ahead of the event. In addition to providing a hard copy for accessibility purposes, we find that adding the presentations before the event helps to drive interest in attending the session. The deadline for presentations is Monday, May 8.

To upload slides:

An optional presentation template is available below:

• OSS North America
• CloudOpen
• ContainerCon
• Critical Software Summit
• Diversity Empowerment Summit
• Emerging OS Forum
• LinuxCon
• Open AI + Data Forum
• OpenGovCon
• OpenJS World
• Open Metaverse Summit
• Open Source Leadership Summit
• Open Source On-ramp
• OSPOCon
• SupplyChain SecurityCon
• SustainabilityCon

Can’t Speak in Person?

We acknowledge that there may be circumstances beyond your control that may prevent you from speaking in person. While we are recording all conference sessions at this year’s event, and live streaming talks delivered onsite, we will not be using a virtual platform. All sessions that will be delivered virtually will be published prior to the event to registered attendees as pre-event content.

Due to our on-site set-up, we do not have the capabilities for dual presentations where speakers are both onsite and virtual. Speakers need to either be in person or send in a virtual recording.

The Speaker Guide contains further details on this below and kindly note that all video submissions must be received by April 10, 2023. Please add your recording directly into the Google folder (please email cfp@linuxfoundation.org to confirm we received your file) or share your file with cfp@linuxfoundation.org.

If you are currently planning to speak in person, but circumstances change after the April 10 video submission deadline, we will, unfortunately, need to cancel your talk and replace it with a waitlisted session.

VIRTUAL: Pre-recording Information

Speakers that are unable to attend in person, will need to pre-record and submit their talk no later than April 10, 2023.

• Some suggested tools to use for recording are Quicktime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, a screen recorder, or something similar. The recording should show your slides/screen as well as you presenting using a picture-in-picture style format.
• The platform accepts MP4 or MOV (under 5gb), dimensions: 1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p).
• If you need assistance with your pre-recorded talk, please contact us at cfp@linuxfoundation.org for additional information.
• Ensure you have stable internet access.  Hardwired connection is preferable for your recording.  If a hardwired connection is not available, turn devices off that will affect your connectivity during your presentation, and make sure that anyone in the house is not on devices and/or consuming bandwidth.

Helpful Zoom Documents and How-to’s:

• Enabling HD Video – This is disabled by default, so you will need to enable it before recording.
• Recording Side-by-Side for sessions with more than one speaker
• How to Record in Zoom Instructional Video – Created by our production team to guide you through recording your presentation for either single or multiple speaker sessions, as well as providing tips on lighting, cameras, and audio.

We have multiple options for uploading your pre-recorded presentation:

• Add your recording directly into the Google folder (please email cfp@linuxfoundation.org to confirm we received your file)
• Share your file with cfp@linuxfoundation.org
• Or let us know if you have an alternate method (DropBox, file sharing service, etc)

VIRTUAL: Technical Tips

• Audio – as counterintuitive as it may sound, the single most important factor in a good video, is the audio quality. 
• Eliminate ambient noise – close the doors and windows. You’d be surprised how much environmental noise gets picked up.
• Lighting – do not put lights overhead and don’t put any lights or windows behind you as they will alter the light levels in your videos and create shadows. Do use a ring light or other lighting source placed in front of you. Natural lighting is best.
• Background – don’t be afraid to show your natural environment – bookcases, plants, paintings – as long as they are not too distracting.
• Framing – place yourself slightly off-center to the left or right rather than directly in the middle of the frame.
• Camera Height – the lens should either be directly level or pointing ever so slightly downwards towards your face.
• Stand – we recommend you stand during your presentation to help project your voice and improve your posture. However, if you’re more comfortable sitting, then please do so.
• Timer – have a clock to keep track of the time you have remaining. 

Source: https://www.greatspeech.co/video-presentations/

VIRTUAL: Lighting, Webcam and Microphone Best Practices

Best Practices for Lighting

• For best results, use natural light and supplement with additional light as needed.
• Keep natural light in front of you to avoid shadows. A bright window behind you can make you appear as a dark silhouette. 
• Interior rooms with no natural light source may require additional targeted lighting, such as a ring light, to brighten the speaker’s face.

Best Practices for Webcams

• To ensure the speaker is looking directly at the audience, place the webcam at eye level.
• Avoid distracting backgrounds by checking the surroundings behind you to make sure there are no distracting colors or movements.
• Presenters should use chairs that are adjustable for height but do not swivel. Swiveling on camera creates a poor attendee experience and can be distracting.

Best Practices for Microphones

• Use external microphones whenever available, as microphones built into computers and cameras often have lower quality. 
• An external microphone allows the speaker to place it in the optimal location for sound.
• Place the microphone close to the speaker’s mouth, but not in the camera view.
• Test audio levels in advance.
• Manage noise by turning off fans, phones, or speakers and keep ambient noise to a minimum. 
• Do not touch the microphone while unmuted.

Dress Code

• There is no dress code for presentations, and we encourage you to be comfortable. That said, you must be aware that the Code of Conduct applies to this space, both in terms of what you show on camera and what you say. We ask that you be tasteful and considerate in choosing your clothing and surroundings. Keep in mind that we are a global community. Please refrain from wearing shirts with global brand logos that are not your own. Solid colors (not white) also work best instead of prints. 

Promote your Talk

We are pleased to offer speaker cards for you to share online and on your social media! Graphics can be found in the Speaker Kit. Example promotions are found below:

Twitter

Are you interested in [topic]? I will be speaking at Open Source Summit North America, May 10-12, talk entitled: [session name]. Register now & join us: https://hubs.la/Q01GSsBn0! View the schedule: https://bit.ly/3Ostowl #OSSummit #OpenSource

Join me at Open Source Summit North America, the premier #opensource developer and community contributor event, taking place in Vancouver, Canada, May 10-12. I’ll be speaking – check out my session: [link to session]. Register: https://hubs.la/Q01GSsBn0. See you there! #OSSummit

I’m excited to be a part of Open Source Summit North America 2023 in Vancouver, Canada! I’ll be speaking on [insert topics] on [session date]. Haven’t registered yet? Register now: https://hubs.la/Q01GSsBn0 #OSSummit

____________________________________________________________________________

Facebook/LinkedIn

Are you interested in [topic]? So am I! I’m happy to announce that I will be speaking at Open Source Summit North America, May 10-12, talk entitled: [session name]. 

[Small blurb about the session].

Register now & join us: https://hubs.ly/Q01GSsvM0

View the full schedule: https://bit.ly/3Ostowl

#OSSummit #OpenSource #OpenSourceSoftware #OpenSourceDevelopment #OpenSourceCommunity #OSS #LinuxFoundation #events #linux #software #sboms #cloud #CloudAdministration #AI #kubernetes #k8s #edge #security #diversity #ospo #metaverse #OpenJS #sustainability #government

Join me at Open Source Summit North America, the premier open source developer and community contributor event! I’ll be speaking and can’t wait to gather with the community in Vancouver, Canada, May 10-12. Don’t miss my session, [session name] on [topic]. Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll learn:

[Small blurb or list of topics about the session]

Register now + join us: https://hubs.ly/Q01GSsvM0

View the full schedule: https://bit.ly/3Ostowl

#OSSummit #OpenSource #OpenSourceSoftware #OpenSourceDevelopment #OpenSourceCommunity #OSS #LinuxFoundation #events #linux #software #sboms #cloud #CloudAdministration #AI #kubernetes #k8s #edge #security #diversity #ospo #metaverse #OpenJS #sustainability #government

I’m excited to be speaking at Open Source Summit North America 2023 in Vancouver, Canada on May 10-12! I’ll be speaking on [topic], session entitled: [session name]. Here’s what to expect:

[Small session blurb]

Register now to join us: https://hubs.ly/Q01GSsvM0

View the full schedule: https://bit.ly/3Ostowl

#OSSummit #OpenSource #OpenSourceSoftware #OpenSourceDevelopment #OpenSourceCommunity #OSS #LinuxFoundation #events #linux #software #sboms #cloud #CloudAdministration #AI #kubernetes #k8s #edge #security #diversity #ospo #metaverse #OpenJS #sustainability #government

Inclusive Speaker Orientation Online Course

In collaboration with the National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT), the Linux Foundation has created an online course designed to teach the viewer about inclusion, diversity, and unconscious bias. We highly recommend all of our speakers watch the course to learn tips/tools to use when speaking to encourage inclusivity in presentations and messaging. 

Along with the online course, we suggest that speakers also refer to the Inclusive Language Initiative’s language recommendation list, which provides guidance on substituting hurtful and exclusive language in the field of information technology.

Code of Conduct

Please review our code of conduct which all participants must follow. It’s strictly enforced and we ask speakers to prioritize inclusivity and appropriate language and imagery in their presentations.

Contact Us

If you have any other platform, speaker, or schedule-related questions, please contact us at cfp@linuxfoundation.org.