KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America
A panel of speakers seated on stage, including 5 women and 1 man.

Diversity + Inclusion

General

Education and collaboration are vital to the future of the CNCF ecosystem and it is imperative to us that everyone in the community that wants to participate feels welcome to do so regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, dis/ability, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or economic status. Our code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

Check out the transparency report for opt-in statistics from KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2023. Please note, attendee demographic questions are optional for speakers and attendees, and are based on opt-in only responses.

Registration Discounts/Scholarships

To encourage and increase the participation of a diverse community, we are pleased to offer diversity, need-based, and maintainer scholarships to our conferences.

Additional information and the scholarship application will be available as the event approaches.

Utah “Bathroom Bill” Statement

We at CNCF are aware of the recent legislative developments in Utah regarding the anti-trans “bathroom bill”, “H.B. 253 Use of Sex-designated Facilities in Public and Higher Education” that was signed into law on January 30th, 2024. We have been monitoring this situation closely as it impacts our diverse community attending KubeCon + CloudNativeCon. We are committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all attendees, and we will ensure that all attendees have access to bathrooms at the event, notwithstanding the recent legislation.

When local laws and regulations change in ways that could impact attendees’ conference experience, we promptly assess the situation and take whatever actions are necessary to provide attendees with the best possible experience while still complying with local laws. CNCF is committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment at all of our events, notwithstanding changes in local laws.

CNCF’s decision to hold an event in a particular location has to be made years in advance, before any future proposed legislation is known, in order to allow sufficient time to reserve conference space and negotiate contracts with vendors. After a venue is committed to, it is usually not possible to change the location of the conference, especially as it gets closer to the date of the event.

We appreciate your understanding and support. We will continue to keep information updated here and are committed to ensuring that KubeCon + CloudNativeCon events are safe, inclusive, and empowering experiences for all.

Captioning

Captioning will be available for both in-person and virtual attendees in 15+ languages through Wordly. See instructions within our online platform or in each breakout room in person to utilize captioning.

Onsite Resources

Nursing Room
We will be providing a private nursing room to aid in the comfort and accessibility of our nursing attendees. The room will be available all days of the event and will be located onsite. For location information, please check with registration or information desk staff onsite.

Child Care
Complimentary childcare will be available onsite during event days. More information will be coming soon.

Venue Accessibility
If you need any assistance locating an elevator, or have other questions about accessibility onsite, please speak to a member of the Linux Foundation event staff at any of the registration or information desks onsite. If you have questions prior to the event, please contact Event Support.

Wheelchair & Medical Equipment Rental
If you need a wheelchair or scooter, you can rent them from Mobility City. Please contact them directly for rates and availability.

Quiet Rooms
These are physical spaces where attendees can go if they feel unable to interact with other attendees for a period of time. We will have an all-attendee quiet room and one dedicated to non-binary + women attendees. Please refrain from conversation, interaction, or work in these spaces.

Communication Stickers
Attendees can pick up communication stickers to add to their badges at registration. Communication stickers indicate an attendee’s requested level of interaction with other attendees and press (including photographers and videographers).

  • Green = Open to communicate.
  • Yellow = Only if you know me, please.
  • Red = I’m not interested in communicating (or being videotaped or photographed) at this time.

Please be respectful of attendee communication preferences.

Share your Pronouns
Stickers will be available at registration to add to your badge. Please be respectful of attendees’ pronouns.

All-Gender Restrooms
We will designate specific restrooms as all-gender for attendees who feel more comfortable using those facilities.

First Aid/Medical Assistance
If you require first aid or medical assistance, please visit our registration desk or a venue information desk. For emergencies, please dial 911.

How to Handle a Harassment Report
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the event staff immediately. Event staff can be identified by staff badges and/or shirts onsite and can be found at the event registration counter at any time. Our staff has had incident response training, responds to harassment reports and does so in accordance with the process recommended by the Ada Initiative, which can be found here on the Geek Feminism Wiki.

Conference staff will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference.

If you are planning to attend an upcoming event and have concerns regarding another individual who may be present, please reach out to us pre-event. Precautions will be taken to ensure a victim’s comfort and safety, including, but not limited to providing an escort, prepping onsite event staff, keeping victim and harasser from attending the same talks/social events and providing onsite contact cell phone numbers for immediate contact.

The Linux Foundation Contacts:
Joanna Lee, VP of Strategic Initiatives and Legal & Angela Brown, SVP & General Manager of Events

eventconduct@cncf.io

(408) 686-9393

Contact Us with Ideas

If you have ideas on how we can create a more inclusive event, please do not hesitate to let us know. Contact Vanessa Heric, Senior Director of CNCF Events, vheric@linuxfoundation.org.

Sponsors

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Diversity Supporters

Media Partners