DevConf.cz main event is an annual 3-day conference for developers, admins, DevOps engineers, testers, documentation writers and other contributors to open source technologies. The event is held in Brno and welcomes speakers and attendees from all over the world.
In addition to the annual conference, we established a new DevConf.cz event series in 2022: DevConf.cz Mini conferences.
DevConf.cz Mini conferences are highly focused, local, in-person versions of DevConf.cz main event. They offer an opportunity to return to our conference themes in a smaller setting. They are one-day events and speakers and attendees are typically local to Brno or able to easily travel.
You can find all currently open devconf-related CfPs here: https://cfp.devconf.info. We also updated the events timeline on our website.
We have to comply with the appropriate government regulations in this area. You can find the latest Covid regulations here: https://covid.gov.cz/en/.
You should be prepared to meet all appropriate government regulations for the duration of your visit to Brno.
No. You should be prepared to meet all appropriate government regulations for the duration of your visit to Brno.
You can find the latest Covid regulations here: https://covid.gov.cz/en/.
DevConf.cz 2023 will be a hybrid event, with both in-person and virtual presence to ensure that everyone who wishes to participate is able to do so. Because of that, we're updating descriptions of different session types. Please note that this year all presentations will be delivered in person.
A talk is where you present, usually with slides and demos, to an audience. The default time slot for each talk and Q&A is 35 minutes (we recommend 25-minute talk and 10-minute Q&A). A talk has one primary speaker and, optionally, a secondary speaker. Consider recruiting your colleagues to interact with people online while you are talking live at the conference.
A talk should be bite-sized and focused on a certain topic. This means that you should not expect to be able to cover multiple broad areas in one talk. You can submit more than one proposal, to cover a set of topics, but we cannot guarantee their final scheduled order. Therefore, we recommend topics be independent so that they do not need to be presented in a specific order.
If you require more than 35 minutes to cover a certain topic, there is an option to submit a two-part session (two 35-minute time slots with a 10-minute break in between) where we guarantee the order in the schedule. You should consider that different audiences may join each part and tailor the content accordingly. This option is recommended for deep technical dives that include a demo. You will be asked to specify why you require more time, each case will be evaluated individually.
Please note that this year all presentations will be delivered in person. We plan to stream talks online and make sure in-person as well as online audiences can participate in Q&A and chat.
A discussion is where you lead/moderate a conversation with a group of knowledgeable panelists who answer prepared questions or questions from the audience. You should be prepared to moderate questions for appropriateness to your topic and session goal. It is an interactive session and you're asked to engage with the audience during the session.
A discussion is 35 minutes long. A discussion has a dedicated moderator and up to 3 active speakers.
All discussions are delivered in person. We plan to stream content online and make sure in-person as well as online audiences can participate in Q&A and chat.
A lightning talk is a short presentation focused on getting people interested in something new. The goal of the lightning talk is to convey key information in a clear and concise manner. Smaller technical topics, project introductions, and research/thesis topic introductions are great topics for lightning talks.
A lightning talk is 15 minutes long. A lightning talk has one primary speaker.
All lightning talks are delivered in person. We plan to stream content online and make sure in-person as well as online audiences can participate in chat.
A workshop is a hands-on demo where you and other workshop leads interact with the audience with the goal to share your knowledge and experience on a particular bite-sized topic. The goal of a workshop is to teach or practice a skill. As a result, workshops should be actionable and goal-oriented.
A workshop is 80 minutes long. We allow up to 3 active presenters in a workshop. You must designate one of them to be the primary session leader.
All workshops are conducted live and are not recorded or streamed by default. If you want to stream the content online it is up to you to cover both offline and online channels.
Meetups are organized as in-person meetings. They are open to all participants, and they serve as a place for open discussions during the dedicated time, sharing the latest project developments and interaction with contributors and attendees.
A meetup is 80 minutes long. We allow up to 3 active presenters in a meetup. You must designate one of them to be the primary session leader.
All meetups are conducted live and are not recorded nor streamed by default. If you want to stream the content online it is up to you to cover both offline and online channels.
A booth is a staffed table at the event. Booths are open to all participants at all times, and they serve as a place for conversations about the project and interaction with contributors, users, and attendees.
There must be at least one person at the booth at all times and there must be at least two staff members registered. Preference is given to booths that will run all three days.
Activities are organized as non-technical meetups. They are open to all participants, and they serve as a great place to engage with other attendees outside of the hallway track and conference sessions. They usually center around various hobbies and interests. We hosted a candy swap session, a coffee lovers meetup, and a yoga session in past.
An activity is either 35 or 80 minutes long. An activity has one primary lead and, optionally, a secondary session leader.
All activities are conducted live and are not recorded nor streamed by default. If you want to stream the content online it is up to you to cover both offline and online channels.
You can find travel guidelines here.
Admission to DevConf.CZ is free and only requires that you register for a free ticket.
We use registration to manage several logistics issues around DevConf.CZ.
There are a small number of tickets reserved for on-site registration. On-site registration is identical to internet registration in terms of cost (free!) and in terms of what information is asked for. You are strongly encouraged to register online when we open online registration to both save time when you arrive and to prevent you from being turned away because we are at capacity.
Yes! When you confirm your session acceptance, you will be asked whether you would like to have a speaker coach and will be matched with one.
The speaker confirmation form invites new speakers to sign up for practicing their talks via a video conference ahead of DevConf.CZ and invites experienced speakers to coach new speakers through such practice. We hope that participating in this program will improve the experience of new speakers and improve the quality of talks at DevConf.CZ, and highly encourage experienced speakers to sign up as coaches. We have a speaker guide and a speaker coaching guide available to support speakers and coaches. People who sign up, will receive their coaching matches by beginning of May, with the expectation that they will schedule practice sessions between May 8 and June 2.
We ask the coaches to take the lead on scheduling the practice session via a video conference (BlueJeans, Talky.io, Jitsi Meet, Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, etc). The speaker can choose to invite other audience members to the practice. In the practice session, the speaker delivers their practice talk, and the coach and other audience members provide feedback on the talk and slide deck.
Speakers and coaches agree to abide by the DevConf Code of Conduct both during the conference and in any pre-conference coaching, practice, or other program related activities.
Yes. Our intention is to record every talk and make it available on YouTube and via a live-stream. If this is a problem, please contact us at info@devconf.cz as soon as possible so we can determine if we can accommodate your request.
To assist you with producing your talk, we are collecting a list of suggestions for both virtual and in-person speakers in the speaker guide.
Every session room will have a projector that should accept most common display technologies. If you do not have an HDMI port on your laptop, please bring an adapter to ensure you can connect. While we will try to have a full suite of display adapters, new versions seem to appear every day. Please have practiced plugging your laptop into an external display and setting your mirroring/speaker mode as you like it. You know your computer best.
We will also have a microphone in all rooms where recording is taking place. Please use the microphone and don't forget to repeat questions.
Your talk is scheduled with the Question and Answer time included. This means, for example, if you have a 25 minute talk, you should plan to leave 5 minutes for Q&A. After your time has expired, even if you only had a short Q&A you will need to leave the room and continue conversations in the hallway to ensure the next speaker has full use of their time.
Each room will have a session chair to help with timing. They will show you cards when you are getting close to running out of time. They will also assist you with setting up your talk and provide you with a brief introduction, if you wish.
Bandwidth is shared by everyone and we occasionally experience issues with wifi due to overload which is beyond our power to fix. Please, prepare to switch from workshop to hands-on or guided tour in this case, meaning you solely will have access to the internet.
DevConf.cz offers speaker sponsorship that covers accepted speakers' accommodation in our partner hotels for up to 3 nights during the conference. We do not cover travel expenses. In order to apply for speaker sponsorship, speakers should indicate they require accommodation in the confirmation form once they receive acceptance letters.
A Matrix server is a communication platform. It supports many methods of communication, including text, voice, and video streaming. Matrix is an open standard for interoperable, decentralized, real-time communication over IP. Learn more at https://matrix.org/faq/.
We're using Matrix at DevConf.cz 2023 to enhance communication and collaboration during the conference. It provides virtual rooms that correspond to each physical room at the event. These rooms:
It's hosted by the Red Hat OSPO (Open Source Program Office) team.
By leveraging the DevConf.cz Matrix server, we aim to create an interactive and inclusive conference experience for all participants.
Open https://matrix.to/#/#2023:devconf.cz to get started.
Matrix servers are all federated. This means you can use another Matrix server account on the DevConf.CZ server. For this reason we don’t offer direct user registration.
Many online and open source communities host Matrix servers and offer accounts. You can also self-host. Here are some places to get an account:
While creating an account, you will be asked to choose a client and you can choose the client based on your preferences. We recommend using Element because it supports all features we use at DevConf.cz, such as “spaces”, “threads” and “pinned events”.
Absolutely! #2023:devconf.cz rooms are public and federated, which means you can use your existing account to join. Open https://matrix.to/#/#2023:devconf.cz to get started.
The server will be online for the duration of the conference. We believe Matrix offers the best possible solution for mixing local and remote attendees, and we have already invested significant effort into its implementation. While we cannot guarantee its continued availability beyond the conference, we are committed to exploring Matrix as a long-term communication solution. Your feedback and experience will be valuable in shaping our future decisions.
Because Matrix is decentralized and users registered on other servers, you’ll remain able to connect with each other via direct messages and other chat rooms even if our server is taken offline.
The main platform for chat communication at DevConf.cz 2023 has transitioned from Telegram and Discord to Matrix.
Matrix offers a more open, federated, and extensible communication ecosystem that aligns better with our goals of fostering collaboration and adhering to open-source principles. We believe this shift will enhance the overall experience and accessibility for our local and remote attendees. We encourage you to join us on Matrix for all chat-related discussions during the event.
While we are moving away from Telegram and Discord, we have not closed off any options yet and remain committed to finding the best platform to communicate with all attendees.
In theory, any client should allow you to join the devconf.cz rooms. However, not all clients support all features, #2023:devconf.cz for example takes advantage of “spaces”, “threads” or “pinned events”. If your client does not support these features, you may not have the optimal experience. We recommend using Element, because it supports all features we use.
When using the Element client to access #2023:devconf.cz, you should see three sub-spaces: ‘General', ‘Sessions' and ‘Workshops & Meetups'. If your client does not display the spaces correctly, you should still be able to see the “Main Chat” room and all the “Sessions” and “Workshops & Meetups“ rooms when using the ‘explore’ feature. If you still can’t find any DevConf room, make sure you’re searching within the devconf.cz server.
We plan to stream sessions such as talks, discussions, and lightning talks on Matrix. However, please note that workshops and meetups will not be streamed as they are not suitable for virtual viewing.
For the session rooms, we will provide widgets with YouTube streams. You will be able to join the session room and watch the live stream directly from the platform.
It's important to remember that workshop rooms will primarily serve as spaces for attendees and workshop organizers to communicate and share important information during the workshop. Streaming will not be available in workshop rooms.
In an effort to create a more diverse and inclusive event, Red Hat is delighted to be able to offer scholarships for attending DevConf.CZ. As DevConf.CZ is the DevConf for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, these scholarships are only available to people from these locations. The scholarships are aiming to support students and people relatively new or returning to full-time work in technology, who don't work at Red Hat and whose employer is not able to cover their travel expenses. Applicants who work full-time in technology, need to have worked full-time in technology for less than 5 years since the time they started full-time work in technology or resumed it after a break of six months or more due to studies or personal reasons. Applicants have to be at least 18 years old.
Decisions will be made based on applicants' experience with Red Hat-supported and other open source technologies and based on being a student or being new or returning to full-time work in technology. People who are accepted as speakers for the conference will be given some preference, but the scholarships are aiming to support both speakers and attendees.
The scholarships can cover requests of up to 1,000 USD for expenses such as travel, hotel, food, and child care. Conference registration is free and will open on April 24, 2023.
Please review full eligibility criteria in the application form and submit your application by 31 of March, 2023. If you have proposed a session, but would like to attend the conference regardless of whether it's accepted, you can fill out the form without waiting for the acceptance decisions. We expect to send out most acceptance decisions before April 14, but speakers whose sessions are accepted after April 14 will still have a chance to apply for diversity scholarships.