IndiaFOSS Handbook

Welcome to the IndiaFOSS Handbook! This documentation aims to provide comprehensive resources and guidance for IndiaFOSS organisers and volunteers.

IndiaFOSS is an annual Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) conference organised by the FOSS United community. It is a celebration of software innovation and the people who make it happen. The FOSS United community has been organising IndiaFOSS since 2020 every year in Bengaluru.

IndiaOS 2020

IndiaFOSS 2022

IndiaFOSS 2023

IndiaFOSS 2024

This purpose of this handbook is to familiarize everyone with all that happens behind the scenes at the conference. All the volunteers and organizers are encourage to go through this documentation and update it whenever necessary.

The event happens tentatively in September-October every year at NIMHANS convention center, Bengaluru. As of last year, we saw 1600+ registrations (and 1300+ attendees in person), 44 talks, 7 workshops, 8 BoF sessions and 14 on spot lightning talks at the conference.

The event has a unconference flair to it which offers attendees to either participate in the typical conference setup with talks happening in auditoriums (3) or be a part of the various activities that happen parallely. This includes project expos, Birds of a Feather Sessions, Open Spaces, Lightning Talks etc.

Table of contents

Documentation and Resources

This page contains a list of documentations of the previous editions of IndiaFOSS, and relevant resources.

Planning Thread - IndiaFOSS 2024

Planning Thread - IndiaFOSS 2023

Planning Thread - IndiaFOSS 2022

Suggestions - IndiaFOSS 2024

RFC - Host IndiaFOSS in your city

Tasklist for conference organizers (Quick Guideline)

FOSS Conference standards

Talk Proposal Guidelines for a FOSS conference

Volunteering at IndiaFOSS

[This page is an update to the Volunteering at FOSS United conferences post. ]

IndiaFOSS at its core is a volunteer driven event. Every year, active members from the FOSS United community, city chapters and student clubs come together to organise the conference.

All volunteers are assigned specific workgroups in which they can contribute. Volunteers are onboarded in 2 phases, typically pre-event remove volunteering activities and during-event on ground activities.

Expectations

  • We expect the volunteers to have a basic understanding of our vision of promoting FOSS.

  • Try to put in 3-4 hours a week; this might slightly increase for some workgroups as we get closer to the event.

  • Be consistent with the deliverables expected.

  • Inform the team about any other commitments you may have, or if you will be unavailable for a certain period of time beforehand.

🚀 Work Groups

Phase 1

  1. Marketing

    • Manage social media accounts and engage with the audience
    • Work with the design and content team to ideate posts.

  2. Design

    • Create graphic designs for promotional materials
    • Design event banners, flyers, and other visual assets

  3. Community Outreach

    • Reach out to relevant communities to promote the event
    • Collaborate with local organizations and groups to increase participation

    Over time, we have realised that a fundamental change is required in community partnerships for IndiaFOSS. The conference is now "popular" enough that we don't require communities to post about the event regularly. Instead, the goal of community partnerships is now to give a platform to small communities that resonate with our philosophy, and to encourage them to talk about their initiatives.

  4. Speaker Management (and outreach)

    • Reach out to potential speakers for the event asking them to apply for the CFP.
    • Maintain regular communication with selected speakers
    • Resolve queries via emails

  5. Diversity

    • Ensure diversity and inclusion in the event.
    • Implement strategies to attract a diverse range of participants and speakers.
    • Manage the Diversity Scholarships Program
    • Ensure everyone feels welcome at the event. Diversity in terms of participation does not make sense if people feel they don't "fit in".

  6. Video Editing

    • Edit and produce videos for event promotions.

  7. Sponsorships

    • Identify and reach out to potential sponsors for the event.
    • Regularly communicate with sponsors and resolve queries.
    • Inform sponsors on the various ways they can participate in the event. While we do not give talk slots, sponsors are encouraged to showcase their open source projects in booths, host workshops, BoFs etc.

  8. Content

    • Create and curate content for event website, blog, and promotional materials
    • Develop engaging copy for social media posts and email newsletters

  9. Parallel Sessions’ Management (and outreach)

    • Look for and reach out to communities and individuals who can host parallel sessions like workshops, project showcase etc.
    • Curate and manage parallel sessions for the conference like workshops or experience labs.
    • Maintain communication with the session heads and navigate necessary arrangements for them.
    • Curation and management of activities happening at the open spaces.

    Sub-Group: Booth Management (and outreach)

    • Reach out to open source projects and communities and invite them to apply for a booth at IndiaFOSS.
    • Maintain regular communication with booth hosts and provide necessary updates.

  10. Tech

    • Working with the developers team on the website and event platform (Our tech stack is tailwind, vue and frappe)

  11. CFP Workgroup

    • Reviewing the talk proposals.
    • Conducting Mock presentations of shortlisted talks.

Phase 2

  1. Venue Management (Local to Bengaluru)

    • Find vendors and coordinate to arrange materials like AV, tables, chairs, and other essential goods.

  2. Travel Desk (Local to Bengaluru)

    • Curate the list of travel modes to the venue, and accommodation spaces near to the venue, for publishing.
    • Handle queries and perform coordination for attendees.

  3. Hosts/Emcees

    • Hosting the talk sessions happening parallelly in 2 audis.

  4. Production Volunteers

    • Find vendors and coordinate to arrange:
      1. Livestream for the event.
      2. Recording of talks
      3. Photography and videography

  5. Managing Ad-hoc Jobs

    • Managing miscellaneous requirements.

  6. Volunteer Manager

    • POC to manage and coordinate between volunteers of all workgroups.

Marketing Workgroup

Time required - 3 hrs a week. Upto an hour a day in the last week of the conference.

  • The marketing workgroup is responsible for promotions and communications about IndiaFOSS 2024.
  • Manage social media accounts and engage with the audience.
  • Work with the design and content team to ideate posts.
  • FOSS United/IndiaFOSS maintains its marketing presence on these platforms - Telegram, Mastodon, Instagram, X/Twitter, Linkedin.
  • The volunteers can divide the platforms they will be posting on amongst themselves.
  • A tracker is maintained which lists the status of upcoming and pending posts. -Necessart content (eg. captions can be added to the tracker as well.)
  • Volunteers are also encouraged to plan additional social media posts/activities that help promote the conference.

Role: Community Partnerships

The community partnerships team plays a key role in fostering relationships with diverse tech communities. Our aim is to provide meaningful support, ensuring that these communities benefit from their collaboration with IndiaFOSS.

For IndiaFOSS 2024, instead of expecting communities to regularly promote the event, we focused on offering a platform to communities that align with our values. The new objective was to give them the opportunity to showcase their initiatives/projects/demos and amplify their voices within the open-source ecosystem.

Partnerships involve continuous communication with community leaders/representatives to ensure they have the tools and information needed to collaborate effectively. This includes helping them engage with IndiaFOSS, facilitating joint efforts, and providing visibility to their initiatives.

During the conference, the community partnerships team also ensures that partners are well-supported and feel involved as a part of family.

Things to Keep in Mind:

Effective Communication: Maintain clear and consistent communication with partners. Supportive Role: Ensure each community partner feels encouraged and valued throughout their involvement. Teamwork: Collaborate with other teams to align partnership goals with the broader event strategy.

Responsibilities:

Keep community partners informed about the event and collaboration opportunities. Address any queries or concerns partners might have regarding their role. Help ensure a smooth collaboration between community partners and the event team.

Things for Next Year, maybe?

For future editions, rather than just asking community partners to share social posts of IndiaFOSS, spreading more awareness about FOSS United's philosophy and how the foundation operates can be a priority. A potential initiative could be designing an informative poster about the foundation’s philosophy, which community partners can share within their networks. This will help raise awareness about FOSS United and create a coordinated marketing effort for both IndiaFOSS and the foundation.

Credits: Faizan Akhtar

Design

Responsibilities for Design Volunteers at IndiaFOSS

Visual Identity

Develop the visual style of the event, ensuring consistency across all design elements. Work with the team to maintain consistent designs.

Digital Content

Design graphics for social media, website, and email campaigns to promote the event. This includes social media posts like notification posts, announcement posts, speakers announcements, promo videos and motion graphics. Work closely with the Content and marketing team.

Venue designs

Design of print assets and communicating the exact print requirements with the Printing vendor. Eg: Banners, Posters, ID stickers, T-shirt, stickers, Hand painted banner.

Signage

Design clear and attractive signage for navigation and information at the event venue.

On-Site Design

Be available prior to the event and during the event for any last-minute design needs or adjustments.

Feedback Incorporation

Work closely with the design team & event organizers to incorporate any feedback and ensure designs align with the event’s goals.

Ensure to finish the designs at least 2-3 days prior to the deadline to incorporate changes.

Avoid Plagiarism in Designs. If needed use only commercially free to use design assets with attribution.

Attend team meetings and take up tasks and propose convenient deadlines

Credits - Jeswin Jose

Diversity Workgroup Responsibilities

Team and maintaining effective communication

A dedicated and communicative team. Each member should be comfortable with sending multiple emails, making follow-ups, and keeping the conversation flowing within the team and potential speakers, Diversity Scholars (for diversity scholarship), and organisations.

The team should collaborate in identifying individuals and organisations within the FOSS community, renowned speakers, and experts from diverse fields such as design, science, government, education, policy, and public good sectors also ensuring diversity in terms of gender, regional representation, and expertise. A balanced approach helps showcase different voices and experiences. Clear internal communication protocols are essential to manage outreach efforts efficiently and avoid duplicating tasks.

Reaching out to the community for referrals

A key task is identifying speakers who can bring diverse perspectives. This includes looking beyond the typical names and encouraging new voices, especially from marginalized communities.

It’s important to tap into the existing network for speaker recommendations. Previous speakers, community members, or peers from similar conferences often have valuable suggestions. This is a quick and effective way to get in touch with experienced speakers who already have a relationship with the community.

Divide outreach work within the group. Regularly reach out to past speakers and ask them to refer new potential speakers. Personalized outreach often yields better results. Maintaining these connections can help create a steady flow of diverse speakers.

Sourcing speakers from the FOSS community

One of the core responsibilities of the workgroup is to source speakers who are active in the FOSS space. These speakers can come from within the community or be referred to by others. It’s important to ensure that the speakers selected bring a mix of technical and non-technical perspectives to the event.

Focus: When selecting speakers, prioritize those who have demonstrated meaningful contributions to FOSS or have a background in FOSS space. This helps ensure that the content delivered at the event is relevant and aligned with the core values of the community.

Managing diversity scholarships

The diversity scholarship program is designed to support individuals from underrepresented communities who are interested in attending the event. When managing this program, it’s important to prioritise candidates who already have some exposure to FOSS. These individuals are more likely to benefit from the event and make meaningful connections with the community. Reaching out to organisations and individuals that work with gender minorities, women, and communities from tier 2 and tier 3 cities can significantly enhance the diversity of attendees. This can be done by contacting organisations that have a track record of advocating for these groups or by soliciting referrals from within the community.

Selection: Make sure to have clear criteria for the scholarship, prioritizing those who demonstrate interest in FOSS. Candidates who can articulate how the event would benefit their FOSS journey should be given special attention. Organise a transparent and efficient system for processing applications and communicating results.Connect with educational institutions, NGOs, and community organisations. Keep a clear system for sorting applications and a proper sheet with all the details of approached organisations to avoid multiple approaches. Build relationships with these organisations early in the planning process. They can often provide access to potential scholars and participants who are not yet deeply involved in FOSS but are keen to learn. Use their networks to promote the event and scholarship opportunities to ensure a broad and inclusive reach.

Maintaining longterm relationships with Diversity Scholars/ speakers

After the event, it is important to maintain contact with diversity scholars/speakers. They can help amplify the work of the community within their own network, whether at their schools, colleges, or workplaces. Keeping them engaged in the community beyond the event also increases the chances that they will return as future participants, volunteers, or speakers.

Post-event: Send follow-up emails and maintain communication with past scholars. Encourage them to share their experiences and spread the word about the event in their local communities. This can be an effective way of expanding outreach for future editions of the event.

Providing support to speakers and diversity scholars

Supporting speakers and scholars is key to ensuring their experience is positive and enriching. This involves clear communication before the event, addressing their logistical needs (like travel and accommodation), and offering any resources or assistance required during the event itself. Make sure to send detailed instructions to speakers and scholars well in advance, covering everything from the schedule to logistical arrangements. It’s important to establish a point of contact for any queries or issues they may have, ensuring they feel supported throughout the process. Regular check-ins, either via email or phone, can help smooth out any issues before they become problems.

Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all

It’s essential to make the event accessible and inclusive for everyone, including differently abled attendees. This includes ensuring that the venue is accessible (ramps, elevators, etc.), providing sign language interpreters if needed, and offering any other necessary accommodations. Rooms for people to just relax if they feel overstimulated during the conference and need some time to relax and should also be communicated well in advance.

Mothers attending the event with infants or young children require special accommodations. These may include setting up a designated area for breastfeeding or offering childcare services to help them fully participate in the event. If possible, provide on-site childcare services or information on nearby childcare facilities. Communicate these options well in advance to mothers so they can plan accordingly.

Include a section in the registration form where attendees can specify any accessibility needs, dietary restrictions, or other accommodations. Once these needs are identified, work closely with the relevant teams to ensure all requirements are met, whether it’s providing transportation assistance, dietary accommodations, or support for individuals with sensory sensitivities.

Collaboration with other volunteers

Collaboration between different workgroups (like content or logistics) is vital to ensure smooth functioning. Proper social media marketing should be done for both diverse speakers and diversity scholarship. Delegating tasks and ensuring everyone understands their roles can make the workload manageable and less overwhelming. Have clear internal communication protocols in place. Holding regular check-ins can help avoid overlap and keep work balanced among members. Hold regular inter-workgroup meetings to sync efforts, ensuring that diversity and inclusion considerations are embedded into every aspect of the event, from content to logistics.

Feedback from the participants, speakers, and scholars

Implement a feedback system where speakers and scholars can share their experiences. This helps identify any gaps in support or areas where the diversity workgroup could improve. Send post-event feedback form to speakers and scholars asking for input on the event’s inclusivity efforts. Use this feedback to refine the outreach and selection processes.

Credits: Ruchika Bagde

Emcees

IndiaFOSS Emcee’ing Responsibilities

  • There are typically two emcees per auditorium and they can collectively figure out how they want to present, one way is to take turns alternating emcee’s for speakers.

  • After deciding which Speakers you’ll be introducing as the Emcee, ideally prepare what you’re going to say beforehand and have the “script” printed out.

  • The Speaker response sheet which includes their bio and talk description in the way the speaker themselves would like to state them is usually the key reference while preparing the emcee script. An additional reference is the content team’s captions for the social media posts 😄.

  • Make sure you know the password for the wifi, the FOSS United provisioned laptops which the speakers present from.

  • Make sure you get to know the Audi logistics volunteer who will be there to overlook and help out in case of last-minute technical challenges and that you have their contact information, (phone numbers are definitely more convenient than having their telegram since in some cases people can have their telegram-call-reception switched off).

  • Ensure the speaker for the next talk is present atleast 20 minutes before the current talk ends.

  • Have a quick word with the next speaker going over how they will be presenting and in case they have any special requirements.

  • Announcements promoting other activities that will be starting / going on in other parts of the conference. Sometimes speakers also have a Birds-of-Feather session or a booth in place which can be promoted uness they don’t shout them out themselves.

  • This is oddly specific but sometimes the wifi doesn’t work and you have to resort to personal hotspot. Make sure your phone has enough battery or the battery-saving modes don’t interfere!

Credits: Akshit Tyagi

Time required - On ground responsibility

Responsibilities for handling Birds of a Feather Sessions:

What is a Birds of Feather Session?

Birds of a Feather sessions (or BoFs) at IndiaFOSS 2024 are informal gatherings for participants to discuss a particular topic without a pre-planned agenda. Themes for the same can be (but not limited to) FOSS Projects, FOSS in academia/govt/social sector, Open Hardware, Open Science, Open Data, Public Policy etc.

See more info here - https://forum.fossunited.org/t/propose-birds-of-a-feather-bof-sessions-at-indiafoss-2024/3522

BoF management involves assisting the moderator and ensuring everything goes smoothly and everyone gets a chance to speak.

Responsibilities:

  • Making sure the projectors and the signages are ready and displayed correctly.
  • Making sure the moderator arrives to the venue few minutes prior to the conference.
  • Giving an introduction about the moderator and the topic (optional)
  • Running mics
  • Managing last minute changes

Credits - Justin Benito

Lightning Talks

Lightning talks are true unconference style, unplanned talks. At IndiaFOSS 2024, we allotted 1 hr for lightning talks.

We set up a white board where anyone could write what they want to talk about. Talk slots are allotted on first come first serve basis, and while there is no set theme - the talk should follow the proposal guidelines

After a quick vetting process by a CFP review volunteer (to make sure none of the proposals violate the guidelines) the talks are finalised. Each speaker gets 10 minutes to present their talk.

Responsibilities are same as for audi management volunteers.

Registration desk

The resgistration desk volunteers are responsible for making sure all the participants get checked in and to ensure food and goodies are provided to the participants. The registration desk also acts as the first point of contact for the participants/speakers, and as a help desk later during the conference. People might be confused and or might be unfamilar to the conference, here the registration desk clear all the doubts and queries the pariticipans or speakers may have.

Things to keep in mind

  • Communicate well
  • Go through the manuals and properly test the checkin system beforehand.
  • Be a team player, a team of 5-6 people at the desk is responsible for managing a massive crowd.
  • Ability to take initiative, in case of a tense/rush situaion the abilty to think on their feet and quickly sort the issues.

Responsibilites

  • Ensure all participants are checked in properly, this will be done by asking them for their tickets and id proofs (for student participants).
  • After checking in, making sure to direct the participants to the approprate events/programs happening. Say breakfast is being served it will be the responsibily of the regdesk to inform them and let them know how to reach there.
  • Handling the participants queries and doubts regarding the event or to help them solve issues while registering. Keep track of any rare case of issues, which later can be rectifed or brought to the attention of the team.
  • The ability and responsibilty to ensure a peacefull and smooth queue is maintained during registraion and creating a simple and easy to follow workflow for the participants/speakers to get themselves registered and collet their passes.

Audi Management

Time required - This is an on ground responsbility. You do not need to spend much time before the event.

As an Audi manager, you play a crucial role in ensuring that talks stay on schedule at all times. These are the primary responsibilites and things to keep in mind.

  1. Presence in the Audi
    Try to be physically present in the auditorium throughout the event. This ensures that everything runs seamlessly and that you can address any issues that may arise.

  2. Positioning at the Front
    The volunteers should be present at different areas of the auditorium. Near the front row for helping speakers out and keeping track of time, at the door for crowd management and around the audi for running mics.

  3. Maintain Silence
    Try to maintain silence during the talks. Ensure attendees are not creating noise that may disturb the speakers.

  4. Stay Connected
    Be online and aware of messages on the volunteer groups.

  5. Be on time
    Arrive early to prepare and ensure that everything is in order before the event begins.

  6. Coordinate with other audi/venue manager volutneers
    Communicate with the other Audi/Venue managers to in case of any logistic requirements.

  7. Speaker Support
    Assist speakers with any setup needs they may have.Ensure that speakers are properly mic'd up before they take the stage.

  8. Time Management
    Always keep track of the time. Display time cards to indicate how much time is left for each session.

  9. Q&A Session Management
    QnA can be done if there is time remaining from the speakers' session. During the Q&A sessions, manage the microphone to facilitate audience questions.

Credits - Immanuel Raj

Role: Projects and Booths Management

Time required - 30-60 mins a day, a few weeks before the event.

Tasks

Pre-event:

  • Shortlist community booths and projects, based on the form responses.
  • Communicate with the booth participants, and answer their queries.
  • Maintain a tracker for booth status and any special requirements from them.
  • Follow up on any requirements by the booths, and redirect them to the respective team.
  • Regularly check emails, ensuring no emails are missed. Cross-verify by searching the booth name if they haven't replied in a long while.

During event:

  • Visit all the booths and check if there are any problems.
  • Be available to address any queries from the booths.

Suggestions:

  • Consider booth placement such that all booths are properly visible.
  • Make sure to have the contact numbers of the logistics in charge and venue support team, so you don't have to search for them throughout the hall.
  • Get measurements of the booth tables and TVs beforehand, so you can clearly mention the specifications.

Credits - Deveesh Shetty