[OSGeo-Discuss] FOSS4G Dar es Salaam

[Mark Iliffe]

Hi All,

I’m going to sleep after I send this, it’s been a very stressful few weeks for various reasons, one of the biggest being our conference in Dar es Salaam. I’m sitting here having my first whiskey in a while, looking out towards the sea and I feel good. I feel good because of you and our community.

I would be lying if I was looking to see action after every tweet, only to see that the ticket purchases slowly climb at a very slow pace. We as a DLOC know we can deliver one of the best FOSS4Gs ever, the question for us was whether anyone would share our vision and join us. In reflection, over the past few days, these fears were unfounded. Over 600 people said with one voice that they wanted to join us in Dar es Salaam. As the clock ticks down to the event, this number will only rise and rise!

A number of these people have never been to a FOSS4G before. We’ve got the largest Travel Grant Programmes ever and combined with the collaborations we’ve built with Understanding Risk, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, and others, we will enlarge our community and extend the reach of our impact and our values. When we say our mission is “to leave no-one behind”, we mean it and we are delivering on that vision, and that means frequent FOSS4Gers and new comers too! 

This is something that we should all be proud of and I wanted to say thank you to the OSGeo community for believing in the DLOC, we’re creating something special in Dar es Salaam this August. Whether you’re a sponsor or a participant you will have an amazing time and I wanted to thank you for making this happen.

For those that aren’t coming, it will be an unforgettable experience, please don’t miss out. Please contact me directly if you’ve got any fears, concerns, or just want to know more. 

Finally, thank you all. You’re what makes this community great!

Mark

Co-Chair FOSS4G 2018 
Dar es Salaam Local Organising Committee (DLOC)