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The Open World Forum is the world's leading summit meeting bringing together decision-makers and communities to cross-fertilize open technological, economic and social initiatives to build the digital future. 

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1500 participants from 40 countries - The # 1 Free/Open Source summit to shape the digital future

Who we are

 

Having made a key contribution to the Internet revolution, the Free/Open Source movement is now starting to fundamentally transform the whole fabric of technology and knowledge, and the way businesses and people use it. This is opening up colossal opportunities, and also giving rise to some tough challenges. How can organizations and individuals alike take advantage of the Free/Open Source way to strenghten their competitiveness and to support innovation? How can public institutions and governments make use of it to kick-start the economy and employment? What technological, economic and societal breakthroughs in Free/Open Source can we expect in the future? It is on order to explore these issues that the Open World Forum is being held. Founded in 2008 by a heavyweight group of communities and IT players, the Open World Forum is the premier global summit meeting in this field, bringing together decisions-makers from across the world.

 

Experience the Open World Forum 2010 | Who should attend? | 10 good reasons not to miss the Open World Forum | Contributing Organizations | Governance and Program Committee | Program Committee Members | Forum Venue

 

Experience the Open World Forum 2010

 

The Open World Forum aims to establish a new environment where people can think ahead, identify key trends, challenges and opportunities for the future. The numerous sessions, activities, and events at the Open World Forum bring you Free/Open Source's best:

• Keynote presentations from IT, business and political luminaries, drawing special attention to key opportunities and challenges at the heart of Open innovation, Open Enterprise and Open Society.
• Special tracks for community leaders and evangelists, political leaders, CIOs and investors, plus community events, encompassing a wide range of the most vibrant Free/Open Source ecosystems today.
• A Demo Cup and Open Innovation Awards, featuring some of the most innovative Open Source products of the year 
• An Open IT Showroom presenting exciting projects, products and players.
• Quality time with 1,500 decision makers, experts and journalists from 40 countries.
• Fun community events and receptions right in the Center of Paris, offering plenty of opportunities for networking and making new connections.

Beyond the forum itself, it hosts several ambitious initiatives. It also delivers and debates each year the 2020 Free Libre and Open Source Software Roadmap. 

 

Who Should Participate

 

The Open World Forum provides the new international platform where all decision-makers, leaders and stakeholders in the Free/Open Source movement can meet and make new connections. It is a great arena for giving exposure to, and evaluating new technology,  business and social trends. It is also the ideal place to make related announcements, and to unveil new projects or initiatives. The Open World Forum welcomes both:

• Political leaders
• CxOs and decision-makers
• Community leaders and stakeholders
• Entrepreneurs 
• Investors
• Researchers and academics

 The Open World Forum is an open event. Want to participate? Request an Invitation > Have a suggestion for a speaker or topic? Apply >

 

10 good reasons not to miss the Open World Forum

 

1. Shape the future of IT. Want to influence innovation, enterprise and society? Tired of only hearing the dry technical pitch, instead of discussing actionable, strategic insights to shape the digital future? OWF is the place to be!

 

2. Meet the experts. Gurus, entrepreneurs, activists, investors, CIOs, politicians… Meet the real leaders of the most vibrant open technology, business and political communities. Network with the guys who will make tomorrow happen.

 

3. Get inspiration. The Open Cloud, R&D marketplaces, collaborative NGOs, revolutionary business models, new-generation media… get innovative insights from the open world all in one place. At the same time!

 

4. Network with the world. Want to expand your horizons? Experience the truly global nature of the open world, with leaders from all six continents and a dedicated BRIC Think-tank. Right at the heart of the continent that contributed the most to developing Open Source: Europe.

 

5. Glimpse the future. The future is open. And the OWF is the best place to catch a glimpse; through the 2020 FLOSS RoadMap, the Open Analysts Summit, Innovation awards… Pick up today's sharpest insights and be the first to share predictions for tomorrow.

 

6. Cross-fertilize initiatives. Bored with just talking? Make the leap from thinking to real action! Get involved in Think-tanks focused on real outcomes, join in concrete initiatives... there's never been a better opportunity for hands-on participation.

 

7. Contribute to a better planet. NGO 2.0, digital inclusion… It's not only about getting the best from technology. It's about making it work for a better world. At OWF, new humanitarian initiatives are at the forefront. Meet people. Learn from them. Share your knowledge. You may be surprised.

 

8. Debate with passion. No more dogmas. It's time to open your mind! At OWF, community members and business leaders, activists and lobbyists, entrepreneurs and politicians will all be there, intentionally to debate and challenge their own ideas... and perhaps yours too!

 

9. Do business. Open doesn't have to mean unprofitable. The days of creating open technology and content for its own sake are long gone. And the OWF is the best place to meet the people who are using it to create value: entrepreneurs, investors, integrators, CIOs... It's your chance to shape the economics of the future.

 

10. Have fun. The free/Open Source world is going to turn our lives upside down. But that doesn't mean it should it be boring. At OWF, hear inspiring keynote speakers and enjoy the competitive atmosphere of the Demo Cup. Get to know people at relaxed social events. Enjoy Paris in the Autumn. Above all, have fun!

 

Contributing Organizations

 

Established by a leading group of Free/Open Source communities and players from the IT industry, the Open World Forum has already attracted:

• Most of the largest IT industry players including Accenture, Alcatel-Lucent, AtosOrigin, Bull, CapGemini, Engineering, Google, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, Qualcomm, Red Hat, SAP, Serpro, Siemens, SourceForge, Sun, Telefonica...,
• Leading communities including the Apache Software Foundation, Eclipse Foundation, FOSSFA, Gnome Foundation, QualiPSo Consortium, Linux Foundation, Linux Verband, Mozilla Foundation, OSI, OW2 Consortium, Plone Foundation, Spring, W3C...,
• Key research centers and competitivity clusters including Cap Digital, Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley, INRIA, Fraunhofer FOKUS, OSOR.EU, Paris VII University, South China University of Technology, State University of Sao Paulo, Systematic, University of Bozen, University of Insubria, University Rey Juan Carlos, Unu Merit…
• A large network of SMEs from 5 continents including AF83, Agitelec, AlterWay, Canonical, eXo, Ingres, Jaspersoft, Mandriva, Nexedi, Nuxeo, OpenLogic, OpenWide, Pilot Systems, Protecode, Smile, Talend, Wallix... among dozens of others.

 

Governance and Program Committee

 

The Open World Forum is a community-based, non-commercial event. It is governed by a Steering Committee and a Program Committee, with representatives from numerous international Free/Open Source organizations, associations and communities.

The Steering Committee includes five Open Source international consortiums (the Apache Software Foundation, the Linux Foundation, the Open Source Initiative, the OW2 Consortium and the QualiPSo Consortium), several international and French Free/Open Source associations (Adullact, AFUL, April, PLOSS, Silicon Sentier), two major French competitiveness clusters (Cap Digital and Systematic), French public sector bodies including the City of Paris, the Ile de France region and its development branch, ARD, and the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Key partners include the Open Source Think Tank, the Eclipse Foundation, the Gnome Foundation and the FOSSBazaar Community. 

The Program Committee includes many of the world's most highly respected Free/Open Source experts worldwide. It is free to define the conference program in a spirit of total independence, identifying and inviting speakers from all over the world. It also contributes to the structure and content of the 2020 Free Libre and Open Source Software Roadmap, which are to be drawn up before the event, and presented at the forum.

The event is structured and promoted by a Marketing Committee, and organized by a Forum Committee managed by Innovation Cluster Systematic, with the support of Cap Digital, the Qualipso consortium and the ITEMS consulting firm. The Open World Forum also benefits from the support of European and French institutions.

Management team 

Program Committee Members

The Open World Forum 2010 Program Committee includes:

• Andrew Aitken, Founder, Olliance and Open Source Think Tank - USA
• Ralf Allrutz, Board Member, Linux Verband, Science+Computing ag - Germany
• Jean-Pierre Archambault, Professor, CNDP - France
  
• Matthew Aslett, Senior Analyst, 451 Group - UK
• Nicolas Barcet, Product Manager, Canonical - France
  
• Jeff Bates, Vice-President, SourceForge - USA
  
• Patrice Bertrand, Founder and CEO, Smile, Chairman of the French National Open Source Council / CNLL - France
  
• Marie Buhot-Launay, Director, ARD Paris Region - France
  
• Alix Cazenave, Public Affairs, April - France
• Krishnan Cherukulangara, Director, Open Source Indian National Resource Centre - India
• Bertrand Delacretaz, Apache Member, Senior Developper, Day - Switzerland
• David Duquenne, Director, Improve - France
  
• Nico Elema, Director, Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa / FOSSFA - South Africa
  
• François Elie, Chairman, Adullact - France
• Roberto Gallopini, Open Source Consultant & blogger - Italy
• Jorge Gasos, Officer, European Commission - Belgium
• Juan Hierro, R&D Manager, Telefonica I+D - Spain
  
• Chris Hofmann, Director of Engineering and Special Projects, Mozilla - USA
  
• Emmanuel Lecharny, Apache Member, Owner, IKTEK - France
  
• Bartosz Lewandowski, Manager, FLOSS Competence Centers Network, PSNC- Poland
• Bjorn Lundell, Chairman, OSS Sweden - Sweden
• Matteo Melideo, Chairman, Qualipso Consortium, Engineering - Italy
• Corinto Meffe, Coordinator of the Public Software Program and representative of the Ministry of Planning - Brazil
  
• Martin Michlmayr, FOSSBAZAAR Community Manager, HP - UK
  
• Louis Montagne, Founder and CEO, Bearstech, Chairman of the Collibri/Web 2.0 Workgroup at Cap Digital - France
  
• Ralph Mueller, Director, Eclipse Foundation - Germany
• Stormy Peters, Executive Director, Gnome Foundation - USA
• Simon Phipps, Chief Strategy Officer, ForgeRock, former Chief Open Source Officer of Sun - UK
• Dominique Piotet, Founder and CEO, RebellionLabs - USA
  
• Dirk Riehle, Professor, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, former Chief Open Source Officer of SAP - Germany
  
• Andrea Rossi, Dissemination Manager, Qualipso Consortium, Atos - Spain
• David Sapiro, Founder and CEO, Pilot Systems, Chairman of the Paris Region Open Source Council / PLOSS - France
• Gerd Schuermann, Director, Fraunhofer FOKUS- Germany
  
• Lu Shouqun, Chairman of Chinese Open Source Promotion Union (COPU) - China
  
• Jean-Paul Smets, CEO, Nexedi - France
• Marine Soroko, CEO, Core-Techs - France
  
• Christiana Soares de Freitas, Professor, University of Brazilia - Brazil
• Shuichi Tashiro, General Manager of Open Software Center, IPA  - Japan
• Michael Tiemann, Chairman, Open Source Initiative, USA
  
• Cedric Thomas, CEO, OW2 Consortium - France
  
• Anthony Wasserman, COSI Director, Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley - USA
  
• Jim Zemlin, Executive Director, Linux Foundation - USA