OggCamp Rides Again – DanLynch.org

Hello everyone, it’s been a very long time and I hope you’re all doing well out there. I just thought I’d take a moment today to mention a subject close to my heart. Many moons ago I helped to start an event called OggCamp. A 2 day Open Source and Free Culture Barcamp here in the UK. The last one was held in 2019 where I officially retired from organising, but I hoped new people would take over. There was strong interest. Indeed, there were even plans to hold an OggCamp in 2020, but we all know what happened that year. The global pandemic put a stop to it. Fear not there’s good news, after 5 years the wait is over, OggCamp is back in 2024!!

Firstly, l’d better fess up here. I am very late in posting this. It’s less than a month away as we speak. There have been many previous announcements and I’m not breaking any news here. I just thought I’d better share the details again.

OggCamp 24 – October 12th to 13th 2024 at the Pendulum Hotel and Conference Centre, Manchester

It’s a great venue right in the heart of Manchester City Centre, surrounded by amenities and good travel links. Tickets are available now, there’s a suggested price and also a “pay what you can” option available to keep it accessible to everyone. There’s still time to book and plan your trip but you’d better make it fast. I only booked my hotel room at the venue today in fact and there are loads of alternative places to stay nearby if you need them.

I’m NOT one of the organisers this time, I handed over my badge and gun (metaphorically speaking) in 2019 but there is a brilliant team behind the event. I will be there as an attendee and I’m excited to experience things in this way for the first time.

If you’ve never been to an OggCamp and you’re wondering what the hell it’s all about, I can tell you it’s a lot of fun and you won’t regret it. The crowd is friendly, plus there’s loads to see and do with a scheduled speaker track and all the Barcamp talks too. Anyone can pitch a talk, so you can even get in on the action yourself if you fancy it. There’s an exhibition room, break out areas, games to play and last but not least there’s all the great social events too. There’s usually drinks and pre-event socialising in the hotel bar on Friday night, plus a party on the Saturday evening for everyone to enjoy. If you’re undecided whether to come then I encourage you to give it a go.

See the OggCamp website for all the important information and links. Who knows, maybe I’ll get a chance to see you there and catch up in person. Hope so!

Bye for now,

Dan