It has been 25 long months but once again we will gather at the Hyatt Regency Columbus on December 3 and 4, 2021.
Team OLF has put a lot of thought into our Safety Plan and Attendance Policy to bring back many of the features that we all love such as Tech Talks, OLFI Training, Exhibits, Birds of a Feather, Annual Fundraising Raffle, and Receptions.
We made some changes to adapt the experience for your safety.
First change was to require vaccination against COVID-19 and masking. This is something that all in-person ticketed guests agree to upon registration. Otherwise, you are welcome to register for the online experience.
Second change was to create a main stage to offer a mix of professional development topics which will be away from all food and beverages. This will enable us to capture and stream live to YouTube the speakers and the audience reactions live. Chairs will be spaced about 3 feet apart to allow everyone to be socially distanced. Some tables will be placed closer to the stage in rounds for pods who will be comfortable sitting together. We are using the entirety of the Franklin Balllroom, one of the largest ballrooms at Hyatt Regency Columbus, to provide ample space and comfort for 190 guests.
Third, we’ll keep all catered functions separate and optional. We’re pleased with the safety of other area options that our guests enjoy such as the Greater Columbus Convention Center South Cafe, North Market, and Hyatt’s Big Bar on 2. If it makes more sense to you to brown bag it, that’s fine too.
Fourth, we decided to change registrations to no longer be gratis for in person attendance. We have had years were over half of our gratis admissions would not show up at all. With limited tickets, regrettably, we couldn’t do that this year. Therefore the options are a $20 Enthusiast Pass which gets you in the door for both days, volunteering for the OLF conference, or registering online for gratis.
Fifth, we will to cap the registrations to 300. This is more than half of our attendance in 2019. While the 300 large indoor gathering in Ohio restriction had been lifted, we felt this was a good point to make sure that we don’t get too crowded. It is a given, knowing our history, that some of our guests will come for just one day or even just a few hours. So, in reality, it will be far more open than that.
Lastly, we’re not offering walk-in registrations this year and we anticipate a sell out so get your tickets now while you still have a chance.
As the President of the Ohio LinuxFest Corporation, I really hope that you can join us in person or online. We hope that this is just a start to re-emerging in freedom together.