Speaker Rider

What I need to say yes to your event, and what I hope you're already doing.

I love speaking. Some of my favorite people came out of the hallway track after a talk. I also have limited time, and I want to spend it at events that make open source better for the people it usually leaves out.

This rider is how I decide. It isn't a list of demands for a green room full of snacks. It's about who gets in the room, who gets paid, and who is safe once they're there. If something here doesn't work for your event, email me anyway. I'd much rather talk it through than quietly say no.

Pay and travel

Unpaid speaking is a filter. It keeps out people who can't afford to lose a week of income or front a plane ticket, and those are often the people your audience most needs to hear from.

  • If your event is run by a company or makes a profit, I ask for a speaking fee plus travel and lodging.
  • If you're a community or nonprofit event, please cover travel and lodging when you can. If you can't, tell me early. I'll help you look for a sponsor, and sometimes I can cover it another way.
  • Book my travel, or reimburse it within 30 days. Please don't ask speakers to carry costs for months.
  • If fees differ between speakers, for example for keynotes, be open about it.

Grassroots events run by and for underrepresented communities, like PyLadies, Django Girls and regional Python and Django events in the Global South, can ask me to waive my fee. I'll say yes as often as I can.

Who's on stage

  • I won't join an all-white or all-male panel, and I'll ask about the lineup before I agree to one.
  • I don't want to be the only woman of color or the only queer person on your speaker list. If I am, I'll probably offer my slot to someone from a community you haven't reached yet, and help you find them.
  • Tell me how you find new speakers: an open call for proposals, anonymous review, mentoring for first-time speakers.

Code of conduct

  • A published code of conduct that covers the venue, online spaces, and official and unofficial social events.
  • A named response team, a way to report that doesn't mean confronting anyone, and a plan for what happens next.
  • Enforcement that applies to sponsors, organizers and keynote speakers too. That includes me.
  • A transparency report after the event is a great sign.

Access and safety

  • Step-free access to the venue, live captions for talks, and captioned recordings.
  • A quiet room, gender-neutral restrooms, pronouns on badges, and food for a range of dietary needs.
  • Social events that don't revolve around alcohol.
  • Remote or hybrid options for speakers and attendees who can't safely or legally travel to your country, and visa invitation letters sent early.
  • If your location is unsafe for LGBTQ+ people or people of color, tell me what you're doing about it. I may still come, but I want to know.

Sponsors

Open source is political, whether we say so or not. I won't speak at events sponsored by companies whose main business is surveillance, predictive policing, weapons or immigration detention. If your sponsor list changes after I say yes, let me know.

My talk and the recording

  • Please record talks and share them with captions. I'd like recordings under a Creative Commons license so they can be reused in classrooms and meetups.
  • I keep the rights to my slides and talk content.
  • Please don't sell or share attendee and speaker contact details, and don't add me to a sponsor's lead list.

On the day

  • A lavalier or headset mic, HDMI or USB-C, and a confidence monitor if you have one.
  • The schedule, audience and talk length at least four weeks ahead.
  • Water and a few quiet minutes before I go on.

Let's talk

If you've read this far, thank you. Email me at dawn.wages@gmail.com with the event, dates, audience and budget, and we'll figure out the rest together.