Hosting an Official BCON

There is a growing need for people to participate in Blender events where they can meet like-minded individuals, gain inspiration, and learn from one another. Beside the  annual conference in Amsterdam, Blender Conferences can now be held in any country.

To protect the reputation of Blender Conferences and assist third parties in organizing high-quality real-life events, the Blender Foundation has implemented a template for organizing officially endorsed Blender Conferences.

The Blender Foundation’s policy allows third parties to use the name "BCON <city or country name>” and call it a “Blender Conference” for events that adhere to these guidelines:

  • Focus on Blender: The event should center around Blender, the free/open-source 3D creation tool, its users, and its contributor community.
  • Open Admission: The conference must be open to the public and may charge a reasonable entrance fee.
  • Call for Presentations: There should be a public call for presentations, with a review process to ensure a high-quality event program.
  • Scale and Outreach: The conference should have national, state, or international outreach and accommodate a minimum of 200 attendees.
  • Reputable Organization: The group organizing the event is publicly known and has a track record of organizing events or are active members of the Blender community.
  • Code of Conduct: Adopt a code of conduct compatible with that of the Amsterdam conference. Code of Conduct.
  • Official Permission: Obtain official permission from the Blender Foundation board by submitting a proposal to foundation@blender.org.

The organizing party will benefit from:

  • Recognition as an official event (e.g., on the Blender website).
  • The right to brand the event as BCON and call it a “Blender Conference” in subtitles or body texts.
  • Permission to use the Blender logo alongside the organization’s logo.
  • Optional support with technical topics, such as the BCON Amsterdam conference platform.
  • Having full management and funding control of the event. The Blender Foundation understands that organizers may seek sponsors and earn a reasonable fee for their work on the event.

The first event that was organized independently was BCON LA.

For inquiries about orgnizing BCONs, contact the foundation board at foundation@blender.org.

Note: Blender Foundation currently uses the name BCON as a trademark for conferences and intends to be registering this.

Amsterdam, July 2024.
Ton Roosendaal, Chairman