Please do show up if your submission is accepted by a conference

Hey folks,

Just a reminder: A talk proposal submission is kinda of a commitment, especially after the conference organizor confirmed the time slot with you.

I’m at a openSUSE related conference in Tokyo. According to one of the conference organizer, someone from Mozilla Tech Speaker program canceled his talk 2 days before the conference, which results a blank slot. After I checked the original programme, I realized that is exactly the same person who canceled his talk in a conference in 2015, which I was one of the organizers, right on the opening day.

We are all volunteer and I believe sometimes you really need to cancel the talk. As a speaker, if you can’t participate the event, please tell the organizers at least a few weeks before the conference. Or, it will hurt your credit and also Mozilla’s brand, just don’t do that.

2 Likes

Hey Bobchao,

My name is Michael and I work to manage the Tech Speakers Program here at Mozilla. I think your post is an important one, and so I wanted to provide a reply for you. First, let me please say thank you for sharing your thoughts. You are absolutely correct that a confirmed talk is an important commitment that should be honored. This is something we absolutely believe in and strive for in the Tech Speakers program.

So far in 2017, Mozilla Tech Speakers have successfully delivered hundreds of talks and presentations at conferences and events around the globe. The cancellation rate for our talks/workshops in 2017 is roughly 1%. These cancellations are typically due to events that are well-beyond Mozilla’s control (reasons such as earthquakes, tsunamis, riots, and border crossing issues).

In the specific case of the planned talk at openSUSE, the event you referenced, the Mozilla Tech Speaker traveled to Japan with the intent of delivering a presentation, but was denied entry to the country by border officials and had to return to their home country. The event organizer was immediately notified of the development so they could make appropriate accommodations to the change.

Unfortunately, we live on a planet where not all people have equal access to various countries or regions. The speaker was very disappointed to not be able to present at openSUSE, and all efforts were made to honor the commitment. However, sometimes there are variables that lie outside of our control. We in the Tech Speaker program work hard to minimize these unfortunate occurrences, which is part of the reason why we enjoy a 99% successful delivery rate. I am, however, sorry that you personally experienced one of these rare and unfortunate occurrences.

Thank you again, Bobchao, for sharing your concerns and thoughts; Keep on Rocking the Free Web!

-Michael

Hummm so he had applied visa for Japan, but was still rejected at the airport? That’s too bad. :frowning: I’m wondering if anything we can do to prevent this kind of situation happen again.