Sponsorship Brochurefor theAnnual Debian Conference
Infopark Kochi, Kerala, India
10 - 17 September, 2023

Thank you for your interest in the Debian Project.
This brochure provides an overview of the sponsorship opportunities for DebConf23, which will beheld at the Infopark Kochi in Kerala, India, from the 10th to the 17th of September 2023.
DebConf is the annual international gathering of Debian developers, contributors, users and enthusiasts with the common purpose of discussing technical topics, collaborating on joint projects andworking on improving the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. DebConf is run on a non-profit basis, it isorganized solely by volunteers and is free of charge to attend. Thus, DebConf depends on sponsorsand donations. Your contribution makes it possible for us to bring together a large number of Debiancontributors from all over the globe. Every year the conference is hosted in a different city, reaching
new contributors and strengthening local Free Software / Open Source communities. Having sufficientfunding is critical to achieving this every year.
We invite you to sponsor our conference at a level which fits your budget and matches your desiredlevel of visibility in our community and in the media. Our higher levels of sponsorship include thepossibility of advertising your job openings, and other means of engaging with our broad spectrum ofparticipants, both local and international.
It is thanks to our sponsors’ generous support that we have been able to reach people from all cornersof the world. Thank you very much in advance for your support, and we look forward to hearing fromyou and your company.
If you have any further questions after reading this brochure, please do not hesitate to contact us atsponsors@debconf.org.
The DebConf23 team

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DebConf impressions“There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together towork toward the same goals.”
Idowu Koyenikans

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DebConf
DebConf is the annual international gathering of Debian developers, contributors, users and enthusiasts with the common purpose of discussing
technical topics, collaborating on joint projects and working on improving
the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and its derivatives.
DebConf is run on a non-profit basis, and all the organizers work as volunteers without compensation. Your contribution makes it possible for us
to bring together a large number of Debian contributors from all over theglobe. During DebConf we work together, help and learn from each other,and forge friendships. Since our contributors are located all over the world,
meeting face to face once a year helps form bonds that improve longdistance collaboration into the future.
We are proud of our continuing tradition as an entirely volunteer-run conference. It is thanks to our sponsors’ generous support that we have been able to reach people fromall corners of the world. Every year the conference is hosted in a different city, reaching new contributors and strengthening local Free Software / Open Source communities. Having sufficient funding
is critical to achieving this every year.

Live world-wide video streaming and archiving
Thanks to our experienced and dedicated video team, most sessions at DebConf will be streamed
live via the Internet. This makes it possible for those not attending in person to participate remotely.
After the conference, all videos are published online and kept permanently accessible free of charge.
DebConf’s collection of video recordings contains videos from every DebConf since 2005.
We thank our Platinum and Gold sponsors by inserting their logos into the video streams during thelive sessions and additionally at the end of the archive recordings.

DebCamp: Building a Strong Community
DebConf helps share the knowledge and experience of developers with the entire community. It also
helps individuals to put faces to the names they have been working with for years. DebConf not only
makes the Debian community stronger, but has become an integral part of it.
DebConf gives contributors a chance to meet face to face, socialize, and brainstorm new ideas. As
a result people leave DebConf with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for Debian and its goals. Newideas and systems that Debian implements often originate in team sprints at DebConf. We provide
the venue and infrastructure for such team sprints during the week before DebConf by organizing
DebCamp.

https://debconf23.debconf.org
sponsors@debconf.org

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A bit about India

Capital: New Delhi
Country Code: +91
Population: 1.407 billion (estimated in 2021)
Currency: Indian Rupee (INR) - ₹Official Languages: Assamese Bengali Bodo Dogri English Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Konkani
Maithili Malayalam Marathi Meitei Nepali Odia Punjabi Sanskrit Santali Sindhi Tamil Telugu Urdu
Official Language of Kerala: Malayalam
Time Zone: IST (UTC +5.30)

India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. India has been a federal republic since1950, governed through a democratic parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multiethnic society. India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest,
and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. It is acountry known for its cultural diversity. Climate and geography in India varies significantly, from thepermanently snow-capped Himalayas in the north to the tropics and beaches in the south.
A massive youthful population, and a strategic geographic location, have contributed to India’s emergence as a regional and global power. India has been a growing power in terms of technology andeconomy and hosts one of the largest IT workforces in the world.

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6Kerala

Kerala, a state in Southern India, is known as a tropical paradise of coconut trees and wide, sandy
beaches. Kerala is also known as God’s own Country. It is a narrow strip of coastal territory thatslopes down the Western Ghats in a cascade of lush, green vegetation and reaches the Arabian sea.
Kerala borders the states of Tamil Nadu to the east and Karnataka to the north. It is also known for its
backwaters, mountains, coconuts, spices and art forms like Kathakali and Mohini Attam. It is the mostliterate state in India, and a land of diverse religions, where you can find Hindu temples, mosques,churches, and even synagogues.

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Infopark Kochi
Infopark Kochi is an information technology park situated in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. Established in 2004 by the Government of Kerala, the park is spread over 260 acres (105.2 ha) of campus
across two phases, housing 450 companies which employ more than 50,000 professionals as of 2020.
Infopark is 10 kilometres (6 mi) from downtown Kochi and 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the Cochin
International Airport.

In addition to conference hall in the Athulya building, two big conference halls and small rooms fromHotel Four Points by Sheraton Kochi Infopark (300 meters from Athulya building) will be used for talks,
BoFs and hacklabs. Accomodation is also arranged in the same hotel.

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8The Debian Project
Debian is an operating system consisting entirely of Free and Open
Source Software. The Debian Project is dedicated to remaining 100%
free and to being a responsible “citizen” of the Free and Open Source
Software ecosystem. Our priorities are Free Software and our users. Ourstrict set of guidelines serves as an example for many other projects.

A Pillar for Free Software
Debian’s high quality standards and adherence to its strict policies makes
it a preferred choice for derivative works. Currently, over 120 actively developed operating systems build on Debian, including the widely popular
Ubuntu and Linux Mint distributions, and Kali Linux.
More specialized derivatives range from grml (optimized for system administrators) to Tails (optimized for privacy). Debian runs in hundreds ofschools thanks to SkoleLinux, and powers gaming platforms with SteamOS. Debian OS has been deployed by public institutions such as the cities of Munich and Vienna, and the German Federal Officefor Information Security (BSI).
The Debian Project takes pride in being built upon by others. We work actively with teams deriving
their distributions from Debian, to maximize the benefits for all.

A Large, Distributed, and non-Profit Project
The Debian Project’s key strengths are its volunteer base, its dedication to the Debian Social Contract,and its commitment to provide the best universal operating system. Debian is produced by over a
thousand active developers, spread across the globe, many of whom volunteer in their spare time.
Outside of DebConf, most communications take place on the Internet in mailing lists and IRC chatrooms.
Unlike all other Linux distributions of similar size, Debian is an independent non-profit organization.
Debian’s dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature, and its open development model makes
it unique among Free Software distributions.

Debian is Freedom. Debian is Choice
Debian is known for its adherence to the Unix and Free Software philosophies, and for its extensiveness. The current release includes over 51,000 software packages for ten computer architectures,ranging from Intel 32-bit and 64-bit architectures to ARM (cellphones and tablets) and the IBM S/390(mainframes). In addition to the Linux kernel, it also supports an unofficial port running the FreeBSD
kernel.

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9Covid-19
DebConf has always been an in-person event where participants come and interact. Due to Covid-19,
DebConf20 and DebConf21 were held online. DebConf22, Kosovo, has been successfully held inperson. For DebConf23, Kochi, is going to happen in person mode as Covid-19 has greatly improvedin many parts of the world.
In India, case numbers and test positivity have been generally decreasing in many regions of India.
More than 2 billion vaccine doses have been administered. We are fairly confident about the situation
and are in-sync with local government guidelines. All international travellers need to fill Air Suvidha
Self Declaration Form before boarding a flight to India. The form can be found at https://www.
newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration.
At present, face masks are recommended to be worn in public in most localities, especially in urban
areas, indoors, and on public transportation. However, these regulations may change with changing
COVID-19 trends. We will keep the attendees posted about any precautions/developments as theconference nears.

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10Become a DebConf23 sponsor
DebConf is organized solely by volunteers and is free of charge to attend. Thus, DebConf depends
on sponsors and donations.
For DebConf23 we would love to welcome you as a sponsor!
In addition to supporting Debian and Free Software / Open Source development through your contribution, we offer significant exposure for your brand, a great environment to gain contacts and recruit
new staff and the chance to be a part of our exceptional community.
Our sponsorship levels and some of the perks associated with them are:SupporterBronze

SilverGold

PlatinumContribution in INR₹40k to ₹1.5 Lakh ₹1.5 Lakh ₹4 Lakh ₹8 Lakh ₹16 Lakh

Contribution in USD$500 to $2,000√

Logo on sponsor webpage
Provide materials for conference bags
Logo on T-shirts and conference bags
Presence at the job fair
Logo on video streams and recordings
Logo on general conference banners
Logo on podium banners
Mention in press releases$2,000√$5,000√$10,000√$20,000
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Diversity outreach program
As in recent years, we will continue to reach out to groups who would otherwise be less likely toattend our conference, in an effort to increase diversity among our attendees. We have travel andaccommodation bursaries earmarked for diversity, as we find this benefits both the conference andthe Debian project as a whole.

Additional Sponsorship opportunities
If you would like to sponsor DebConf in any other way or you want to discuss additional sponsorship
opportunities, please contact the team at sponsors@debconf.org
We are always looking for new and creative ideas regarding the involvement of our sponsors with thecommunity.

https://debconf23.debconf.org
sponsors@debconf.org

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Sponsorship assets
In the words of our past sponsorsThere are as many reasons to sponsor DebConf as there are reasons Debian developers spend theirtime fixing bugs, improving the overall system, and helping its installed base. In the words of someof our past sponsors:
DebConf is an opportunity to learn about the latest updates to Debian and to talk about
the next steps and long-term direction of the project with the people who are making it
happen. Hudson River Trading runs on Debian and is proud to annually sponsor an eventthat brings together such a talented community and supports its continued development.
Taylor Legg, Hudson River Trading
Sponsoring DebConf has benefited Bytemark in two ways: 1) it puts our brand in frontof exactly the right crowd and 2) it allows Steve, the Debian developer on our staff, tokeep in touch with the project that we rely on so heavily. We support DebConf because itsupports us.
Matthew Bloch, Bytemark Hosting
Sponsoring DebConf helps us to get the recognition we need from inside the Debian
Project. It is astonishing how many potential employees, partners and even customers
are aware of our sponsorship activities at DebConf. We even got a couple of exciting
job applications only through DebConf.
Peter Ganten, Univention GmbHThe value of sponsoring DebConf
Many of DebConf’s attendees are well known experts in their fields and their opinions and views
are followed by many individuals and businesses. Debian is a democracy of its developers wheresmaller voices can easily be heard. Participating through sponsorship is one of the many ways to help
the Project achieve its full potential, and DebConf is a powerful destination of sponsorship funds.
By sponsoring DebConf you directly support the progress of Debian and Free Software, andyou help further in strengthening the community who continue to collaborate on their projects
throughout the rest of the year.
To our attendees, your contribution is a strong signal of appreciation for their work. Throughgeneral visibility as part of our sponsorship program, and the direct support of attendees, sponsoring
DebConf earns you goodwill in the Free Software community at large. Past DebConfs have alsooffered great opportunities for contact-building and recruitment.

https://debconf23.debconf.org
sponsors@debconf.org

12The need for sponsorship
DebConf has evolved from its humble beginnings in Bordeaux, France (2000) with 30 attendees
and virtually no budget, to recent years where we regularly accommodate more than 250 attendees(peaking at twice that) with budgets in the lower six-digit figures.
The Conference is still organized entirely by volunteers without compensation. The Debian
Project does not engage in commercial activities and depends solely on donations from users andbenefactors.
DebConf draws much of its strength from the diversity of its participants. The Free Software community, represented at the Conference, is a globally active and very diverse crowd of people, spanningmany cultures and all levels of social status. Perhaps the most important aspect of DebConf is that
we want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to attend — not just those that are
nearby and can afford it — because it benefits the Conference, every attendee, and ultimately
Debian and the Free Software community.
We expect 300+ attendees from India and abroad in DebConf23 in Kochi, India, a technology hub
near Bengaluru and Hyderabad. There is a strong community of free and open source contributors
in the region, within easy travel distance in Kerala and surrounding states. As always, many of ourcontributors will come from far away. We expect there are attendees who will require travel and/or
accommodation assistance to attend this official meeting of the project. Our sponsors enable us tohelp as many attendees as possible, and bring the community together for DebConf.
All funds raised for DebConf will be used towards this goal. Any surplus after the Conference will beused for funding future Debian Free Software activities.

Invoices and tax-deductible donations
As a sponsor, you will receive an invoice from one of our fundraising entities, specifying the sponsorship level and associated benefits. The invoice explicitly lists sales tax (VAT) where appropriate.
Depending on your situation, sponsoring DebConf may thus be a normal business expense.
We will gladly issue receipts for such donations, which may be tax-deductible (check with your tax
advisor for details).

For further details, feel free to contact us through sponsors@debconf.org, and visit our website
at https://debconf23.debconf.org

https://debconf23.debconf.org
sponsors@debconf.org

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See you in Kochi!

DebConf attendees at DebConf22 in Prizren, Kosovo

DebConf23 logo credit
DebConf 2023 Logo by Manueljlin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo credits
DebConf22 photos by Aigars Mahinovs, CC BY-v3+ or LGPLv2+
Taj Mahal photo by Kristian Bertel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Kumarakom photo by Jigyasu, CC BY-SA 4.0
Infopark photos from https://infopark.in

Text credits
Parts of “A bit about India” referenced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 3.0
Text for “Kerala” section taken from Wikitravel under CC BY-SA 3.0

LicenceThis brochure is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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