MediaWiki Users and Developers Conference Spring 2025
The MediaWiki Users and Developers Conference, Spring 2025 will be held in the spring of 2025 in Sandusky, Ohio, United States at the NASA Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. As of December 6, 2024, the tentative dates are May 14-16, 2025. This will be confirmed soon depending on community availability. The conference will be organized by the MediaWiki Stakeholders' Group with the help of its sponsors and partners.
The MediaWiki Users and Developers Conference is a three-day conference featuring discussions of topics related to the usage of MediaWiki software by and within companies, non-profits, governments, organizations, and communities. If you use MediaWiki or you're interested in it, please consider attending.
More information to come in winter 2025.
Event details
[edit]
- Dates: Sometime in spring 2025; please stay tuned for more information
- Location: NASA Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility, Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Registration
[edit]Is this your first time attending a MediaWiki Users and Developers Conference? Read the FAQ for more information!
Registration and proof of identity will be required for in-person attendance because the conference will be taking place in a NASA facility.
Federal regulations require nonresident foreign nationals (hereon referred to as non-U.S. persons) to undergo a background check before being allowed to enter the facility, and during their visit, to always be escorted while in the facility.
If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident (i.e. Green Card holder) and are not a citizen of 5 embargoed countries, you may simply register on Eventbrite and you will receive your ticket. U.S. citizens need to bring a REAL ID-compliant identity document to enter the facility. Green Card holders must bring their green cards as required by law.
Non-U.S. persons are still welcome to attend the conference, but they must indicate that they are not a U.S. person on the Eventbrite registration form. NASA staff will follow up with you after registration to begin the background check process. While at NASA, you must carry your passport with you.
Due to the additional processing time needed to conduct the proper background checks for foreign nationals, the deadline for non-U.S. persons to sign up is one month before the conference.
Some nationalities are not eligible to enter NASA facilities. Citizens of China, Iran, and Russia will be denied permission to enter on grounds of U.S. national security. This restriction applies whether the person is a holder of a Green Card or not.
Please consult the following eligibility matrix for more information.
| Citizenship status | U.S. visa status | Citizen of restricted country | Eligibility status |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. citizen (sole citizenship) | - | - | Eligible |
| U.S. citizen and citizen of another country | - | No | Eligible |
| - | Yes | Unclear | |
| Not a U.S. citizen | Lawful permanent resident (immigrant visa) | No | Unclear |
| Yes | Ineligible | ||
| Non-immigrant visa | No | Contingent on background check | |
| Yes | Ineligible |
Accommodations and transportation
[edit]Sandusky, Ohio is a small town located about one hour away by car from Cleveland. Its remote location makes flying into Cleveland, renting a car, and staying locally in Sandusky the best option.
Local accommodations
[edit]The organizing committee will find a suitable conference hotel and reserve a block rate so attendees may keep room costs low and take a shuttle service (if there is sufficient demand for it).
Ground transportation
[edit]The closest major airport is Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), which offers flights to airports all across the country. This is 50 minutes away by car from Sandusky, where the conference will take place.
Other nearby airports include Toledo Express Airport (TOL), which is about an hour away by car, and Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), which is around two hours away by car.
If you are arriving at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, it may be possible to carpool with others to get to Sandusky. If enough people arrive at a certain time, we may even be able to arrange one or more shuttles.
The most common route from Cleveland to Sandusky goes via the Ohio Turnpike. It is possible to pay via cash or credit card on the Ohio Turnpike to avoid paying toll fees through your rental car company, but if you have an E-ZPass transponder, it's recommended to bring it with you for this trip.
Sandusky has very limited taxi and ridesharing options. There is no public transportation within the NASA campus. Attendees are encouraged to carpool in rental cars. If there is enough interest and enough funding, the conference will provide a shuttle between the official conference hotel venue and NASA.
Remote attendance
[edit]Talks will be livestreamed to YouTube during the event, with individual videos for the talks being made available shortly after the conclusion of the conference. Chat during the stream will be monitored, so feel free to ask questions to the presenters even if you are remote!
Program
[edit]To be announced.
Notes for presenters
[edit]In order to make the conference go more smoothly, presenters should abide by the following guidelines. Please contact the Program Chair as soon as possible to request any exceptions.
- All presentations will be by presenters in attendance in person at the conference unless approved in advance by the Program Chair. Please contact the Program Chair as soon as possible to request a remote presentation.
- There will be no live demos during the presentation days. Prerecorded demos with the speaker talking over the video are fine.
- Presenters will provide the Program Chair with their presentations by Monday, April 15. If your file format is non-typical, please discuss this in advance with the Technology Chair or Program Chair.
- All presentations will be presented from a conference laptop. No switching between multiple laptops for presentations.
- If a Create Camp session has any special technology needs, please coordinate in advance with the Technology Chair.
Meals
[edit]Will be announced later, to be posted on a separate page.
Social events
[edit]Social events will be announced by the Social Chair.
Conference attendees, their family, and their friends will be eligible to attend a special tour of the Armstrong Test Facility. More details will be released later.
Participants
[edit]This will primarily be an in-person conference. Sessions on the first two days will be streamed as well as recorded. This will allow remote viewing both during the conference as well as later. Remote participants will be able to ask questions via chat during the streamed sessions.
In person
[edit]Feel free to list yourself below if you are attending. Note you still need to register if you plan on attending.
- Rich Evans (NASA GRC-ATF)
- Cindy Cicalese (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Jeffrey Wang (MyWikis)
- (add yourself here)
Remote
[edit]- (add yourself here)
Sponsorship
[edit]The conference would not be possible without the financial support provided by our generous sponsors. The levels of sponsorship will become available soon.
Visa assistance
[edit]The conference will provide affidavits for attendees who need to apply for a B-1/B-2 visa at a U.S. mission's consular section. You may contact the Social Chair to request this affidavit. For further information, please see the MediaWiki Users and Developers Conference international travel page.