The Community Leadership Summit is one of my favorite events to attend each year. This annual gathering of community leaders is happening in Austin, Texas, on May 6-7, 2017. If your role or a future role has an inkling of community organizing involved in it, this free event (thank you sponsors) is something you should consider. Did I mention that registration is free?

The community-focused event happens right before OSCON and “brings together community leaders, organizers, and managers and the projects and organizations that are interested in growing and empowering a strong community.” Translation: It’s a great conference because not only can we learn what other community leaders are doing, but we can share some of the things that are making our communities successful and get feedback and insights to advance the art of community management and engagement.

I submitted a keynote presentation this year titled, 5 things I wish I knew before becoming a community organizer, and it was accepted! As I’ve been preparing for this new presentation, the “5 things” has turned into 5 themes, and in the end, it’ll be more like 25 things I wish I knew before becoming a community organizer. You’ll definitely want to tune-in for this presentation—I’ll be giving lots of practical advice from my 8 years of experience in this field. I’ll be talking about everything from understanding the talent and motivations of your community to the value provided to both your organization and the community.

I’m excited that my Opensource.com colleague Rikki Endsley will be presenting, How to successfully run a community publication, and I’m stoked to see my good friend Todd Lewis, event organizer for All Things Open, present Organizing world-class events. The keynote line-up is stellar and includes Sherrie Rohde, Matthew (Brender) Broberg, Stephen Walli, Katie McLaughlin, and Abigail Cabunoc Mayes over the course of two days on topics critical to advancing our field.

Of course, one of the best parts of the Community Leadership Summit is the unconference and the hallway track. The unconference is a chance for participants to both learn and share knowledge. It’s very organic and informative. The hallway track is a chance to catch up with other community leaders and get some one-on-one interactions.

I hope to see many of you at the Community Leadership Summit. Registration is free. And, don’t miss OSCON, which ramps up right after the weekend event.