OWASP Event Definitions

All OWASP events will fall into one of the following categories. If you are unsure as to what types of event you would like to plan contact the Global Conferences Committee and they will be able to help you set your scope. Please also note that various types of events have some requirements set for them, see the tab for details

OWASP Global AppSec Conference
These conferences are the flagship of the OWASP outreach effort. This will be an international conference sponsored by OWASP and approved by the Global Conferences Committee. AppSec Conferences include multiple days of multi-track plenary sessions in addition to pre-conference training offerings. AppSec Conferences, schedules, and trainings must be approved by the OWASP Global Conference Committee and will receive the full support of the OWASP Foundation. In any calendar year, there will be no more than 4 AppSec Conferences of this size. Locations will be determined the prior year and planning must begin at a minimum of 12 months in advance.

OWASP Regional/Theme Conference
Regional/Theme conferences typically have lower attendance than AppSec conferences and typically include multiple days of single track plenary sessions. Training may or may not be offered at the discretion of the regional conference planning team. Regional conferences are not subject to the same rigor as AppSec conferences in terms of planning and only require the local planning team de-conflict scheduling with the Global Conferences Committee with occasional status updates at GCC Meetings (can be provided in writing). Regional conferences are encouraged to have a unique theme (development, Research, PHP, Government, Browsers...) to help differentiate them, although this is not required. Regional teams are free to brand their conference as they wish, as long as the OWASP affiliation is maintained, with the exception of the moniker "OWASP Global AppSec" which is reserved only for Global AppSec conferences. OWASP Foundation support may be available for large expenses at the discretion of the Global Conference Committee.

OWASP Event
Events are typically single day or "OWASP Day" type events that are generally local in nature. Events typically have only one track and span anywhere from a half to a full day. Planning for these events are at the sole discretion of the event team and may be branded in any manner so long as the OWASP affiliation is maintained. In general, significant OWASP Foundation support will not be available for these events.

Partner Event
Partner events are events of any type where OWASP partners with another non-profit organization to co-host an event. These events sometimes require close examination as the terms of the partnering agreement need to be reviewed to ensure OWASP integrity and reduce liability. These events also frequently will require both GCC and board approval and may take many forms.

Promotional Event
Promotional Events are where OWASP has paid or in-kind sponsorship in a conference that is hosted by another organization. This sponsorship may take the shape of a booth, hosted competition, lanyards, bags, fliers and other promotional items and may or may not be a strictly financial transaction. These events require additional scrutiny as OWASP has a very limited marketing budget, however it is important for community members to have the support to "get the word out" at other events.