Opencast Summit 2026

2026 Opencast Summit: The “programme”

January 28, 2026January 30, 2026 by Rüdiger Rolf, posted in Conferences, Opencast Summit 2026

This is the preliminary programme for the Opencast Summit 2026 in Manchester. The main goal is to offer participants space and time to communicate and cooperate. This is why the event is in conference style, where sessions have to be seen as an suggestion: During the conference participants are welcome to ask for additional sessions, and sessions with a low demand may be skipped.

Tuesday, February 24th
(Pre-conference)

This pre-conference event is for Opencast committers and developers in particular:

12:00pm: Opencast architecture meeting.

For everyone who arrives earlier:

5:00pm (!): pre-conference get together at Sandbar (self funded beer and pizza)

Wednesday, February 25th

8:30am: Registration
9:00am Welcome to the conference
- Welcome from our hosts: Alex Goffe, Deputy CIO at the University of Manchester
- Welcome from the board
- House-keeping
9:30am Stand-up from institutions present (2-3 min per team)
- Current status of Opencast (infrastructure, number of videos/recordings, LMS and/or Tobira etc.)
- Recent highlights for your team?
- Goals for 2026
- What are your expectations for the summit?
- Feel free to present a few slides (not mandatory)
10:30am: Coffee break
11:00am: Update from the board regarding Linux Foundation Europe
11:15am: Opencast in numbers
11:30am: Opencast releases
12:00am: Short presentations :
- Interactive videos in Opencast and your LMS
- AI to come: Do we need a session? Markus, Rüdiger, Carlos, and Olaf
- Come along for the ride: Opencast hardware at Osnabrück University
- Opencast CLI tool (Matthias)
- Paella Player update
- Tobira update
- Welcome to the chapter editor and interactive videos – and a cluttered editor?
- … more to come
12:30pm: Lunch break
1:30pm: Short presentations – continued
2:30pm: Sponsor presentations
3:00pm: Coffee break
3:30pm
- Room 1: Tobira users and developers meeting
- Room 2: Unconference session 1
5:00pm: End of conference day
5:30pm: Walking tour, starting at Central Library (90 minutes approx.)
7:15pm: Dinner at Mackie Mayor (self funded, food hall with many, many options)

Thursday, 26th 2026

9:00am: Unconference planning
9:30am:
- Room 1: Argh! Spring Security no more?
- Room 2: Unconference session 2
10:30am: Coffee break
11:00am: Group photo
11:15am:
- Room 1: Unconference session 3
- Room 2: Unconference session 4
12:30pm: Lunch break
1:30pm:
- Room 1: Unconference session 5
- Room 2: Unconference session 6
3:00pm: Coffee break
3:30pm:
- Room 1: Unconference session 7
- Room 2: Unconference session 8
5:00pm: End of conference day
6:30pm: Conference Dinner at Kro Bar (alcoholic beverages at your own expense; details)

Friday, 27th 2026

9:00am
- Room 1: Unconference session 9
- Room 2: Unconference session 10
10:30am: Coffee break
11:00am:
- Room 1: Unconference session 11
- Room 2: Unconference session 12
12:30pm: Lunch break
1:30pm: Meet the Opencast board
2:00pm: Wrap-up of the conference
2:30pm: Probably some german-speaking people will use the opportunity for a discussion
7pm: Left-overs will probably have diner (tbd)

Preparing the programme for the 2026 international summit …

January 12, 2026January 30, 2026 by oaseth, posted in Conferences, Opencast Summit 2026

… is up to you! Please consider this HackMD document the place to submit your proposals and suggest topics or meetings to happen. Happy new year, by the way.

Open planning doc

2026 international summit: Newbies welcome!

November 21, 2025January 30, 2026 by oaseth, posted in Conferences, Opencast Summit 2026

While the summit in Manchester will be a chance for long-time collaborators to meet in person, it is an excellent opportunity for people new to the community as well: There will be a dedicated introductory session on day one (Wednesday, February 25th), with service providers ssystems, shio solutions, and elan e. V. presenting “Opencast 101” as well as their offerings; plus of course the opportunity to ask questions or raise any issue related to Opencast . Feel free to join if this is your first summit.

The Opencast 2026 international summit returns to Manchester, UK (not EU): Registration, Venue, Travel

November 3, 2025January 30, 2026 by oaseth, posted in Conferences, Opencast Summit 2026

The 2026 Opencast summit will be hosted at the University of Manchester, UK, from the 25^th to 27^th of February. We are happy to welcome the return from Opencast, after hosting the conference over 10 years ago in 2015.

Registration

Registration is open now, please complete the following form.

Registration is free – but binding (so that we can plan activities).

Venue

The conference will be hosted in the Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS), the main entrance is located at the East end of the building. The main room for the conference is The Penthouse, located on the 10^th floor, guides and signage will be available on the day. The secondary room is G.018 and is located on the ground floor.

For WiFi, Eduroam will be available throughout the building and guest access details will be provided. In terms of accessibility, all rooms can be access by wheelchair users, if you have any specific accessibility requirements, please let the conference organisers know.

Visiting the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen

Full advice is available at the following link, however please note, a valid passport (Reisepass) is required for most cases.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visiting-the-uk-as-an-eu-eea-or-swiss-citizen

Arriving in Manchester from the Airport

The best option from the airport is by train to the city centre. The closest train station to the venue is Manchester Oxford Road(MCO), tickets can be purchased from keyosk machines in the station (or by the Trailine app). The N=next nearest station is Manchester Picadilly (MAN). The tram system also operates from the Airport, with a tap-in, tap-out style card system using a bank card or mobile phone, don’t forget to tap-out at the end of your journey.

Hotels

The closest option is the Hyatt Regency.

More affordable options include:

Premier Inn Manchester City Centre

Holiday Inn Express Manchester

Social Events

Details to follow

Prepare you entry to the UK for the 2026 Opencast summit

October 17, 2025January 30, 2026 by oaseth, posted in Conferences, Opencast Summit 2026

We’re returning to the University of Manchester for the international summit, February 25-27. The UK requires electronic travel authorisation ETA for entering, so please catch up on the process and documents required as early as possible!