See Fedora Discussion topic for comments, questions, and logistics.
Fedora community event owners: Fernando F. Mancera & Daniel Mellado
About
FOSDEM is a free event for software developers to meet, share ideas, and collaborate. Every year, thousands of developers of free and open source software from all over the world gather at the event in Brussels. You don't need to register. Just turn up and join in! FOSDEM 2026 will be held on 31 January and 1 February, 2025.
- Website: fosdem.org/2026/
- Location: ULB Campus Solbosch, Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 50, 1050 Bruxelles
- Time Zone: Central European Time (CET), or UTC+1
- Schedule: fosdem.org/2026/schedule/
- Fedora Talks & Speakers: see below
- Format: In-person participation only, live-streaming available
First time at FOSDEM? Read the FOSDEM practical info guide to learn more.
Duration and Location
ULB Campus Solbosch
Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 50
1050 Bruxelles
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The event is easily reachable by public transportation. For details, see below. If you are afraid of getting lost, the following links might help you:
Fedora-approved hotel
The approved 2026 Fedora hotel is the Renaissance Brussels Hotel.
We encourage Fedora contributors to stay at the same hotel to foster community and simplify informal social gatherings throughout the week. The selection of this year's hotel was based on several key factors to balance cost, convenience, and amenities for our diverse community.
Here is a brief summary of the rationale:
- Strategic Location: The hotel is conveniently situated between the Brussels city center (home to FOSDEM Fringe events) and the ULB Solbosch campus (the FOSDEM venue), making it an ideal base for attendees participating in the full week of activities.
- Balanced Cost: While accommodating every budget is challenging, this hotel offers a more cost-effective option than many city-center hotels, providing a reasonable middle-ground for community members.
- Upgraded Amenities: To better support our contributors, this hotel was chosen over our previous location (Moxy) for its enhanced facilities. These include more convenient working spaces, a full-featured gym with a pool and sauna, and an on-site restaurant and bar (The Poet Brussels) that serves as a comfortable and easy gathering spot for evenings.
The hotel is about a 25-minute journey by public transit, or a 50-minute walk to the FOSDEM event venue. See the directions below:
Alternative: CentOS Connect Hotel
For those primarily attending CentOS Connect, note that the event has a negotiated room block at its host hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton Brussels City.
This location offers the ultimate convenience for getting to and from the CentOS Connect conference. A link for the special booking rate will be provided here once it is announced. Due to its prime location in the city center and premium guest experience, the cost is typically higher than the Fedora-approved hotel. However, it remains an excellent alternative where you can expect to find many other Fedora and CentOS contributors.
Visas
The information above is provided as a general guide. It is your personal responsibility to verify the latest travel and visa requirements for your specific situation by consulting the official Belgian immigration service or your local Belgian embassy or consulate.
Belgium is a member of the European Schengen Area. This means that entry requirements vary significantly depending on your citizenship. All travelers should ensure their passport is valid for at least three months beyond their planned departure date from the Schengen Area.
Please review the category that best describes your situation:
EU, EEA, or Switzerland
You have the right to travel to Belgium without a visa. You must carry a valid passport or national identity card with you for the duration of your trip.
Visa-Exempt Countries
Citizens of many non-EU countries (e.g., United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan) can enter the Schengen Area for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period without a visa.
However, please be aware of a new requirement starting in 2026. The European Union is implementing the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System). ETIAS is an electronic travel authorization, not a visa, and it will be mandatory for travelers from visa-exempt countries. You will need to apply for ETIAS online before your departure. We strongly advise you to check the official ETIAS website for the latest information on its implementation date and application process as your travel date approaches.
Citizens Who Require a Schengen Visa
If your country is not on the visa-exemption list (e.g., India, China, and many others), you must apply for a Short-stay Schengen Visa (Type C) to attend FOSDEM. This process can be lengthy and requires careful preparation. You must apply at the Belgian embassy or consulate in your country of residence well in advance of your planned travel. The application process typically requires supporting documents, which may include:
- Proof of accommodation (hotel bookings)
- Flight itinerary
- Proof of sufficient financial means
- Travel medical insurance
- An invitation letter
Invitation Letter for Fedora Contributors
For Fedora contributors who require a visa and are committed to volunteering at FOSDEM (e.g., helping at the Fedora stand, organizing the Distributions DevRoom, or assisting with other key tasks), Fedora can provide an official invitation letter from Red Hat to support your visa application.
To request a letter, please email or message the Fedora FOSDEM event owner(s) with your full name and a summary of how you plan to contribute. The Fedora FOSDEM event owner(s) will work with the Fedora Community Architect to provide you an invitation letter. Please submit your request at least 14 calendar days before you need the letter for your visa appointment.
Schedule at a glance
- FOSDEM Fringe Events
- CentOS Connect (29-30 January 2026): A two-day contributor conference for CentOS and the Enterprise Linux ecosystem. Registration required.
- CHAOSScon EU (29 January 2026): A conference focused on open source project health and sustainability metrics. Registration required.
- Fedora Community Dinner (31 January): Our annual tradition to celebrate Fedora contributors. Registration required.
- FOSDEM Main Conference (31 January - 1 February): Main schedule available here.
Wednesday, 28 January: Suggested Arrival Day
This is the suggested, but optional, arrival day for FOSDEM 2026. We recommend arriving on Wednesday to get the full FOSDEM experience, which includes many satellite events relevant to Fedora contributors and users. While there are no formally planned Fedora events today, community members who are in town typically self-organize for dinner and drinks in the evening. It's a great, informal way to kick off the week!
Thursday, 29 January: FOSDEM Fringe Events
Today is dedicated to the "FOSDEM Fringe," with two major events recommended for the Fedora community. The first is CentOS Connect, the contributor conference for CentOS, focusing on CentOS Stream, Special Interest Groups, and the broader Enterprise Linux ecosystem. The second is CHAOSScon EU. While not directly related to Fedora, this conference is highly recommended for anyone interested in the sustainability of open source communities, community health, and data analytics. Historically, CHAOSScon EU has taken place on the Thursday before FOSDEM. Both events offer a full day of programming.
Friday, 30 January: CentOS Connect Day Two
The second day of CentOS Connect continues today. This is another full day of conference programming dedicated to the Enterprise Linux ecosystem. It's a valuable opportunity for Fedora community members to engage with others in the EL space before the main FOSDEM event begins.
Saturday, 31 January: FOSDEM Day One & Fedora Dinner
The main FOSDEM conference begins today! Expect a full day of talks, devrooms, and hallway track conversations at the ULB Solbosch campus. In the evening, we will host our traditional Fedora Contributor Dinner. This is our annual tradition to host members of the Fedora community and thank them for their contributions throughout the year. We highly recommend it! Please note that registration is required and space tends to fill up quickly. More details about the dinner can be found here.
Sunday, 1 February: FOSDEM Day Two
This is the second and final day of FOSDEM 2026. It's your last chance to catch talks you might have missed, visit project stands, and connect with other open source enthusiasts before the event concludes in the late afternoon.
Fedora presence
Are you a Fedora contributor attending FOSDEM 2026? Add yourself to the table below. Please use the "Comments" column to specify your role in the Fedora community.
See above. As of November 2025, the nightly rate is not yet determined. Indicate your preference in the last column of the table for booking your own room at the Fedora-approved hotel at a fixed rate.
| No | Name | FAS | Fri, 30 Jan | Sat, 31 Jan | Sun, 1 Feb | Mon, 2 Feb | Travel itinerary | Languages | Comments | Self-pay for Fedora hotel room block? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Wheeler | jflory7 |  |
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TBD | en (native), es (intermediate) | Fedora Community Architect |
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| 2 | Robert Wright | Rwright | |
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TBD | en (native), nl (beginner) | CommOps | 
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| 3 | Artur Frenszek-Iwicki | suve |  |
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TBD | en (fluent), pl (native), de (beginner) | Package maintainer |
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| 4 | Dimitris Soumis | Dsoumis | |
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TBD | en (fluent), gr (native), de (beginner) | Tomcat maintainer |
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| 5 | Peter Boy | pboy | |
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Rail. BRE <-> Bru | de (native), en (fluent) | Fedora Server, Fedora Docs |
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| 6 | Daniel Milnes | thebeanogamer | |
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QQS (London) <=> BRU | en (native) | Package maintainer |
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| 7 | Fernando F. Mancera | ffmancera | |
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SVQ (Sevilla) <=> BRU | en, es, ru | Package maintainer, Mentored projects, Linux kernel |
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| 8 | Mat Holmes | theprogram | |
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ZUR <-> BRU | en (native), philosophese | Join Member / Sponsor |
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| 9 | Christopher Klooz | py0xc3 | |
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ZUR <-> BRU (maybe LHR <-> BRU) | en, de | Likely to be there on all days, but not yet confirmed for sure. Security SIG, SELinux Confined Users sub-SIG, Discourse mod, kernel tester & bug hunter, UK SIG |
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| 10 | Robert-André Mauchin | eclipseo | |
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LIL <-> BRU | fr (native), en | Package maintainer. Fedora France (Borsalinux). Likely there. |
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| 11 | Daniel Mellado | dmellado | |
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LCG <-> MAD <-> BRU | en, es, de | Package Maintainer, eBPF SIG, Rust SIG |
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| 12 | Jona Azizaj | jonatoni | |
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TBD | sq, en | Fedora Council, DEI team, Mentored Projects |
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| 13 | Mikel Olasagasti | mikelo2 | |
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LAS (RH1) <-> AMS <-> BRU | en, es, eu | Package maintainer, Go SIG |
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| 14 | Greg Sutcliffe | gwmngilfen | |
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TBD. Will attend CfgMgmtCamp from Sun night | en | Infra Team |
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| 15 | Petr Bokoč | pbokoc | |
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PRG -> BRU | en | Docs Team |
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| 16 | Shaun McCance | shaunm | |
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CVG>AMS>train, BRU>CVG | en (native), de (intermediate) | CentOS Community Architect, CentOS Connect organizer |
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| 17 | Mike Nolan | nolski | |
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London to Brussels | en (native) | Fedora user |
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| 18 | Amy Marrich | spotz | |
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AUS > DFW > LHR > BRU | en (native) | CentOS Board Chair, Connect, RDO, OKD |
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| 19 | Emma Kidney | ekidney | |
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DUB > BRU | en (native) | Fedora Design, Fedora Mindshare |
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| 20 | František Lachman | lachmanfrantisek | |
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train Prague to Brussels | en, cs (native) | Product Owner for PTE group (=Testing Farm, tmt, Packit, Copr, Log Detective) ~ Fedora CI and automation |
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| 21 | Neil Hanlon | neil | |
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BOS-AMS (train) BRU | en (native), fr (bad) | Community Operations, packaging |
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| 22 | Clemens Lang | clang | |
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Bamberg, Germany -> Brussels Midi (train) | de (native), en (fluent) | All things cryptography |
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| 23 | Freya Gustavsson | venefilyn | |
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LLA<->ARN<->BRU | se (native), en (fluent) | Cockpit contributor, Docs team lurker |
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| 24 | Coty Sutherland | csutherl | |
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RDU<->LHR<->BRU | en (native) | Package maintainer (tomcat), DEI team, user |
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| 25 | Michael L. Young | elguero | |
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BOS <-> AMS <-> BRU | en (native), es (fluent) | Community |
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| 26 | Michael Winters | mwinters | |
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DTW<->AMS<->BRU | en (native), es (muy oxidado) | CommOps, Hatless (Data) |
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| 27 | Emmanuel Seyman | seyman | |
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PAR <-> BRU | fr (native), en (current) | Perl, Server |
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: present
: absent
: undecided
Speakers
The following is a list of presentations, birds of feathers, workshops, talks and discussions organized by Fedora community members. If you are a part of the Fedora community and have a session that is selected for FOSDEM, edit the table below to add an entry with the details.
| Name | Date | Time (CET) | Speaker(s) | Track/DevRoom | Description | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Making Tunnels So Light They Might Actually Float Away with Nftables |
Sat, 31 Jan | 18:15 - 18:35 | Fernando Fernandez Mancera | Networking | Lightweight tunneling (LWT) has been supported on linux kernel since almost 10 years ago. It enables virtual environments to scale up their tunneling infrastructure, especially when containers are involved and container-to-container communication is needed. Nftables now allows to scale up with tunnel expression, combining it with the infrastructure existing ruleset and other powerful features like maps, sets and stateful objects. During this talk, we will get a good understanding of what is the lightweight tunneling, when it can be useful and how to use it together with Nftables. | https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/FTN3CM-lwt-with-nftables/ |
| BPF Tokens in Linux Distributions: A Path to Safe User-Space eBPF | Sat, 31 Jan | 18:30 – 19:00 | Daniel Mellado | eBPF | BPF Tokens are a new Linux kernel mechanism for delegating restricted eBPF privileges to unprivileged processes. This talk explains how distributions can adopt them to provide safer access to tracing, observability, and networking tools without granting root or CAP_SYS_ADMIN. | https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/fosdem-2026-7988-bpf-tokens-in-linux-distributions-a-path-to-safe-user-space-ebpf/ |
| Flexible math operations on network packet fields with Nftables | Sun, 1 Feb | 10:00 - 10:20 | Fernando Fernandez Mancera | Kernel | A new RFC for Netfilter/nftables arrived recently in the netfilter-devel mailing list, introducing flexible math operation support for network packet fields. This could solve some migration problems from iptables to nftables and in addition empower other use-cases. | https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/QBDBLC-nft-math-expression/ |
| Packaging eBPF Programs in a Linux Distribution: Challenges & Solutions | Sun, 1 Feb | 10:30 – 10:55 | Daniel Mellado, Mikel Olasagasti | Distributions | eBPF introduces new challenges for Linux distributions: programs depend on kernel, CO-RE relocations, pinning behavior, and version-aligned bpftool or libbpf tooling. This session looks at what it really takes to package eBPF programs as RPMs and explores specific, real world usecases in Fedora. | https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/VSXPA8-packaging-ebpf-in-linux-distros/ |
| From Code to Distribution: Building a Complete Testing Pipeline | Sun, 1 Feb | 11:00 – 11:25 | František Lachman, Cristian Le | Distributions | How do you ensure code works across distributions before it reaches users? The Packaging and Testing Experience (PTE) project is an open-source approach to solving the upstream-to-downstream testing challenge. Our approach consists of three open-source components working together: Testing Farm, tmt and Packit | https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/MCNHUF-from-code-to-distribution-testing-pipeline/ |
| Building ISOs from OCI containers | Sun, 1 Feb | 12:00 – 12:25 | Ondřej Budai | Distributions |
TL;DR: Write a Containerfile, use image-builder to convert it to an ISO with a live environment. bootc revolutionized how we build and consume image-based systems: just build an OCI container in your preferred git forge, publish it in a registry, and voilà, anyone can come and rebase their bootc-based system to it. A great example is Bazzite: one of the most popular gaming-oriented distributions today. However, the first-day experience is still lacking: the installers don’t run in a live environment, and their building process is a nightmare and far from container-friendly. The team behind the osbuild/image-builder project recently started experimenting with introducing a way to build an ISO with a live environment directly from an OCI container image. All techniques you know from building bootc systems can be applied here, so the build pipelines can be shared. Additionally, if you want such an ISO to be a bootc installer, the resulting artifact will be surprisingly small due to the high level of deduplication. Come to this talk to learn how to build your own ISO using just a bunch of podman commands! |
https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/8MUFCA-building_isos_from_oci_containers/ |
| Cockpit and passwordless login | Sun, 1 Feb | 12:35 – 13:05 | Freya Gustavsson | Identity and Access Management |
If you've ever used Cockpit you might know of the different authentication methods it currently supports. It can be pretty much anything, such as username and password, Kerberos, public keys, Single Sign-On (SSO), or smart cards. But given the nature of Cockpit being a web-based interface we can only support public key authentication through our Flatpak package called Cockpit Client as browsers themselves are sandboxed and can't access your system keys. |
https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/CKXHVM-cockpit-passkeys/ |
Goals & messaging
Fedora 2028 Strategy: “Double the number of Fedora contributors active every week.”
- Find it, use it, change it: Linux accessibility (Fedora Docs, Fedora Linux, release engineering tools).
- Be a mentor, have a mentor: Empower a culture of mentoring in Fedora and scale it.
- Release stories: Fedora releases should have a story behind changes in each release.
- Open collaboration: More partnership with peer communities and upstream projects.
Open Source Values messaging: Freedom, Friends, Features, First
- Freedom: We are dedicated to free software and content. (🔗 more)
- Friends: We are a strong, caring community. (🔗 more)
- Features: We care about excellent software. (🔗 more)
- First: We are committed to innovation. (🔗 more)
Fedora Linux 43 Changes and talking points
TBD.
To be considered for funding, this budget proposal must be finalized and submitted to the Mindshare Committee for review by Monday, 12 January 2026. All budget-related discussions must be concluded to meet this deadline. Deadline extensions are not possible.
This section contains the official Fedora Mindshare Committee budget proposal for FOSDEM 2026. It is used for the administrative planning and tracking of our event presence, including the proposed budget, actual funds spent, and the final event reports from funded attendees. This information is submitted as part of the formal "Large Event" review process. The wider community is encouraged to review this section, but please contact the Fedora FOSDEM event owners before making any direct edits to the budget tables.
Budget proposal
This table represents the proposed budget to the Fedora Mindshare Committee. Note that once the the amount proposed below is submitted to the Mindshare Committee, the value is final. That is, all travelers will NOT be reimbursed for more than what is proposed below. Remember, it is always better to overestimate and underspend, and not underestimate and overspend.
The Fedora FOSDEM event owner(s) is/are responsible for maintaining accurate totals in the tables below. However, anyone changing data in this table can help the Fedora FOSDEM event owner(s) by double-checking the totals column adds correctly after entering data.
Estimate all prices in USD. Use latest market rates for approximate conversions from EUR to USD on xe.com.
| No | Name | FAS | Airfare/Rail/Bus ($USD) | Hotel ($USD) | Total ($USD) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Boy | pboy | $180 | $767 | $947 | Attending FOSDEM & CentOS Connect as Server WG and Docs Team lead |
| 2 | Dave Cantrell | dcantrell | $0 | $0 | $0 | Last-minute personal cancellation |
| 3 | Daniel Mellado | dmellado | $0 | $767 | $767 | Attending FOSDEM & CentOS Connect as eBPF SIG lead and Fedora community event owner |
| 4 | Jona Azizaj | jonatoni | $180 | $613 | $793 | Attending FOSDEM & CentOS Connect as Fedora Council and DEI Advisor |
| 5 | Petr Bokoč | pbokoc | $100 | $767 | $867 | Attending FOSDEM & CentOS Connect as a part of Fedora Docs Team |
| 6 | Michael Winters | mwinters | $0 | $767 | $767 | Attending FOSDEM & CentOS Connect as a part of Fedora Data WG and project lead of Hatlas |
| Total | -- | -- | $460 | $3681 | $4141 | -- |
Budget actuals
This table compares the proposed budget spend with the actual budget spend for post-event accounting.
Write all prices in USD. Use latest market rates for approximate conversions from EUR to USD on wise.com.
| Name | Budgeted Air/Rail/Bus ($USD) | Actual Air/Rail/Bus ($USD) | Budgeted Hotel ($USD) | Actual Hotel ($USD) | Budgeted Total ($USD) | Actual Total ($USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Boy | $180 | $0 | $767 | $0 | $947 | $0 |
| Daniel Mellado | $0 | $0 | $767 | $0 | $767 | $0 |
| Jona Azizaj | $180 | $150 | $613 | $0 | $793 | $150 |
| Petr Bokoč | $100 | $74 | $767 | $0 | $867 | $74 |
| Total | $460 | $224 | $2914 | $0 | $3374 | $224 |
Actual Budget Utilization: ~7.3% ($224 spent of $3062 budgeted)
Event Reports
See the Late Event Report Policy for more context on deadlines and requirements for reimbursement by Fedora.
| Name | Date published | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Boy | YYYY-MM-DD | TBD |
| Daniel Mellado | YYYY-MM-DD | TBD |
| Jona Azizaj | YYYY-MM-DD | TBD |
| Petr Bokoč | YYYY-MM-DD | TBD |
