How to Host a Conference/Budget

The OWASP Conference Budget Planning Tool has been developed by the Global Conferences Committee to assist in the budget planning process. The tool was originally designed for AppSec conferences but can be used for a conference of any size. When submitting a budget to the GCC, you are required to use this format.

Attendees should be expected to pay their registration fees in advance. This helps provide an accurate picture of the number who will attend because the attendees are more committed to attending. You can consider a slightly higher fee for late registrations or registrations onsite, if your food and facilities planning can handle extra last-minute registrations.

Your conference costs should be handled through the Foundation. Sponsorship funds, venue deposits, travel reimbursements, printing, etc will be managed for you. This allows you to focus more on the event content! Contact Us as soon as possible to get this set up. Don't minimize the importance of a detailed accounting of your conference funds. Setting things up right before you begin to receive registrations fees can make things a lot easier during and after the conference.

Things to Consider

• Shipment of OWASP products will come out of the conference budget
• Conferences are expected to provide travel for at least one board member
• Be sure to budget for fliers, signage and schwag
• To request general OWASP schwag/promotional merchandise, fill out the Google Form

Profit Sharing

Local host chapters will share in OWASP event profits under the following schedule. In the case of multiple host chapters, the host chapters will be responsible for determining the division before the event. More detail can be found on the Global Conferences Committee Policies page.

• Global AppSec Conference - 25% of event profits with a $5,000 USD cap ($10,000 for multi-chapter events)
• Regional/Theme Events - 30% of event profits with a $4,000 USD cap
• Local Events - 50% of profits with a $3000 USD cap