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run your conference programwithout the $40k SaaS bill

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OpenSession — open-source event speaker and session management

Open-source platform for conference organizers who need call for papers, abstract review, agenda scheduling, and speaker onboarding. Self-host on Cloudflare Workers with zero infrastructure cost. Replace SessionBoard, Sessionize, or spreadsheet chaos with something you own.
  Speaker submits              Organizer reviews             Organizer schedules
  ┌────────────────┐          ┌────────────────────┐        ┌───────────────────┐
  │  Public CFP    │─────────>│  Abstracts table   │──────>│  Agenda builder   │
  │  Email / Google│          │  Vote / Rate / Tag │        │  Rooms & times    │
  │  Draft & submit│          │  Accept / Decline  │        │  Conflict detect  │
  └────────────────┘          └────────────────────┘        └────────┬──────────┘
                                       ▼                             ▼
                                       │                             │
                              ┌────────────────────┐        ┌───────────────────┐
                              │  Decision emails   │        │  Calendar invites │
                              │  with ICS attached │        │  auto-sent to all │
                              │  to each speaker   │        │  session speakers │
                              └────────────────────┘        └────────┬──────────┘
                                                                     ▼
                                                                     │
                                                            ┌───────────────────┐
                                                            │  Speaker portal   │
                                                            │  Profile + slides │
                                                            │  Task tracking    │
                                                            └───────────────────┘

Features

Call for Papers
Custom submission forms built with MDX. Conditional logic, multi-speaker support, track and format selection. Speakers sign in with email or Google and submit in minutes.
Abstract Review
Your team votes Yes, Maybe, or No on every submission. Accept and decline queues with one-click batch notifications. CSV export for offline review.
Agenda Builder
Place accepted sessions into rooms and time slots. Room and speaker conflicts are detected live. Calendar invites go out automatically.
Speaker Portal
Speakers confirm participation, complete onboarding tasks, upload slides and headshots, and track their submissions from a dedicated portal.
Emails & Calendar
Automatic decision emails, task reminders, and ICS calendar invites. Replies go to the organizer. No email configuration needed.
Embeds & Feeds
Embeddable agenda and speaker gallery for your event website. JSON and ICS feeds for third-party integrations.

How it works

    Create your event

    Sign in with email or Google, name your event, pick dates and timezone. OpenSession creates three default forms: Call for Papers, Speaker Profile, and Session Materials.

    Publish the CFP

    Open the submission form and share the public link. Speakers sign in with email or Google, fill out the form, and submit. Drafts auto-save so nothing gets lost.
    Forms management page showing CFP and portal forms

    Review and accept

    Your whole team votes on submissions. Move talks through accept and decline queues, then notify all speakers in one click. Decision emails include calendar invites.
    Abstracts table with status tabs and submission details

    Build the agenda

    Place accepted talks into rooms and time slots. The conflict engine flags overlapping rooms and double-booked speakers. Publish embeds and feeds to your event website.
    Agenda builder with room columns and time slots

    Track speaker onboarding

    Accepted speakers get portal access with tasks: complete their profile, upload slides, confirm participation. The dashboard shows who still has outstanding work.
    Speaker task management with completion tracking

The organizer dashboard

Everything in one place. The sidebar groups submissions, review tools, speaker portal, and communications into a clear workflow. Status tabs on every page let you filter by lifecycle state.
OpenSession dashboard with sidebar navigation and event overview

OpenSession vs SessionBoard

OpenSessionSessionBoard
PriceFree, forever$40,000+ / year
Source codeOpen source (MIT)Closed source
Self-hostingYes, Cloudflare WorkersNo
CFP formsMDX with conditional logicVisual form builder
Abstract reviewVote, rate, commentVote, rate, comment
Agenda builderRooms, time grid, conflictsRooms, time grid, conflicts
Speaker portalProfile, tasks, file uploadsProfile, tasks, file uploads
EmailsAutomated with ICSAutomated with ICS
EmbedsAgenda + speaker galleryAgenda + speaker gallery
CRMNot includedIncluded
MarketingNot includedIncluded
Data ownershipYour Cloudflare D1 databaseTheir servers
OpenSession covers the Program module that conference organizers use daily. CRM, marketing pages, and payment processing are intentionally excluded to keep the product focused and the codebase small.
Full comparison →

Built with

Cloudflare Workers
Edge compute, D1 database, R2 storage, email sending. Zero cold starts.
Spiceflow RSC
React Server Components framework. Type-safe routes, server actions, streaming.
Drizzle ORM
Type-safe SQL with migrations, batch operations, and SQLite-proxy for D1.
BetterAuth
Email/password and Google OAuth for organizers and speakers. Verified identities and cached sessions.

Quick start

    Deploy to Cloudflare

    Clone the repo, configure your D1 database and R2 bucket, run migrations, and deploy.
    git clone https://github.com/remorses/opensession
cd opensession
pnpm install

    Set up secrets

    Configure the auth secret through your preferred secrets manager. Google OAuth credentials are optional if you want to offer Google login too.

    Deploy

    cd website
pnpm db:migrate:remote
pnpm deploy
Self-hosting guide →

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenSession really free?
Yes. OpenSession is open source under the MIT license. You self-host it on your own Cloudflare account. Cloudflare Workers has a generous free tier that covers most conference workloads.
What does OpenSession replace?
The Program module of SessionBoard or Sessionize: call for papers, abstract review, agenda scheduling, speaker portal, and automated emails. It does not replace CRM, marketing, or payment features.
Can I customize the submission forms?
Yes. Forms are written in MDX with custom field components. You can add conditional logic, multi-speaker support, file uploads, and any custom text or layout. The Monaco editor in the admin panel gives you a live preview as you edit.
How do speakers submit talks?
Speakers visit a public URL, sign in with Google, fill out the form, and submit. Drafts auto-save so they can come back later. Each speaker can submit up to 3 talks per event.
Does it send real calendar invites?
Yes. When you accept a talk and schedule it, OpenSession sends RFC 5545 ICS calendar invites that show up natively in Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Calendar. Schedule changes send updates automatically.
Can my team review submissions together?
Yes. Invite team members to your organization. Everyone can vote on submissions, leave comments, and see aggregate scores. Reviewers do not need admin access.

Explore

Call for Papers
MDX form engine with conditional logic and multi-speaker support.
Abstract Review
Collaborative voting, scoring, and accept/decline workflows.
Agenda Builder
Room and time scheduling with live conflict detection.
Speaker Portal
Self-service onboarding with profile, tasks, and file uploads.
vs SessionBoard
Feature-by-feature comparison with pricing breakdown.
vs Sessionize
Compare hosting, pricing, CFP workflows, scheduling, and publishing tools.
Self-hosting Guide
Deploy OpenSession to your own Cloudflare account.
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