We’re just over a month away from RightsCon Brussels on March 29 – 31, 2017!
I’m here with a quick update on a few important things: the program, getting your tickets, hotel rooms, visas, and booths.
1. Program and Schedule: The first cut of our program session list will be released next week, and it’s shaping up to be our best program ever. This year we will have almost 200 unique sessions — everything from algorithmic accountability, to the state of global journalism, to empowering at-risk communities, and much, much more.
2. Ticket Prices: We’ve extended our Early Bird ticket prices until next Friday, February 17th at 11:59 PM PT!
Prices will increase as follows:
Academic | Independent – €345 (up from €225)
NGO | Startup – €495 (up from €325)
Business | Government – €895 (up from €575)
Get your tickets here. (And remember: RightsCon always sells out.)
3. Hotel Accommodations: Should you wish to stay at the RightsCon venue itself, we have reserved a block of hotel rooms at a special rate at the Crowne Plaza Brussels – Le Palace. The final stage of our hotel block is expiring next week on Friday, February 17, so please act quickly to take advantage of our discounted rate. You can book your room through this special booking portal, and your reservation is fully refundable up to 72 hours prior to check in, if you decide to cancel.
Alternatively we have created this map of other Brussels hotel options.
4. Booths in our Community Hub: This year at RightsCon Brussels, we are creating space at the conference venue for a “Community Hub” — where organizations across stakeholder lines will be able to showcase their projects, initiatives, or research to the diverse, highly engaged community of RightsCon participants.
Please contact our RightsCon Exhibition Coordinator Simon Henschel at simon @ accessnow.org for further details and availability.
5. Visas and Travel Restrictions Impacting Participation: If you are coming to RightsCon and you think you will need a visa, read our visa information page and get your personalized invitation letter from Access Now.
Every year, we host RightsCon to bring together activists, journalists, users at risk, policy makers, business leaders, and government officials to tackle the world’s most pressing human rights challenges. This year, U.S. travel restrictions are intentionally targeting certain communities. Access Now urges the U.S. government to reverse the discriminatory executive order restricting travel for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. In addition to impacting digital rights work in these regions, the executive order bars many citizens and diaspora groups from travel to community events like RightsCon Brussels.
We hope you can join us, but we cannot advise you on how current or planned U.S. travel restrictions could impact your participation in RightsCon or the many satellite events our close partners host. If you are affected by the U.S. ban, we encourage you to keep vigilant and reach out to trusted experts on your personal visa and travel situation. We also encourage you join us in advocating for the freedoms of assembly and expression, online and off.
As always, please contact me — Nick Dagostino at nick @ accessnow.org — with any questions about the conference, and stay tuned for more updates. Thanks!
See you in Brussels.
PS. Get your Early Bird tickets here, and check out our excellent early speaker list.