<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" id="docs-internal-guid-116d8f08-c37e-6d20-2188-f09e1a232afe"><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">The</span><a href="http://www.overte.org/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Overte Foundation</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"> and</span><a href="http://www.avacon.org/blog/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">AvaCon</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"> are pleased to announce the first annual</span><a href="http://conference.opensimulator.org" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">OpenSimulator Community Conference 2013</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"> (</span><a href="http://conference.opensimulator.org" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://conference.opensimulator.org</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">),
 to take place on the OpenSimulator Conference Center grid on September 7
 – 8, 2013.  The OpenSimulator Community Conference will be a 
celebration of the platform and of the large and varied community using 
and co-creating it.  It will feature two days of keynote speakers, 
presentations and panels on different topics, and an expo area to 
showcase community activities and projects.</span></p><br><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">Anyone
 who is interested in the OpenSimulator software and the future of the 
metaverse is welcome to attend.  We especially hope to see OpenSimulator
 developers, grid administrators, and members of the community who 
participate on OpenSimulator grids.</span></p><br><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">The
 conference will be held entirely within the OpenSimulator environment. 
 The official program will be held in a grid specifically set up for the
 conference.  We expect 150-200 attendees of the conference to be able 
to attend virtually on the conference grid, as well as an even broader 
audience through live streaming of the conference sessions on UStream. 
 In addition, the conference will offer social hours following each 
day’s program to accommodate satellite events that will take place in 
the many grids operated by members of the community.  There will also be
 an exposition area on the conference grid for sponsors.</span></p><br><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">Due
 to the “alpha” nature of the OpenSimulator software, this conference is
 an experiment in capacity testing for OpenSimulator in addition to 
being a community event.  Therefore, tickets to the conference will be 
free but limited in number.  We hope to be able to accommodate over 200 
users in total, a figure which includes speakers, sponsors and staff . 
 Since seats are limited, </span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline">registration will open on a first-come-first-served basis on June 17, 2013</span><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">
 until the maximum number of virtual conference center tickets is 
reached.  At that point, community members will still be able to 
register for the live streamed version of the conference that will be 
available via UStream.  This will also be free.  The expo area will not 
be ticketed and so can be accessed by any avatar, subject to constraints
 on the number of avatars that the exhibition regions can hold at any 
particular time.</span></p><br><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">For more information please see the conference website at</span><a href="http://conference.opensimulator.org" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://conference.opensimulator.org</span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">.</span></p>
<br><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">ORGANIZATION INFORMATION:</span></p>
<br><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline">OpenSimulator</span><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">is
 an open-source platform that supports the creation of collaborative, 
immersive, distributed and social 3D virtual environments over the 
Internet. Started in 2007 and developed by individuals and organizations
 large and small, it has become a versatile system with which anyone can
 experiment.  OpenSimulator software is now the basis for many “grids” 
of varying sizes and purposes.  </span><a href="http://opensimulator.org" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://opensimulator.org</span></a></p>
<br><a href="http://opensimulator.org" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline"></span></a><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline">The Overte Foundation </span><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">is
 a non-profit organization that manages contribution agreements for the 
OpenSimulator project.  In the future, it will also act to promote and 
support both OpenSimulator and the wider open-source 3D virtual 
environment ecosystem.  </span><a href="http://www.overte.org/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://www.overte.org/</span></a></p>
<br><a href="http://www.overte.org/" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline"></span></a><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline">AvaCon, Inc.</span><span style="font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline">
 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the 
growth, enhancement, and development of the metaverse, virtual worlds, 
augmented reality, and 3D immersive and virtual spaces. We hold 
conventions and meetings to promote educational and scientific inquiry 
into these spaces, and to support organized fan activities, including 
performances, lectures, art, music, machinima, and much more. Our 
primary goal is to connect and support the diverse communities and 
practitioners involved in co-creating and using virtual worlds, and to 
educate the public and our constituents about the emerging ecosystem of 
technologies broadly known as the metaverse.  </span><span style="text-decoration:underline;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);vertical-align:baseline"><a href="http://avacon.org" style="text-decoration:none">http://avacon.org</a></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"><b>Web:</b>  <a href="http://conference.opensimulator.org">http://conference.opensimulator.org</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"><b>Twitter</b>:  <a href="http://twitter.com/opensimcc">http://twitter.com/opensimcc</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"><b>Hashtags:</b>  #OSCC13 #OSCC #opensim</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline"><b>Email:</b>  <a href="mailto:opensim@avacon.org">opensim@avacon.org</a></span><a href="http://avacon.org" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline"></span></a></p>
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