Wikimania is the yearly international Wikimedia conference. The conference covers topics related to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects, open source technology and culture, free knowledge, open sharing and related subject matters. Wikimania is planned entirely volunteers from the Wikimedia community. Planning committees submit proposals to host Wikimania in their city, and a volunteer committee reviews the proposals. The winner of the following years event is announced weeks before that years event.
Women at Wikimania
Women's participation at Wikimania has grown over the years. In a male dominated landscape like Wikipedia, most conferences have had primarily male planning organizations and male presenters.
WikiWomen's Lunch
Every Wikimania, since 2007, women (and identifying) participants at the conference gather for an hour long lunch during the conference. The event was formally known as WikiChix Lunch; the name was changed in 2012.
Conference format
Wikimania is planned entirely by volunteers from the Wikimedia community. Sessions, panels and workshops are submitted via the Wikimania website and are all displayed publicly on wiki. A volunteer review committee publicly reviews each review, rating them on acceptance level.
A hackathon takes place in two days preceding the conference and the main conference lasts three days. Unconference opportunities are either interwoven into the three days, held before, or on the day after the conference. Social events - opening parties, evening activities, and a closing party are held.
Three plenary sessions are held. An opening keynote on the first day, the second morning Sue Gardner presents about the Wikimedia Foundation's previous and upcoming activities in the year past and ahead followed by a question and answer session with the board of directors, and on the second day a closing plenary with a keynote. One one of the three days Jimmy Wales presents on the "State of the Wiki."