The evolution of Red Hat Summit 2021: Announcing a hybrid approach

As poet Tuli Kupferberg said, "when patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.” If there is one thing we can say for 2020, it’s that it shattered many of our old patterns and shook up how we do things. When we moved this year’s Red Hat Summit from an in-person event to an all-virtual experience, we had no idea what the outcome would be. It was brand new territory. But it’s safe to say that it was a success! 

We could take the same approach with Red Hat Summit next year, it would certainly be the safer and simpler option. But that's not Red Hat. Instead of repeating what we've already done we've decided this is a good time to explore new worlds and build on our successes while also trying new things.

We're pleased to announce that Red Hat Summit 2021 will be a three-part experience that includes two virtual components in the spring and summer and a series of in-person events later in the year!

What energizes us most about this new hybrid approach to Red Hat Summit is that it will enable us to be more inclusive and engaging throughout the year. Bringing more customers, partners, technology industry leaders, and open source enthusiasts from around the world together means we can provide more opportunities for innovation, collaboration and learning. 

What to expect

Details are still coming together as we watch the changing landscape, but in the open source spirit of "release early, release often" we couldn’t wait any longer to give you a peek behind the curtain of what you’ll see from us next year. 

We know that everyone’s needs and comfort levels are different, so we’ve put together a unique   curriculum featuring timely thought leadership and countless education and networking opportunities that will meet you wherever you are in your open source journey.

1. April 27-28: Get ready for the main event

Grab a front-row seat (virtually) to the digital mainstage for the latest news and announcements from customers, partners and Red Hat keynote speakers. Get direct access to some of the brightest minds in open source by participating in our “Ask the Red Hat Expert” Q&A sessions, or uncover a comprehensive overview of open source innovations that are enabling the future of enterprise technology when you watch our roadmap sessions.

2. June 15-16:  Deep dive into the technical content that’s right for you

Delve into products and tech innovations when you view our breakout sessions and carefully curated technical content. Organized by topic and track - from open hybrid cloud to automation to cloud-native app dev to Linux to Kubernetes and more - choose the sessions that are most relevant for your career. Talk about what you learned within our virtual Red Hat booths, and get more of your questions answered by Red Hat professionals live on-screen.

3. Autumn 2021: Get the hands-on, 1:1 access you’re craving

Round out your Red Hat Summit experience at our in-person, small-scale events. Here, you can check out our hands-on, interactive offerings like labs, demos, training and chances to network. Plus, get 1:1 time with experts and sales professionals that can help find solutions to your business needs.

We live in a hybrid world and we think our events should be no different! Whether you participate in one part or all three, in-person or virtual, we look forward to welcoming you to Red Hat Summit 2021.  Red Hat Summit has become a global stage where we share our vision for the future of enterprise and emerging tech, how our customers are driving innovation and transforming their companies with open source, and provide ways to connect with peers.

Over the coming weeks, watch for us to share more details on next year’s event here on the Red Hat Blog, including the Call for Proposals which will open in Oct. 2020, or subscribe to our emails. In the meantime, you can still catch this year's content on-demand through next year. Even if you hadn't attended or signed up previously, you still have time to register and check out the recorded sessions while you're waiting for Red Hat Summit 2021!