§ 13 — Make the case For your manager · letter template · cost ledger

Make the case to attend.
Five briefs & a letter.

Take what helps. Adapt what doesn't.
Role-specific arguments for engineering, security, sales, marketing, exec — plus an editable letter template and an honest cost ledger.

§ 13.a — Five roles

Pick the brief that fits the desk
across from you.

Each brief is one quote, five reasons, one suggested approver.
Lift what's useful, drop the rest.

Role 01

Engineering

"Tutorials Day is new for Edition Nº 02." A working Monday with the maintainers — four rooms, half-day and full-day sessions, more to be added.

  • Confirmed for 2026 — Tutorials Day (Mon 12 Oct): code-along with David Hook & Megan Woods (Bouncy Castle), The long view with Bill Buchanan, the Tokens workshop with Daniel Heinrich, build-your-own-provider with Neil Horman & Nikola Pajkovský.
  • Three days of talks across four tracks with the OpenSSL committers.
  • Keynote: the SSLeay reunion — Eric Young, Tim Hudson and Matt Caswell in one room for the first time since 1995. The three signatures on the original AUTHORS file.
  • The corridor track. At Edition Nº 01, attendees came back with patch paths, version-migration advice, and contributor relationships they didn't have on the way in.
  • Bring a bug. The right person to ask is probably already on stage.
Pitch to · Engineering Manager
Role 02

Security
& Compliance

"At Edition Nº 01, the FIPS, post-quantum and CRA tracks were the most-attended across the four days."

  • Confirmed for 2026: FIPS 140-3 deep-dive on Tutorials Day — common failure modes, validation roadmap, current lab feedback.
  • Post-quantum migration coverage in the tutorials and main programme — what's deployed, what's stuck, what's still moving.
  • Standards and law strand on Day 03: the European regulation conversation that started at Edition Nº 01 continues with the same room.
  • Peer time with security leads from the patrons in the room — at Edition Nº 01, that was 550+ senior practitioners from 30+ countries.
  • Bring your audit findings. You'll leave knowing what to do about them.
Pitch to · CISO
Role 03

Sales
& BD

"At Edition Nº 01: 550+ senior practitioners. 30+ countries. 9 patrons already signed for Edition Nº 02."

  • The patrons already in the room for Edition Nº 02: Cisco, NetApp, AWS, Securosys, Bouncy Castle, PQShield, Lightship, Safe Logic, NetSTAR.
  • Three evenings of curated networking — the Diplomat welcome on Monday, plus a Vltava cruise and a Pilsner Urquell evening that ran at Edition Nº 01.
  • The OpenSSL Corporation's audit, transparency report and patron correspondence are public — including the post-edition financial statement from Edition Nº 01.
  • Speaker meet & greet on Day 02 — the engineers whose names appear on your customers' RFPs.
  • Bring a deal in flight. The people who can be a reference for it are already in the room.
Pitch to · VP Sales
Role 04

Marketing

"The SSLeay reunion is the biggest story the project has had since 1995."

  • Confirmed for 2026: the SSLeay reunion keynote — Eric Young, Tim Hudson, Matt Caswell in one room for the first time since 1995. Material your team will be drafting from for a year.
  • Press attendance from the major security and infrastructure trades — at Edition Nº 01, the day-after coverage ran across the European technical press.
  • Speaking opportunities on Tracks 03 & 04 — CFP open through 15 June 2026.
  • Co-branded content opportunities with the OpenSSL Corporation, year-round.
  • Bring an empty content calendar; leave with Q4 filled.
Pitch to · CMO
Role 05

Executive
· CTO & up

"The room where the next ten years of your dependency stack gets decided in person."

  • Confirmed for 2026: the SSLeay reunion opening keynote — Eric Young, Tim Hudson, Matt Caswell. Three signatures on the original AUTHORS file, in one room for the first time since 1995.
  • Three host dinners on Mon 12 Oct — five seats per table — hosted by Tim Hudson, David Hook and Matt Caswell. Off the record.
  • At Edition Nº 01: privacy as a human right was the closing thread — the OpenSSL Corporation's mission statement, read live by the team that ships it.
  • Direct contact with the OpenSSL Corporation, the Foundation board, and committers — the people who decide the contribution and governance roadmap.
  • Bring a strategic question; leave with the answer your competitors won't have.
Pitch to · The Board
§ 13.b — The letter & the ledger

A letter your manager will actually sign,
and an honest ledger.

Adapt to fit. The numbers are real, the language is yours.
Both download as editable documents.

№ 02 Letter · for your manager For internal approval · editable

"I'd like to attend
the OpenSSL Conference in Prague."

Dear manager,

I'd like to attend the OpenSSL Conference Prague 2026 — Edition № 02 — running from 13 to 15 October. Our codebase depends on OpenSSL across teams & products, and the conference is the only event in the year where the project leadership, the FIPS 140-3 reviewers, and the post-quantum standards leads are all in one room.

Specifically, I plan to bring back a migration plan, current FIPS guidance, and a working vendor relationship. The total cost of attendance — ticket, tutorials, travel, and four nights — is approximately € figure, set against the cost of misjudging the post-quantum migration window or losing a FIPS submission cycle.

I will share a written report and a 30-minute internal session within two weeks of my return.

— with thanks,
your name
Print this letter ↗ Download as .docx Open as Google Doc
§ 13.c — Visa support letter

Crossing the border shouldn't be the part
that stops you.

If your embassy needs a letter of invitation for the Schengen visa application,
we issue one — personalised, on letterhead, signed by the chair.

№ 03 · Visa support · invitation letter Per attendee · personalised

"To whom it may concern"
— a letter your embassy will accept.

Issued byOpenSSL Foundation, conference organising committee
Signed byThe conference chair · ink signature, embossed seal
FormatPDF · A4 · official letterhead · scanned original on request
IncludesYour full name as in passport, passport number, employer, dates of attendance, hotel reservation reference
LanguagesEnglish. Czech translation on request.
EligibilityAny registered, paid attendee. Speakers issued automatically on acceptance.
TurnaroundUnder 72 hours · 5 working days for Czech-translated copies
CostFree of charge
Request the letter →
Annex · what to bring
For your appointment.
  • Your passport (six months' validity past 18 Oct 2026).
  • Our invitation letter, printed.
  • Your conference registration confirmation (PDF).
  • Hotel reservation — Diplomat or your booking — printed.
  • Return flight itinerary.
  • Travel medical insurance, €30,000+ Schengen coverage.
  • Recent bank statements or employer letter.

The letter is supporting documentation — it does not guarantee the visa. The decision rests with your consulate.

Approval in hand?
Hold a place before Early Bird closes.
Reserve a seat →
§ 13 — letter template & ROI sheet · live document · revisions tracked