600
Seats in Rope Hall
Keynotes and the Friday show and tell happen here, with everyone in one room.
Signal Fires 2027
Two days for the people who build community tools: forums, moderation queues, event apps, mutual-aid networks and the plain software that keeps a group of people talking.
Thursday and Friday
The Ropeworks, Kestrel Bay Dock 3, Wharf Road. Two minutes from the Quay Street tram stop.
- 2Days, two tracks
- 18Talks
- 4Workshops of 40
- 600Seats in Rope Hall
Doors open at 8:30 on Thursday 13 May. Badges from the Yard desk, coffee from 8:00.
0Days
00Hrs
00Min
00Sec
- 13–14 May 2027
- The Ropeworks, Kestrel Bay
- 18 talks on two tracks
- 4 workshops of 40 seats
- Live captions in every room
- Quiet room on level 2
01 Built for the people who run the room
Talks · workshops · the hallwayMost conferences about community are about growth. This one is about the tools: who builds them, who keeps them running at 3 a.m., and what breaks when a group grows from forty people to forty thousand.
How the two days work-
01
40-minute talks, 20-minute gaps
Every talk ends with time to find the speaker. Nobody runs between rooms, and the hallway gets its share of the day.
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02
Workshops capped at 40
Two hours, one laptop each, a real problem to solve. Seats are booked in March so you know you have one before you travel.
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03
Captions in every room
Human captioners on both tracks and the main stage, shown on the screens and streamed to your phone.
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04
A quiet room that stays quiet
Level 2, no laptops on calls, soft light, open from 8:30 to 18:00 both days.
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05
Recordings in a week
Every track talk is filmed, captioned and posted within seven days, free to watch for everyone.
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06
Childcare on site
A licensed creche for ages 1 to 10 in the Yard, 8:30 to 17:30. Book a place when you buy your pass.
02 Two tracks. One hallway.
The Loft · Boiler Room · Yard StudioBuild is about the software. Tend is about the people who run it. You can switch rooms at any break; your pass covers both.
Full scheduleBuild The Loft
Architecture, search, notifications, offline sync and the cost of running it all.
- 10:20 Shipping one forum in 41 languages
- 11:20 Offline-first check-in for 3,000 people
- 14:00 A mutual-aid network on $40 a month
Tend Boiler Room
Moderation, governance, safety and paying the people who do the work.
- 10:20 Moderation queues that don't burn people out
- 11:20 Bylaws as code
- 14:00 The 3 a.m. pager
Workshops in the Yard Studio
Four two-hour sessions, 40 seats each. Your pass includes one; booking opens 1 March.
160 workshop seats, all still open
03 Thursday morning
13 May · doors 8:30 · first talk 9:15A slice of day one. The full timetable has both days, every room and a calendar file for each session.
See both days04 People who've run the thing
22 speakers · 9 countriesEvery speaker maintains, moderates or funds a community tool in production. Nobody is here to pitch.
All speakers-
Amara Okafor
Lead maintainer, Hearthboard
Moderation queues that don't burn people out
Tend Thu 10:20
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Tomasz Wierzba
Staff engineer, Cinderpost
Shipping one forum in 41 languages
Build Thu 10:20
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Marisol Ortega
Organizer, Quayside Tenants Network
Keynote Thu 9:15
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Ravi Menon
Founder, Flintlane
Offline-first check-in for a 3,000-person festival
Build Thu 11:20
05 The ticket booth
Prices include lunch · transferable until 6 MayThree passes, same seats, same talks. The supporter pass pays for someone else's scholarship.
Compare passes-
Early fire
Both days · 13–14 May 2027- Every talk on both tracks
- One workshop seat, booked in March
- Lunch and coffee, both days
Admit oneNo. 001
$189
All 150 went in nine days.
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Standard
Both days · 13–14 May 2027- Every talk on both tracks
- One workshop seat, booked in March
- Lunch and coffee, both days
- Recordings within a week
Admit oneNo. 151
$289
Plus tax. Transferable until 6 May.
Choose standard212 of 600 212 of 600 seats left
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Supporter
Both days · funds one scholarship seat- Everything in Standard
- A scholarship pass for someone else
- Your name on the supporters wall, if you want it
06 An old rope factory on the river
Dock 3 · Wharf Road · Kestrel BayThe Ropeworks made ship rope until 1961. Now it has step-free floors, two lifts and a 200-meter hall that was built for laying out cable.
Venue and travelThe Ropeworks
Dock 3, Wharf Road, Kestrel Bay KB2 4RW
- Train
- Kestrel Bay Central, six minutes on foot along Quay Street.
- Tram
- Quay Street stop on lines 2 and 5, opposite the main door.
- Bikes
- 80 covered racks in the Yard; 12 fit cargo bikes.
- Access
- Step-free from the street, two lifts, hearing loops in Rope Hall and the Loft.
From the organizers
We cap Rope Hall at 600 because past that the hallway stops working. Everything else on the program is negotiable; that number isn't.
- Quayside
- Northgate
- Lampwick
- Beaconry
- Kilnhouse
07 Before you book
Refunds · transfers · accessCan I give my pass to someone else?
Yes, until 6 May. Change the name from your order page and the new holder gets the pass by email. There's no fee.
What if I can't come?
Full refund until 1 April, half until 1 May, then transfers only. If you're ill, it's a full refund at any time.
Is the venue step-free?
Yes. Every room is step-free from Wharf Road, with two lifts, hearing loops in Rope Hall and the Loft, and reserved seats at the front of each room. Read the access guide.
Are the talks recorded?
Every track talk is filmed and posted with captions within seven days, free for everyone. Workshops and the Friday show and tell aren't recorded.
Can my employer pay by invoice?
Yes, for three passes or more. Ask for an invoice with the names and a purchase order number; terms are 30 days.
The hall holds 600.212 seats are left.
Standard passes are $289 until 1 April, then $339. Every pass is transferable until 6 May.