Run byeleven people
Signal Fires started in 2023 as an afternoon in a library basement. It's still run by the people who started it, as a nonprofit, with the books open.
Why we started
Every conference we went to about online communities was about growth: more members, more engagement, more of everything. Nobody talked about the moderation queue.
So in 2023 we borrowed the basement of the Kestrel Bay library, put out 140 chairs and asked people who run community tools to talk about what breaks. Three of them were maintainers who had never given a talk. All three are back this year.
We still keep the rules from that afternoon: no sales pitches, every speaker paid, every room captioned, and a room cap that keeps the hallway working.
How it's paid for
Passes cover about 70% of the cost. Host partners pay for the captioners and 40 scholarships; supporters pay for the other 80. We publish the full budget each June.
Past editions
2023 to 2027A library basement, 140 people
One track, one afternoon, borrowed chairs and a projector from the youth club.
A full day, 260 people
The Loft at the Ropeworks, captions for the first time, the first scholarships.
Two days, two tracks, 480 people
Build and Tend split into their own rooms; the first workshops.
A year off for the hall
The Ropeworks rebuilt Rope Hall. We ran six evening meetups instead.
600 seats, a creche, a quiet room
Rope Hall opens for the keynotes. The cap stays at 600.
The collective
Paid part-time · volunteers on the dayFive of us work on Signal Fires part-time through the year. Six more join from March. On the day, 40 volunteers in coral lanyards.
Who pays for what
2027 partnersPartners buy captioning, scholarships and the creche. They don't buy talks, booths or the attendee list.
Partner with usHost partners Fund the captioners
- Cinderpost
- Hearthboard
Kindling Fund 20 scholarships
- Ferrymark
- Wickline
- Flintlane
Spark Fund the creche
- Tallow and Pine
- Ashgrove Labs
- Kilnhouse
- Beaconry
Reach us
We answer within two working days. For anything about safety during the event, text the safety line instead.
- General
- [email protected]
- Access
- [email protected]
- Press
- [email protected]
- Safety line
- Text 555-0134, 8:00 to 22:00 on both days
- Post
- Signal Fires Collective, 12 Chandlers Row, Kestrel Bay KB1 3AD