Callboard vs Session Canvas

Callboard is an open-source system for managing event proposals and the work from submission through schedule publication. Organizers can build CFP forms with conditional questions, shared character limits, participant rules and close dates, then route proposals to tracks. Reviewers see their assigned submissions, while organizers can apply weighted scores in two rounds. Accepted speakers use a portal to update session details, upload headshots and materials, finish tasks and read event resources.

For planning, organizers place sessions in rooms and time slots and use a conflict view to spot overlaps. Published schedules can be embedded and provide ordered speaker and co-speaker names, calendar invites, CSV exports and API access. Documented integrations include Accelevents CSV export, optional API push, an Airtable mirror and signed webhooks, with optional Svix delivery. AI abstract triage offers an advisory score and recommendation; it cannot write committee reviews or change submission status. The main application is described as one Cloudflare Worker using D1 and R2. Callboard is self-hosted under the MIT license, at free.

Session Canvas is open-source software for managing conference submissions, reviews, agendas, speakers, and event communications. Organizers can build calls for papers with reordered questions, conditional rules, required fields, deadlines, and draft submissions. The review process supports track-based routing, a passwordless evaluator view, and optional blind review. Agendas have day, room, and list views, with warnings for potential time, room, and speaker conflicts. Speakers can use magic links to check submission status, update profiles, and complete tasks. Organizers can send templated acceptance or rejection emails, reminders, and calendar invitations that update when event details change. For sharing event information, it provides embeddable schedule and speaker widgets, a public JSON schedule feed, and whole-event iCal export. Five public widgets are viewable without logging in. Optional Airtable sync is off by default. Session Canvas runs on the web and is self-hosted on the organizer’s Supabase project. It is MIT-licensed and costs nothing.