Callboard

Callboard is an open-source system for running an event’s call for proposals, review rounds, speaker coordination and programme publishing in one workflow. It suits organizations able to operate a Cloudflare-based self-hosted deployment and wanting control of their event data. The trade-off is operational: an operator must provision each organization, so it is not a self-serve SaaS choice.

Overview

Callboard follows submissions from a public CFP through reviewers and accepted speakers to a published agenda. The MIT license and self-hosting model make it a practical option for teams that need to adapt or run the service themselves rather than buy a managed workspace. Its scope is broader than a simple abstract inbox, but adopting it also means owning deployment and administration.

Key features

CFP forms support conditional questions, shared character limits, participant rules, closing dates and routing submissions to tracks. Those controls let organizers tailor one form to different proposal types while keeping entries within useful bounds. Reviewers see only their assigned proposals, and organizers can apply weighted scoring across two rounds, providing a repeatable committee process. AI abstract triage supplies an advisory score and recommendation; it cannot write committee reviews or change a submission’s status, so final decisions remain with people.

Accepted speakers receive a portal for updating session details, uploading headshots and materials, completing tasks and reading event resources. That gives speakers a dedicated place to finish production work instead of relying solely on organizer email. Agenda tools place sessions into rooms and times and expose overlaps in a dedicated conflict view. The conflict view identifies collisions, but organizers still have to resolve them.

Published schedules can be embedded and include ordered speaker and co-speaker names. Calendar invites, CSV exports and an API make programme data portable. Documented connections include Accelevents CSV export, optional API push, an Airtable mirror and signed webhooks, with optional Svix delivery. API keys provide six independently grantable scopes—four read and two write—and scopes do not cascade, which supports tightly limited integrations. Uploads are proxied through the Worker so ownership checks apply on reads and writes; secrets are supplied through Wrangler rather than kept in the repository.

Pricing

There is no licence charge for the self-hosted edition. The saving is most meaningful for organizations with the people and infrastructure to run it; the cost shifts to deployment and ongoing operations. Public self-serve signup and per-organization tenancy are not built, and organizations are provisioned by the deployment operator. The demo’s mail driver prints emails to its console instead of sending them, so it cannot represent a live speaker-notification workflow.

Platforms

Callboard is offered as a web application and API, with self-hosting as its deployment model. The main application is described as one Cloudflare Worker using D1 and R2, a relatively compact architecture for teams already working in that environment.

Who it's for

It is a strong fit for conference, festival and community-event teams that need CFP forms, structured review, speaker task collection, room scheduling and publishable programme data in one system. It also suits technical organizations that value an MIT-licensed codebase, scoped API credentials and control over storage. It is a poor fit for organizers seeking instant SaaS signup, vendor-managed tenancy or a demo that sends real email without additional deployment work.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Complete proposal-to-publishing workflow: CFP controls, two-round weighted review, speaker tasks, agenda placement and exports cover the operational chain.
• Useful data connections: CSV, calendar invites, API access, Airtable mirroring and signed webhooks support downstream programme work.
• Granular integration security: Six non-cascading API scopes let administrators separate read and write access.
• No software licence fee: The MIT self-hosted plan is free and permits organizations to run the project themselves.

Cons

• Operator-dependent provisioning: Organizations cannot create their own tenant, which adds a gate before use.
• Self-hosting responsibility: Deployment, storage and maintenance remain with the adopting team.
• Demo email is non-delivery: Console-only mail makes the demonstration unsuitable for validating speaker communications.
• AI is advisory only: Triage can recommend but cannot record committee reviews or alter statuses.

Alternatives

Choose Indico instead if you want another free, self-hosted open-source event platform with Android, iOS, API and web access.

Novex Speaker Management is the better starting point for a freemium service with a free-forever Beam plan covering one event and up to 150 attendees, plus email confirmations and QR check-in.

Pick ConfTool for smaller non-commercial events that qualify for its free license, up to 150 participants and local installation.

Fourwaves suits teams wanting hosted freemium plans, including a Starter tier with 25 abstract submissions per year and unlimited registrations and events.

Use OpenCFP when a PHP-based, self-hosted conference talk submission system is all you need.

Sessionize is preferable for eligible community events that want a hosted freemium product and a free community-event plan.

Choose EasyChair for a submission-focused service with a free tier capped at 20 submissions, or paid per-submission options.

OpenConf is an alternative self-hosted/web option with a community edition for three or fewer events or journals per year.

For broader category browsing, see Speaker Management Software and Event Scheduling Software.

Verdict

Choose Callboard when your organization wants a free MIT-licensed system spanning CFP intake, review, speakers and agenda publishing, and has an operator ready to host it. Look elsewhere if self-service onboarding, managed tenancy or immediately deliverable email is a requirement.