About W3C TPAC

About W3C TPAC

The W3C annual conference aims to coordinate solutions to technical issues by gathering in a single event several meetings between the W3C Members and Boards, W3C Working and Interest Groups, as well as a series of breakout sessions determined by the attendees.

W3C meetings operate under the W3C Code of Conduct.

This 2:24 video explains how TPAC (W3C's annual conference) is the place to create momentum, engage, learn and coordinate work on Web Standards.

Upcoming: TPAC 2025

Will be held in November 2025 in Kobe Japan & online.

(See previous ones.)

TPAC in more details

During the exciting TPAC week, W3C Working and Interest Groups gather and network to resolve challenging technical and social issues that the Web faces. This well-attended and popular event is an important means for W3C to coordinate solutions to technical issues that transcend group borders.

TPAC brings together W3C technical groups, the Board of Directors, the Advisory Board, the Technical Architecture Group and the Advisory Committee.

Breakout sessions and most meetings records are public.

What does TPAC stand for?

TPAC historically stands for Technical Plenary and Advisory Committee, since it gathered in a single event a meeting of the W3C Advisory Committee (where each W3C Member has a representative) and a broad set of technical group meetings, culminating in a plenary day – the technical plenary.

In recent years, the plenary format had mostly been replaced by an unconference format organized as a series of one-hour sessions on topics brought by the attendees.

The name TPAC is familiar enough in the W3C community that we are still using it, but we are trying to reference it more broadly as ‘Annual W3C Conference’ to make it easier to understand.

Connectivity at meetings

W3C provides wireless Internet access.

Language

Meetings are held in English.

Inclusion Fund

66% of the world is now online. We want and need to reflect the diversity of the whole world as more people continue to access, use and create the web. We believe that more diversity means better representation, which leads to better and more inclusive design, and brings higher quality results.

The Inclusion Fund is sponsored by W3C, its Members or individuals, and aims to help remove barriers for people from a group that is under-represented in the web community, who are unable to attend TPAC without financial help, and who want to attend or contribute to TPAC in a meaningful way.

The modest fund can cover expenses like travel, accommodation, child care (or care for a relative) to free up remote attendees time. Applications usually open a few months before TPAC.

Registration, modification, cancellation

All meeting participants are expected to register for each meeting they plan to attend as either a group participant or an observer (some groups may not permit observers), subject to each group's policy.

Depending on the location, there may be limited seating. Early registration is strongly recommended. Registration is processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

We allow people to switch their registration from on-site to remote, and vice versa, while retaining the same class of registration. (i.e., early bird on-site will convert to early bird remote, and vice versa).

If you need to cancel your registration to the event, refunds will be subject to a cancellation fee (which will vary depending on the registration fee and type of credit/debit cards).

To modify and adjust the fees or cancel your registration, or for any TPAC questions, contact w3t-tpregister@w3.org.

Past meetings

TPAC 2024

23 27 September 2024

Anaheim, CA, USA (hybrid event)

TPAC 2023

11 15 September 2023

Seville, Spain (hybrid event)

TPAC 2022

12 16 October 2022

Vancouver, Canada (hybrid event)

TPAC 2021

12 29 October 2021

‘Virtual’ event

TPAC 2020

12 30 October 2020

‘Virtual’ event

TPAC 2019

16 20 September 2019

Fukuoka, Japan

TPAC 2018

22 26 October 2018

Lyon, France

TPAC 2017

6 10 November 2017

Burlingame, CA, USA   
Hosted by W3C-MIT

TPAC 2016

19 23 September 2016

Lisbon, Portugal

TPAC 2015

26 30 October 2015

Sapporo, Japan

TPAC 2014

27 31 October 2014

Santa Clara, California

TPAC 2013

11 15 November 2013

Shenzhen, China   
Hosted exclusively by Tencent

TPAC 2012

29 October 2 November 2012

Lyon, France

TPAC 2011

31 October 4 November 2011

Santa Clara, California

TPAC 2010

1 5 November 2010

Lyon, France

TPAC 2009

2 6 November 2009

Santa Clara, CA, USA

TPAC 2008

20 24 October 2008

Mandelieu, France

TPAC 2007

5 10 November 2007

Cambridge, MA, USA

TPAC 2006

27 February 3 March 2006

Mandelieu, France

TPAC 2005

28 February 4 March 2005

Boston, MA, USA

TPAC 2004

1 5 March 2004

Mandelieu, France

TPAC 2003

3 7 March 2003

Cambridge, MA, USA

TPAC 2002

25 February 1 March 2002

Mandelieu, France

TPAC 2001

26 February 2 March 2001

Cambridge, MA, USA