ABOUT RULES FEST

Rules FestTM is the world's only technical conference devoted to the practical application of reasoning technologies and systems derived from them.

Rules Fest is the flagship event of the non-profit Rules Fest Association, Inc.. It is most notably different than other technology conferences in its commitment to facilitating the exchange of practical application knowledge and the eschewing of proprietary bias in all presentations.
Below you will find information about what the conference stands for, who it is intended for, and its origins.

What is "The Spirit of Rules Fest"?

Rules Fest is an all stuff and no fluff conference, and as such, the Rules Fest Organization Committee strictly enforces the following policy:

  • Rules Fest does not accept presentations that contain marketing or promotional materials.
  • Promotion or marketing of any proprietary technology, product, or service in the plenary sessions is strictly prohibited.

However, all vendors are encouraged to download the 2011 Rules Fest Sponsorship Program to learn about hosting exhibits, boot camps, and other sponsored events!

What is the Rules Fest Charter?

Rules Fest exists to:

  • Evangelize, promote, and explore the practical applications of all current reasoning technologies;
  • Inform, educate, and enlighten all interested practitioners about current reasoning technologies;
  • Aid in the transfer of emerging and/or innovative reasoning technologies from academia to industry.

Practical AI...By Developers For Developers

Rules Fest advocates technology transfer and knowledge-sharing, and it encourage an open, community approach to problem-solving. Our conference is at the nexus between academic research and commercial product development. It caters to the hardcore developers, programmers, engineers, and other implementers who use rules, rule engines, and other reasoning technologies to solve challenging computing problems.

How Did Rules Fest Begin?

The October Rules Fest (ORF) was originally conceived by James Owen with lots of help from Rolando Hernandez and Greg Barton.

It was envisioned as a conference solely for those hardcore technical people who use rule engines at the rubber-meets-the-road level. It remains committed to that core principle today.

James Owen
James Owen
Greg Barton
Rolando Hernandez

ORF was a complementary offering to other conferences that focused more on a narrow application area for rule engine technology. The conference was well-received in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, ORF expanded into other technologies beyond rule-based systems, and kept the name Rules Fest to acknowledge its rule-based systems roots. Relocated from its Dallas, Texas origin to Silicon Valley in San Jose, CA, the 2010 conference attracted many new attendees from around the world.

This year, Rules Fest remains in the Bay Area/Si Valley hi-tech corridor at the splendid Hyatt Regency - Burlingame near San Francisco. With two world-class keynote speakers, a schedule full of technical presentations, a full day of hands-on boot camps, social and networking events, a career center, and vendor exhibits, 2010 promises to be the BEST Rules Fest yet!