Whilst it skipped a year in 2018, due to the potential conflict with the Roller Derby World Cup, one of the most important events in European Roller Derby is returning for 2019.

The European Roller Derby Organizational Conference will be 10 years old at the time of its next edition, running from January 31st through February 3rd 2019, in its usual host city of Berlin.

Since 2009, EROC has provided a place for the entire European derby community to come together to share experience, build contacts, and plan the future. It's been an invaluable starting point for several of the European National Governing Bodies, as well as helping to seed derby future across the continent.

Regular hosts, Bear City Roller Derby, have extended the conference to an additional day for the first time ever, providing two days of Workshops (Thursday + Friday) and two days of Sessions (the weekend) to bring together Europe's Roller Derby community in discussion and development.

Whilst EROC has always existed to help build the European community, this year has a particular focus on "Inclusivity", with several sessions and workshops specifically covering aspects of that area. (Those that do not explicitly cover the topic will still interact with it.)

And there will be a lot of sessions and workshops to cover: 

8 workshops (longer, more interactive topics) of which the titles and conveners of 6 have been released:

• Bout preparation: Footage Analysis, Data and Statistics (Michael Watson)

• Retention & Growth - your league, our sport (Crazylegs)

• Roller Derby Coaching Qualification (Hydra (Rule56))

• Inclusive Practice and Accessibility (Feminist Killjoy)

• Your League’s Brand - Does it say what you want? (Crazylegs)

• Breaking down walls - how to work with conflict management (Maurine Filip)

20 sessions (shorter, more directed topics) of which the titles of 9 have been released:

• Group Dynamics and Conflict Management (Pernilla Hellan and Lisa Plüschke)

• Just another brick in the wall? What we need to know about the individual to create a good fit (Maurine Filip)

• The Evaporating History of Roller Derby: fighting the Ephemerality of Digital Media (Sam Skipsey)

• Inclusive Practice and Accessibility (Feminist Killjoy)

• False Economies: Is our DIY Approach holding back our sport? (Hydra (Rule56))

• Junior Derby (Barney Trubble)

• How Skateboarders dealt with FIRS, best practices for WFTDA and FIRS (Shiran Habekost)

• Is it in the walls? How organisational structures affect behaviour (Maurine Filip)

• The first WFTDA Continental Cup Feedback Experience and best Practices (Birmingham Blitz Dames)

Other unconfirmed topics previously mentioned as appearing include (unless we've missed a few covered above):

• Whipping your finances into inclusive shape
• Low level harassment, aggression, consent, bystanders behaviour
• Officiating crew selection process. Sexism and discrimination
• Open divisions and all-gender roller derby
• Long lasting officiating

However, that's still not all, as in addition, special sessions will be held, including a Round Table meeting with NGBs / National Teams and Governing Bodies, A League Fair (including space to sell merch and advertise your league), a 2 day WFTDA Officiating Clinic (weekend)...

...and the requisite on-skates events, including the "EROC All-Stars Scrimmage" on Saturday afternoon/evening, and Chicks in Bowls Berlin beginners' bowls and ramps sessions on Sunday. 

As part of the inclusive focus, Group Discounts for multiple-tickets are available for consortia of smaller leagues banding together to share costs (meaning that, for example, if you and three other leagues can each only afford to send a single delegate each, you can pay together for 4, and get the same benefits as a single league sending 4 delegates); if all of those leagues are less than 3 years old, have less than 20 members, and are EROC first timers. If your league does not qualify, there are also a limited number of "Soliprice" (free, host-subsidised) tickets available, to delegates with a strong case for why inclusion is particularly important to them (and/or how they will bring EROC experience back to their league).

We would especially encourage leagues from newer areas to send a delegate, if they are able: EROC is only as good as the breadth of experience and viewpoints at it, and some of the most valuable opinions are from some of the newest places with derby.

Registration is available via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUDoNk7cHaAqDsFIa1vjdCeHBwPjnlVjl-bvRRLhYz3Im_tg/viewform with Early Bird discounts lasting until the end of the year.

with the additional on-skates activities available with an additional submission here:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLPe5crURLG9pbhqL3bLoR1xvPRzhshloOmRXTS-ZaVVHOiw/viewform