Something big is happening on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, and if you care about Home Assistant, ESPHome, or the future of open-source smart home technology, you will want to be in the room for it.
The State of the Open Home 2026 is the annual flagship event organized by the Open Home Foundation, and this year the live audience is back. Be in the room as the foundation shares what is coming next, answers your questions in real time, and gives you an inside look at how the open home ecosystem gets built.
Apollo Automation will be there in person, with a booth, some devices we are excited to show off, and our co-founder Trevor Schirmer speaking on stage. More on that below.
Buy your tickets at events.openhomefoundation.org/sotoh26
What Is the State of the Open Home?
The State of the Open Home is the Open Home Foundation's annual event where the team celebrates the community, shares what has been accomplished, and gets into what is coming next. In past years it has been a livestream-only event. This year, for the first time in a while, you can attend in person in Utrecht, Netherlands and be part of the conversation as it happens.
This year's theme is Building in the Open. The foundation is taking transparency to the next level, pulling back the curtain on how decisions get made, how challenges get worked through, and what it actually looks like to build one of the world's most important open-source ecosystems in real time. It is not just a keynote. It is a genuine conversation with the people who make it happen.
When and Where
The event takes place on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Doors open at 18:00 for a casual meet and greet dinner. The main program runs from 19:30 to 21:30, followed by networking and drinks until 22:30. The online livestream also begins at 19:00 for those who cannot make it in person.
Your ticket includes: entry to the full evening, a casual dinner from 18:00, the main program at 19:30, plus drinks and networking afterwards. You'll also receive a welcome pack to take home!
Who Is Speaking
The speaker lineup is stacked with the people actually building the open home ecosystem. Here is who will be on stage:
- Paulus Schoutsen - President, Open Home Foundation
- Franck Nijhof - Lead of Home Assistant, Open Home Foundation
- Laura Palombi - Product Manager, Open Home Foundation
- Kevin Ahrendt - Software Engineer, Open Home Foundation
- Carl Olof Albertsson - VP of Commercial, Nabu Casa
- Melissa Thermidor - Lead of Community, Open Home Foundation
- Jean-Loïc Pouffier - Lead of Product and UX, Open Home Foundation
- Missy Quarry - Community Manager, Open Home Foundation
- Matthias de Baat - UX Designer, Open Home Foundation
- Marcel van der Veldt - Lead of Ecosystem, Open Home Foundation
- Trevor Schirmer - Co-founder, Apollo Automation
Trevor will be joining the partners segment of the program alongside Carl Olof Albertsson from Nabu Casa to talk about how commercial partners are building in the open alongside the foundation. If you have been curious about what the Apollo and Open Home Foundation partnership actually looks like in practice, this is your chance to hear it straight from the source.
Apollo Automation Will Be There
We are not just showing up to watch. Apollo Automation will have a booth at the event where you can come talk to us in person, see some of the devices we are working on, and get a first look at things we have not announced yet. If you have questions about our sensors, our partnership with the Open Home Foundation, or what the first official ESPHome-branded hardware is going to look like, come find us.
Events like this are rare. The Home Assistant and ESPHome communities are largely online, and getting to meet the people behind the projects, ask questions in person, and be part of a live conversation about the future of open smart home technology does not happen often. We are genuinely excited to be there.
Why Your Ticket Supports the Open Home Foundation
The State of the Open Home is an Open Home Foundation event, which means your ticket purchase directly supports the foundation's work. The foundation owns and governs over 250 open-source smart home projects including Home Assistant, ESPHome, and Music Assistant. It funds the full-time team keeping those projects free, open, and actively improving. Attending this event is one of the most direct and enjoyable ways to contribute to that mission.
Tickets are limited. It has been a while since the event has had an in-person audience and capacity is not unlimited. If you are planning to come, do not wait.
Get Your Tickets
Tickets are available now at the link below. Whether you are a long-time Home Assistant power user, an ESPHome tinkerer, or just someone who cares about privacy-first smart home technology, this is the event to be at in 2026.
Buy your tickets at events.openhomefoundation.org/sotoh26
We will see you in Utrecht.
Apollo Automation designs, engineers, and manufactures privacy-first, locally-controlled smart home sensors in Versailles, Kentucky. All products feature 100% local control with no cloud dependencies or subscriptions required. Apollo is a Works with Home Assistant partner, Made For ESPHome member, and official commercial partner of the Open Home Foundation. Learn more at apolloautomation.com.
