I started my journey into the land of open access and Open Science 10 years ago. I was lost and scared first. Coming from a Humanities and Social scientific background, everything in the field of scholarly communication was new to me. The only thing I knew about scientific publishing is that I have to get a start on writing and publishing if I wish to succeed in Academia. However, thanks to a strange twist of fate, I found myself in a university library with the task of digging into open access: all of it, whatever it meant. 
Looking back on this past decade, I have to say, it has been, and continues to be, a fulfilling and challenging journey. Besides the interesting research into the publishing scene, the endless advocacy work, reading the exponentially rising literature on the topic, and writing reports and grant applications, the most rewarding aspect of this work is being part of an expanding network of fellow Open Science enthusiasts. After getting over the initial insecurities of meeting new people and talking about or even presenting my ideas and viewpoints, it has become a rewarding process of travelling to conferences, workshops, seminars, training camps (endless possibilities of events we come up to talk about Open Science) and meeting open-eyed, creative devotees of an accessible, transparent and open scholarly discourse.
I must admit, at first, the destinations of the events and the travelling itself meant a stronger drive to participate. But, after making the initial and lasting relations, I was looking forward to meeting old and new circle of friends and colleagues. One of the main achievements of Open Science driven thinking and activities, in my opinion, is the development of a network of various stakeholders (scientists, librarians, administrators, publishers, decision makers, etc.), all contributing to the establishment of a barrier free, open scholarly communication system.
Who would have thought that in the age of fast and easy online communication, a human network and personal relations will be the most dynamic factor (at least in my case) in open scientific work. Openness for me means the easy and limitless access to creative ideas, new solutions to problems, energetic discussions, best and worst practices through an ever expanding web of friends and colleagues thinking alike or even challenging my viewpoint.
So, here is to Open Science, to great conversations, to old and new friends!
Have a great and fruitful time at OpenCon 2017.