The last thing you need to run an event is software. You need to book a venue, select and arrange accommodations for speakers, and make sure the attendees have a good time and finance the damn thing while at it. However, the reason I run Balkan Ruby is that I enjoy writing Ruby.
Today, the code powering the Balkan Ruby CMS (the "C" stands for "Conference") is open-sourced under the MIT license. It is a bit hacky, a bit clever, and quite lovely.
While it is not a general event management system, you can take a look, learn, gloat, validate your awesome code, or fork it for your event.
Enjoy!
Genadi Samokovarov
Organizer