oscon 2015 - introduction to planning and running tech events
TRANSCRIPT
An Introduction to Planning and Running
Tech Events
Kara Sowles, Puppet Labs@feynudibranch
Francesca Krihely, MongoDB@francium
This deck is available with speaker notes at:
http://bit.ly/OSCON15EVENTSSLIDES
Francesca
● 3 Years MongoDB, Now Senior Content Marketing Manager
● 3 Years FinTech Hackathon
● FOSS Nut
Kara Sowles
Senior Community Manager at Puppet LabsPlanning + Running Tech events for 3 years
@feynudibranch
You
We’ll assume you:- Want to learn the basics of planning tech events- Are not a professional event planner...yet
Awesome Events
What comes to mind?
How You Can Do It
● Don’t need a huge budget and 3k people to do it
● Small events are important
Agenda
● Purpose● Constraints● Event Structures● Working as a Team ● Content● Venue● Cost
● Sponsorships● Socializing● Food & Drink● Diversity ● Logistics● On-Site Items● The Day-Of the Event● The Future
3 Take Aways
#1 - what is your mission?#2 - empathize with your attendees
#3 - power of logistics
We begin...by creating a document.
Why One Document?
- One source of truth- Keep it updated- Don't spread information out- Link to it in calendar invites & emails
Example: Changes to the event should be recorded in the Google Doc, not just in your inbox!
Purpose
Goals, Mission
and
Purpose
What you want to
get out of the
event
What you imagine
attendees want to
get out of the
event
GoalsMission Statement
Purpose
Mission Statement
External statement posted on your site for potential attendees to read and understand the purpose of your event.
"AlterConf is a traveling conference series that provides safe opportunities for marginalized people and those who support them in the tech and gaming industries. By highlighting the powerful voices and positive initiatives of local community members, we build hope and strengthen the community’s resolve to create safer, healthier spaces for everyone…"
source: http://www.alterconf.com/
Goals
Internal, concrete goals that you want your event to accomplish.
Your Event's Goal
● Discover your goal ● Attendees should walk away with...
○ Tactics○ Strengthened Network○ A Product
● ...So they will ○ Become a loyal ambassador○ Attend next year○ Become a loyal customer
Goals
Purpose: To meet and connect with users of our software
Goal: 25 "qualified leads", users for sales to follow up with
Goals
Purpose: Teach local girls about coding and get them interested in STEM
Goal: 100 girls in attendanceGoal: At least 50% of girls complete the exercises
Constraints
Identifying Constraints
Identifying Constraints
Budget
Identifying Constraints
Budget Amount of Space
Identifying Constraints
Budget Amount of Space
Planning time
Identifying Constraints
Budget Amount of Space
Planning time Co-located vs. Independent
Identifying Constraints
Budget Amount of Space
Planning time Co-located vs. Independent
STRUCTURE
what type of event to do?
Online
Events
collaboratecompete
What's Missing?
As you consider event structure, think about what type of event or experience might be missing for the community you want to invite.
2x /year
2x /year
(online)
(online)
50x /year130x /year
30x /year
1x /year
User Events Contributor Events
Questions?
and Answers
Work as a team
Building an Organizing team
● Give people an opportunity to get involved! ● Establish clear roles● WIIFM
Working with your team
● Regular check-ins (Standup!) ● Use your single source of truth ● Don't hog the responsibility - be a leader!
Content
Content can be...
Collaboration Workshops
Speakers Activities
Why Hackathons Are awesome!
● All the Hacks! Great Content ● Recycling amazing Hacks ● Great for sponsors and you!
Inviting Speakers
What do you tell them when you reach out to them?
Things to consider: ● Are you offering to pay for their expertise? ● Are you covering travel + hotel?● Are you inviting a diverse group of speakers - or did you
accidentally make a list of people who look the same?
CFP: Call for Proposals
● An open CFP ensures a wide variety of folks can participate
● Be explicit about what types of talks you want to hear. ● Identify restrictions ● Mention the theme, if you have one ● Use the CFP as a place to say “new speakers welcome”
Get the Best Talks POssible
● List suggested general topics● Link to examples of past talks● List types of people that should submit i.e. roles and
interests ● Repeat the date/location/purpose of the event● Offer a way for people to reach out with questions● Host a video chat where folks can ask questions / get
help brainstorming topics● Do you own outreach ● Get on the front page of Hacker News
Three Examples
I'll give you 3 content selection examples from my current work. They vary by the event's size and purpose.
#1 - User Group
#2 - 1-Track Conference
#3 - Multi-Track Conference
Example #1 - User Groups
Local User Group meeting of 20-50 attendees; 2 hour meeting in evening
User Groups are fairly informal● Organizer asks if anyone wants to present next meeting● Someone volunteers● Organizer approves it
Example #2 - 1-Track Conference
Series of 30 separate 100-300 attendee user events around the world.One track of talks:
- 5 talks from users/community members - though CFP- 2 talks from employees - same every time
Process:- Separate CFP for each event- Talks submitted through CFP- Chosen by one person
One person organizes & owns the content from start to finish (reaching out for help or advice when needed).
Example #3 - Multi-Track Conference
1,500 attendee conference60+ speakers over many tracks and multiple days
Process:- CFP committee formed (with a lead member owning progress)
representing many roles & opinions, define what they're looking for- All talks submitted through CFP- CFP committee votes (thus narrows down list)- CFP committee discusses (narrows down list further until almost
complete)- Lead member and small sub-committee makes final decisions
Content - Choosing Speakers
- Think about the purpose of your event- What sort of attendees do you expect? What do you
want them to get out of this?- Set up a structure that gives you the ability to say 'no'
gracefully- You can point to your criteria or wish list- Who will you go to for a second opinion?
Your Content is the Face of your Conference
Consider what that face looks like before you present it to the public. Tech event speakers tend to be overwhelmingly white + male.
● Set goals for yourself● Reach out and encourage people to submit talks● Can you pay travel/hotel for speakers who are
underrepresented in tech?● Keynotes are your most visible speakers
Speaker Handling
Speaker handling is very important. Many speakers are busy, have overflowing inboxes and overloaded calendars. Like you. They need reminders and clear info.
- Include all relevant details (date, location, time slot) in the acceptance email
- Include the code of conduct in the acceptance email.- Make sure speakers actually accept- Remind them as the conference approaches- At the event, know who will greet / seek out speakers and who will help get
them on stage- Learn to pronounce their personal name & company name before you
introduce them
Recording Talks
You had great content at your event! Is this a moment only appreciable live - or does the content live on somewhere else?
● Website ● Blog ● Github repos ● Content Recycling ● Promotions for next event
Facilitation as Content
Your facilitators or MCs are part of your content, especially at cooperative or activity-based events.
Venue
Searching for a Venue
Really has a lot to do with your constraints…- # of attendees- # of tracks- budget
Let's look at some suggestions based on size, which is often the biggest limiting factor
20-80 person event
Often a meetup, user group, small hack day...- Tech company offices - often have a space this size
they lend out for free. Check where local meetups are being held, contact those places.
- Universities - sometimes you can rent a classroom for a low fee, or with a faculty member supporting you potentially get one for free
- Libraries - some libraries like having tech meetups hosted there
80-150 person event
You're too big fit neatly into most offices. What now?- Tech Offices: There are still some tech companies that
can fit events this size. They're rare but real! - Universities: At this size, you'll be asking to pay to rent
an auditorium- Co-working Spaces: Is there a local co-working space
that rents out its main room for events?
150-250 person event
You keep contacting spaces that can fit up to 150, but not more. What next?- Universities: Still a good bet, since their auditorium rental
rates are often comparatively cheap- Fun local spaces like movie theaters, art galleries & more:
This can be a memorable option- Professional Venues: Permanent event spaces w/ polish- Hotels: Your last resort unless you have a large budget -
hotels are expensive
50-100 Person Hackathon
You keep contacting spaces that can fit up to 150, but not more. What next?- Universities: Still a good bet, since their auditorium rental
rates are often comparatively cheap- Tech Offices: Hackathons give them recruiting cache - Coworking Spaces: Often expensive but a worthwhile
option
Searching for a Venue
Let's talk about Hotels
- Easy to find- Prepared & professional- Similar / boring- VERY expensive- Food / AV in-house
...Negotiating with hotels is a real skill.
Hilton, New York City, 2013
Continental Breakfast - $49/personBreakfast Buffet - $65/personLunch Buffet - $95/personCoke soda/Bottled water - $6.75/each
Not listed on catering menu…Box Lunches - $55/person
Plus, the fine print…!
- Upon request the Banquet Team will retray leftover breakfast pastries for your break. A fee of $275.00 per buffet will apply.
- Prices Do Not Include 8.875% sales Tax or 23% Service/Administration Charge
- Note: Labor and Overtime Fees as Applicable Outlined on Extra Items and Arrangements Pages
- Especially prepared Kosher meals available...a surcharge of $50.00 per meal will apply.
In this particular example...
NYC hotel, 2013, 250 people...Room rental - $2,500Box lunches - $15,500
Together - $23,750 with tax and service charge...and wifi and A/V haven't been added in yet.
Sample 1500+ person event- $85,000 Room Rental- $500,000 Food & Beverage Minimum (est. $622,400 spend)- 10% off Catering- 10% off A/V- Complimentary Guest Room Internet- $309 sleeping room/$299 sleeping room (3 night stay)- 1 complimentary room per 40 occupied- $2 rebate on each occupied sleeping room- 15% off 25 staff rooms- 5 premier level upgrades- Complimentary Fitness Center
Audio/Visual
● Make a wish list of all your A/V Needs ● Hire contractors if necessary● You can rent A/V equipment● Discuss when choosing venue● For Meetups, give a checklist to presenters● Beware crossing in front of mics / speakers● How can you adjust volume?
Audio, 150 person event w/ speakers
● 1 lavalier/wireless mic, for speakers, enabling them to be hands-free for demos
● 1 hand-held mic, for the MC● 1 hand-held mic, for audience questions
- Link to event page- Purpose of event- Est. # of attendees- Date & time options- Entrance fee / free- How long event will be- Food / drinks?- If employees would be welcome- A/V needs
If you're asking to use a company's office space, include:
Venue Tours
● Have a wish list ● Use floor plans ● Understanding minimums ● Negotiate!
How Much does it cost?
Boston, MA
175 attendees
Revenue
1 day
total:
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000
175 attendees
Revenue
1 day
total: $5,000
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000Admission cost - $50/person
175 attendees
Revenue
1 day
Admission revenue - $6,563
total: $11,563
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000Admission cost - $50/person
Admission revenue - $6,563
Total Revenue - $11,563
175 attendees
Revenue
1 day
total: $11,563
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000Admission cost - $50/person
Admission revenue - $6,563
Total Revenue - $11,563
175 attendees
Revenue Costs
1 day
total: $11,563
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000Admission cost - $50/person
Admission revenue - $6,563
Total Revenue - $11,563
T-shirts - $2,503
175 attendees
Revenue Costs
1 day
total: $9,060
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000Admission cost - $50/person
Admission revenue - $6,563
Total Revenue - $11,563
T-shirts - $2,503Venue + Catering - $15,000
175 attendees
Revenue Costs
1 day
total: - $5,940
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000Admission cost - $50/person
Admission revenue - $6,563
Total Revenue - $11,563
T-shirts - $2,503Venue + Catering - $15,000
175 attendees
Staff travel - $3,120
Revenue Costs
1 day
total: - $9,060
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000
total: - $9,060
Admission cost - $50/person
Admission revenue - $6,563
Total Revenue - $11,563
T-shirts - $2,503Venue + Catering - $15,000
175 attendees
Staff travel - $3,120
Total expenses - $20,623
Revenue Costs
1 day
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000
total: - $3,437
Admission cost - $50/person
Admission revenue - $6,563
Total Revenue - $11,563
T-shirts - $2,503Venue + Catering - $15,000
175 attendees
Staff travel - $3,120
Total expenses - $15,000
Revenue Costs
1 day
Boston, MA
Sponsorship revenue - $5,000
total: $3,126
Admission cost - $100/person
Admission revenue - $13,126
Total Revenue - $18,126
T-shirts - $2,503Venue + Catering - $15,000
175 attendees
Staff travel - $3,120
Total expenses - $15,000
Revenue Costs
1 day
Portland, OR
Sponsorship revenue - $4,000
total: - $3,145
Admission cost - $0/person
Admission revenue - $0
Total Revenue - $4,000
T-shirts - $2,145Venue + Catering - $5,000
150 attendees
Staff travel - $0
Total expenses - $7,145
Revenue Costs
1 day
London, UK
Sponsorship revenue - $3,500
total: - $1,246
Admission cost - $100/person
Admission revenue - $16,500
Total Revenue - $20,000
T-shirts - $3,146Venue + Catering - $10,000
220 attendees
Staff travel - $8,100
Total expenses - $21,246
Revenue Costs
1 day
1 day events, same structure, worldwide
Community Leadership Summit
Admission price - $0/personAdmission revenue - $0Sponsorship revenueFri night at bar - $500Sat night party - $2,000Venue - $0
Coffee - $3,500Equipment (past) - $2,000Shipping - $500Stickers - $100Printing - $50Incidentals - $50
Sponsorships
Sponsors
● Sponsors can be a positive part of your event, bringing in money to improve the attendee experience, and adding value at the event itself
● Lots of of work - finding them, and making sure to follow through on your promises
● For some audiences, over-exposure to sponsors can also lessen the event experience. A thoughtful balance is key
why sponsors will like your event
● Recruiting and Hiring ● Branding● Lead Generation● Community Building ● The believe in your Mission!
Sponsorships
● Make a 'sponsorship prospectus' with all the info a potential sponsor would be interested in
● Getting sponsors is tough, and takes a lot of legwork, so don't assume you'll be pulling money out of the air
● Determine beforehand what sponsors can or can't buy (for example, talk slots, email to attendees, etc)
● Sponsors will need details like where to mail boxes, etc.
Sponsorship Prospectus
● Attendee Demographics● Event metrics (past and/or future)● Who is the target attendee?● Purpose/mission of the event● Why would sponsors be interested?● Format of the event (1 day? Talks, workshops?)● What sponsors get:
○ Levels with cost and what sponsors get for their money (be specific)
More Examples
Here's a sample sheet you can use as you start to create yours:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LXrwygRf6FJwUjE96Vs_sKobyQ2QP2GwH3V8SOX0CA4/edit#
Here's an example from Puppet Labs, for a 100-300 person event serieshttps://puppetlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/PuppetCampSponsorshipProspectus.pdf
Here's a lengthy example from PyCon (2500 attendees) with many examples of what a sponsorship can buy:https://us.pycon.org/2015/sponsors/prospectus/
Agile and Beyond example:http://www.agileandbeyond.com/2015/sponsors/prospectus/prospectus.pdf
Booths / Vendor Tables
● Should you have them? ● Option: Fold-out tables (rented from your venue) give
you the opportunity to sell those spots to vendors looking to bring swag and talk to attendees
● Sponsors love these!
venue is a company office, ~100 attendees, table at back of room
professional venue, ~200 attendees, table in reception/meal area
co-working space, ~150 attendees, table at side of main room
social spaces
Who is Your Audience?
How can you offer them the right space & experience to engage with you, the community leadership and others?
Create places for people to charge up, relax and work during the day.
Positive After Parties
● Where do you hold it? will you have attendees under 21? will you want to encourage those w families to attend?
● Choosing an activity● Alcohol & non-alcoholic drinks● Simultaneous options (not having the bar be the only
place to go)
Mapping the
Flow
Use your venue map (and ideally a tour) to map how attendees will "flow" during the event. How can you improve it?
Food!
glorious food
Food is important
Food is love, culture and biology! ● What’s cool? Texas BBQ!● What’s in line with your beliefs? No Pork on my Fork! Think about● The mess● Speed (box meals are fastest)● Veggie/Vegan/GF options
Drinks
are delicious
Diversity
Setting Expectations
On your event page:● Code of Conduct● Accessibility info● Parking/transit● Food info
Code of Conduct
You need one, and you need a good one.
● Train all staff on handling CoC violation reports● Include CoC in speaker confirmations● List is clearly & publically for example: on site,
handbook, announcement on stage, link on badge, printout at reg desk…
More info + links to sample policies at: http://www.ashedryden.com/blog/codes-of-conduct-101-faq
Family-friendly events
● Childcare● Nursing ● Children's Activities● Parties that include children
Promoting Your Event
Go where your attendees go
● User Groups ● Newsletters● Local Websites ● Social Media (Yeah, we said it)
Activity: Offer incentives
How can you make more people come to your event through incentives?
Questions?
or concerns
LOGISTICS
planning
on-site problem solving
Remember: Don’t
Overlook Logistics
GoalS + Constraints =
Logistics
How do you tackle logistics?
● Stay organized from start to finish● Use calendars ● Delegate responsibility
Logistics as a Product Launch
● Pretend like your event is a product launch ○ Project Manager○ Milestones○ Deadlines ○ Tasks
Milestones
● Major dates for smaller achievements ● Milestones rely on each other● Milestones are helpful for transparency
Milestones spreadsheet
http://bit.ly/OSCON15Events
On-site Items
Standing Banners
Versatile: registration, stage, entrance, booth
$150-200 each
Schedule Printout
Don't assume attendees will have smartphones / wifi
Simple printouts
Signage
Where will attendees want to go?
Consider your event's "flow"
Don't rely on only maps or signs
Wall vs. standing signs
Stickers
The least expensive swag
StickerMule.com is your friend
Circle - 200 for $61Die Cut - 200 for $89
Swag
Varied purposes & goals
Attendees - to remember the event bySpeakers - a thank-you giftStaff - identifying shirts / thank-you
Consider Goal, Audience, and Cost
Build your own "Events Kit" !
● Dongles / adapters● Pens● Energy bars● Sharpies● Batteries (AA, AAA, D)● Sticky notes
● Chapstick● Aspirin / Ibuprofin● Rubber bands / clips● Tape● Scissors / boxcutter● You choose!
A ziplock bag filled with low-value, useful emergency items
Day-Of
THE EVENT
How to Prepare
● Delegate responsibility ● Get phone numbers● Distribute Task Lists and Phone Numbers● Meet the day before
No event is perfect
● Things will go wrong. Something goes wrong every event! It's normal.
● Go into the event knowing that at least one thing will go wrong - and be excited to tackle it when it appears.
● This will help you not panic when something inevitably goes amiss!
Post-Event
DocumentEverything
do it for thefuture
You’re Done
● Give yourself time to relax! ● Plan ahead for how you spend the
day after - you may be drained● Reward yourself
Post-Event Survey
● Set selected answers vs. text fields● Were they the intended audience?● Improvements for the future● Prize at the end
Post-Mortem
● Sit down and talk with your team● Be honest, but not too hard on
yourself● Review everything● Record in original planning
document ● Did you meet your goals?
3 Take Aways
#1 - what is your mission?#2 - empathize with your attendees
#3 - power of logistics
Now It’s Up to you
Appendix
Photographer
Consider hiring a professional photographerThis is obvious for large conferences, but you don't need a 1,000 person conference to want quality photos of your event
You still need to:- Prepare. Is there writing in your event signup that says attendees may be in
photographs? Can you legally use those photos?- Some conferences use name badge lanyards that consent/decline photography.
Maybe you have attendees who have stalkers, are under witness protection, etc- If you want to make sure diversity is represented in the photos, tell the
photographer. But if he's a creepy dude, he will make it creepy, trust me. Make sure you're hiring a person who can take photos of women without making attendees uncomfortable.
Fun activities - Caveats
Note that you can pay for fun activities, but you really have to check them over and be involved.
Examples:- Picking an arcade game to rent - I had to google every potential game's
look (many were racist/sexist) before choosing one.- Photo Booths come with props - you have to hand check every prop and
anticipate what attendees will do with them.- Contractors (like entertainment, people operating photo booths, etc) - have
an effect on your event, but may not know your audience. Help make sure it's a positive effect.
Most important tool
in my Events kit
Saying NO.
I'm sorry, the CFP is closed. We can't just add a talk.No thanks, a [ ] is not a good fit for our event.That's not a good match for our attendees.No, that party theme is going to be uncomfortable.
Volunteers
Volunteers are great! But sometimes flaky
Make sure you train them before they start working
Give them something in return
Self Care
Taking care of yourself is key!- Work with co-organizers- Get rest- Have volunteers, friends, staff, or employees specifically
scheduled to help set up and clean up afterwards
Choosing a Date
● Holidays● Before/after a holiday weekend● Large sporting events● Weekday vs. Weekend
6/10 - Press Release CLOSES for edits by EOD today, 6/10 (Starfire / Team)6/10 - Cyborg to share sponsor logos w/ Robin and Raven (Cyborg)6/10 - Cyborg follow up with unfulfilled speakers (Cyborg)6/10 - Determine out of the declined speakers who we'd like to offer a webinar, blog or potential back-up talking slot to (Starfire and Team)6/11 - Blog ready for review (Painbot and Team)6/11 - Email ready for review (Silkie)6/11 - Homepage Design Due at 12pm (Robin, Dave)6/11 - Sponsor PDF designed and shared w/ Beast Boy (Robin)6/11 - Speaker decline emails go out (Raven)6/11 - Finish schedule build (Raven)6/12 - Beast Boy and Dave's team to finalize all website content and design (Beast Boy / Dave)6/12 - Final Schedule Content Review & Handover to Web Team (Raven)6/15 - Website testing day6/16 - Website changes goes live (schedule page, homepage, other content and bars, sponsor logos, call to action to register by 6/30) (Beast Boy)6/16 - Press Release goes live (Starfire)6/16 - Email sent to company about launch (Raven)6/16 - Blog goes live (Painbot)6/17 - Email sent to mailing list (Silkie)6/30 - Early Adopter discount expires
Events w/ open planning materials
Wordcamps - Casual, locally-organized conferences that focus on everything WordPress. Because they're community-organised, their planning kit is available to all: https://plan.wordcamp.org/
AdaCamps - Two-day unconferences dedicated to increasing women’s participation in open technology and culture. When the program closed, they released their event-planning toolkit: https://adacamp.org/
Consider releasing or open sourcing your event planning kit, or writing about what you learned, what went well, what didn't, and what you'll change next year.
Learning More...
- Co-organize with others who have event planning experience
- Volunteer to help with other events, and watch what they do
- There are plenty of professionals you can pay to help put on your event
bowl of "make your own trail mix" from a 200-person event, Boston
Inspirational Photos
