This page documents things FUDCon organizers should think about when putting together an event. It covers the newer type of FUDCon, which includes group hackfest sessions as well as one or more days of BarCamp-style technical sessions.
Older wisdom can be found here.
Budget
This is the absolute first priority. How much do you have to spend? The answer to that question guides every other decision in the process.
Dates, Location & Facilities
The most difficult part of organizing a FUDCon is figuring out the city in which the event should be held, and in securing facilities to actually host the event in that city. Once this step is completed, everything else tends to fall into place! Attendees cannot book travel until they know the dates & location of the event, so once you know what your budget is, this is the most important piece of organization.
For every FUDCon that we have done so far, we have always sought to find some local organizers to help us with logistics. We also try to form relationships with universities or organizations who are capable of hosting us year after year. For example, we have held several FUDCons at Boston University, and each FUDCon we hold there is easier to plan because the local organizers have done it all before.
From a facilities point of view, consider the following needs:
- space in a useful configuration
- power for the electronics being used
- sound amplification (if needed for speeches in a larger room)
- wired/wireless networking
- signs to direct people to the rooms (coordinate with show)
Set up for all these things may cost money -- figure it into the budget.
A typical BarCamp day of FUDCon requires one large auditorium (150 - 200 person capacity), an open area for registration and lounging, and 4 or 5 smaller rooms capable of holding 20 - 30 people each.
Advertisement
Advertise the show well in advance. Put together fliers or other materials so that people attending the show know you'll be there, and where to find you. Put up posters or signs in many visible locations indicating dates/times, and pointing the way to the event. Remember these may cost money -- figure it into the budget. Advertise both on-line and at local LUGs or Universities.
Preregistration
Preregistration is important to discover how many people you'll be hosting. It's OK to set a preregistration limit, as long as you maintain the important principle that FUDCon should be free and open for anyone to attend, regardless of whether they preregister. Have a small token gift for people who do preregister, to encourage them to do so. Just use the wiki for this. Have name tags for preregistrants and blanks of some sort for people who just show up, so others can learn their names easily and make them feel welcome. This may cost money -- figure it into the budget.
Refreshments
You may want to think about refreshments for the attendees, as simple as snacks or beverages during the day to keep people from having to continually wander far away when they get hungry or thirsty. Remember this might get expensive at certain venues, so make sure you get the cost estimates in advance and figure them in your budget.
Utensils
For a BarCamp, have the following things available:
- blank paper and Sharpie markers (for marking session signs)
- blue painters tape (doesn't leave traces on a wall)