Difference between revisions of "How To Plan A Code4LibCon"

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* Apply to be a host
+
== General Process ==
  
* Consider your action plan
+
While this is the general chronology of running the conference, it never hurts to plan ahead. Before hosting proposals for the next year are solicited, you can prepare some components of your proposal. Before your proposal is accepted, you can recruit volunteers to serve on committees. In particular, it helps to have at least a few initial people who will form the nucleus of your Local Planning Committee (LPC).
** Identify your venues for both the conference and the hotel (if different). This is critical, as you'll want to get some cost estimates from each. When we hosted in Corvallis, the campus provided the conference space at a low cost, and this made running the conference much more affordable. When we hosted the conference in Portland, and held everything in a single hotel, we had to acquire 2x the amount of sponsorship than what appears to be normal.
+
** Speaking of sponsorship, I believe we average around 20k per year in sponsorships to help run the conference and keep the registration low. Factor this into your budget.
+
** Also, when you get cost estimates, don't forget to include food costs.
+
** WIRELESS: Always an issue it seems. If you are proposing to host the conference on a campus, check with your IT folks about any additional costs. If you are looking at a hotel or other venue, make sure you talk to them about bandwidth and costs. IMHO, the two things that really need to be addressed each year are connectivity and food - everything else generally manages itself in terms of facilities.
+
*** make sure VPN is allowed
+
** See if your institution has a conference planning services group or something similar - if it does, then I highly recommend using them. They'll handle registration, budgeting, contracts, etc, and really make life easy.
+
** Also consider using conference planning services from other entities. In 2013, Chicago used DLF services to handle registration. In 2014, NC used CONCENTRA services for all contract negotiation, fiscal activities, registration, and other conference planning and management services.
+
** Regarding conference hotel, you'll want to make sure that there are blocks of rooms available - not usually too bad an issue in larger towns, but in some college or smaller towns, hotel rooms may be limited.
+
*** prepare the hotel for deluge via web when announcement is made about hotel registration available.  We overwhelmed the Seattle hotel in 2012
+
** Remember, your institution is taking the risk of covering any costs not covered by registrations and sponsorships. To this point, I believe the conference has always ended up in the black, but there is always a chance it won't in a given year. Drafting a rough budget before submitting a proposal is critical.
+
  
 +
* When the call for next year's host goes out, '''prepare a proposal'''
 +
** See [[Successful Code4Lib Conference Proposals]] from prior years
 +
** '''Identify venues''' for both the conference and the hotel (if different).
 +
** '''Prepare cost estimates'''. The primary factors are:
 +
*** Lodging (hotels) - see if hotels offer discounted room block quotes
 +
*** Venues (conference, workshop, reception, other activities)
 +
*** Catering
 +
*** Wireless: If you are proposing to host the conference on a campus, check with your IT folks about any additional costs. If you look at a hotel or other venue, make sure you talk to them about bandwidth and costs.
 +
*** Do you have organizational relationships which might ensure extra sponsorships? If so, factor in that this might reduce the registration cost. For instance, when we were at the Library of Congress in 2018, they were also [https://2018.code4lib.org/sponsors/ our largest sponsor].
 +
*** You can reference data from previous years to estimate minimums and maximums.
 +
** '''Use our conference planner (CONCENTRA)'''
 +
*** Since 2014 in NC, Code4lib has contracted with [https://www.concentra-cms.com CONCENTRA] to help manage and plan the conference. Their expertise is invaluable. You can ask them questions while preparing your proposal. CONCENTRA knows Code4Lib and our unique structure and well as how to plan various aspects of conferences (hotel room block, catering, bus to reception, etc.). Look for Jennifer Cummings in Slack or use their site's contact link.
 +
*** See if your institution has a conference planning services group or something similar - if so, they can also be very helpful and will know more about campus spaces and costs (e.g. if there are free rooms to use for pre-conferences).
 +
* Get approved by the community and start planning
 +
** Receive access to the Code4Lib Conference Drive folders with information from prior years
 +
** Construct a planning timeline (see templates in Drive)
 +
** Find a hotel, negotiate and sign a contract with them. CONCENTRA does this but this [[Sample RFI]] is still a useful reference; '''note the WiFi requirements'''
 +
** Put out a call for committee volunteers (on the listserv, in Slack)
 +
* '''Put on an amazing conference!''' If you get this far, you have survived the worst part.
 +
* The final duties of LPC are putting out the call for next year's proposals and writing up reflections.
  
* Get approved by the community
+
== Location ==
* Find a hotel, negotiate and sign a contract with them. [[Sample RFI]]
+
* Invite the community to help with
+
* Have a timeline
+
*[[Useful information from 2012]]
+
  
 +
Code4Lib has been hosted on university campuses and also located purely in hotels. Campus facilities tend to be more affordable, but housing can be scattered and challenging. Hotels are more expensive but cohesive.
  
== Important Public Resources ==
+
If your campus or town has a conference center, that is a logical starting point. Large hotels are also an option. In recent years, the conference has been smaller (a little over 200 attendees). If you are unsure how many attendees to plan for, look at [[Conference_Financial_History_At_A_Glance|historical attendance]] figures or ask in the code4libcon channel in Slack. In general, 200-400 attendees is a good range.
* Past calls for host sites: [http://code4lib.org/node/275 2010] -
+
* [http://dewey.library.nd.edu/mailing-lists/code4lib/ Code4Lib listserv]
+
* [http://groups.google.com/group/code4libcon Code4LibCon listserv]
+
* Sponsorship info (public)
+
* [http://code4lib.org/logo/ Logos]
+
  
== Important Private Resources ==
+
A couple of isolated rooms for the conference but away from the main space are important for both the Community Support Squad to hold private discussions and to private a place of quiet respite for weary conference-goers.
* Code4LibCon-hostsite listserv
+
* Budgets from previous years
+
* Sponsorship info (private)
+
  
 +
=== Workshops ===
  
==Gender Diversity & Minority Scholarship Committee==
+
Workshops have been held before and after the conference. They are referred to as "pre-conferences" or "post-conferences" in planning and publicity materials. There should be space to facilitate 10-20 workshops. It is helpful if they can be located in the same building but not necessary.
The scholarship committee is a self-selected group that manages the gender diversity & minority scholarships. Separate groups handle AngelFund and Code4LibJapan scholarships.
+
  
===Suggestions received===
+
These can be class or meeting rooms but should have a projector and ideally a whiteboard. Electricity for attendees is also important.
* Send to a wider bunch of listservs, including for national orgs (ALA/SLA/MLA/CLA) & relevant sections? & student chapter
+
  
===Process===
+
=== Reception ===
# Put out a call
+
# Receive and coordinate applications
+
# Distribute applications to the committee
+
# Select awardees
+
# Inform selected candidates
+
# Notify unsuccessful candidates
+
# Announce to Code4Lib main listserv and post on code4lib.org (e.g. http://code4lib.org/node/274 )
+
# Hosts work with awardees on reimbursement, registration, etc.
+
# Follow up with awardees after the conference -- receive report, ask for suggestions, etc.
+
  
== Program Committtee==
+
A nice reception venue can be appealing to many attendees. In the past, we have gone to museums, libraries, and more fun venues. If Philadelphia, we went to The Mütter Museum. In D.C., we went to the Library of Congress. In Michigan, we went to "fowling" (football bowling).
The program committee is a self-selected group that manages talk proposals and other aspects of the program.
+
The process works something like this:
+
  
# Draft the call for proposals (searching the mailing list archives should provide some good templates) and send it out.
+
A nice reception at a separate location is not strictly necessary. It might be possible to do catering at the conference venue in the evening, for instance.
# People put their proposals on the Code4Lib wiki (see the [[2013 talks proposals]] page as a template)
+
#* One idea that's been thrown around to help diversity is for people to self-identify as female/minority/first-timer/first-time presenter, etc. (see the Guidelines below)
+
# After the proposal period ends, contact Ross Singer (rsinger) to get voting set up.
+
# After the voting closes, we talk about where to place the dividing line between accepted and declined proposals.  There is a bit of negotiation between us and the host committee on scheduling depending on how many talks we want to accept and any scheduling juggling that is required.
+
  
===Program Voting===
+
=== Transportation ===
Pre-conf voting may need to take place if there are more proposals than spaces.
+
  
Based on past discussions (such as the [http://serials.infomotions.com/code4lib/archive/2011/201111/thread.html pandering votes thread]), for next year, consider a notification for voters 'briefly
+
Consider how folks coming into town will get to their lodging. Is the airport far? Are there free shuttles? Is it possible to get there via a major railway?
explaining how the ballot works and to reiterate the voting criteria that's on the proposal page.
+
  
There has also been discussions about whether voting should be done without names, but it was inconclusive as there are pros and cons to each.
+
If lodging and the venue are separate, how will attendees get to the conference venue? Are there shuttles? If we need to purchase a bus, how much will it cost?
  
If possible, it has been suggested that talks be grouped by topic so there is more consideration by people on giving too many votes to a single topic.
+
Most years, we pay for a bus to the reception venue, as it tends to be in a different location.
  
===Guidelines===
+
=== Local Appeal ===
For 2014, you may want to make this a bit more clear on the talk proposals page, but this is what the community agreed on through mailing list discussion:
+
* Max 2 presenters per talk (this should be checked at the proposal stage)
+
* Max 1 talk per person
+
* (at least) 15% talks to be decided by the program committee with "diversity" in mind. Diversity may be any of these (not an exhaustive list):
+
** first-time presenter (should be major consideration)
+
** gender
+
** visible minority
+
** technology/tool
+
  
Based on [http://serials.infomotions.com/code4lib/archive/2012/201211/thread.html Proposed Changes thread].
+
Successful proposals in the past included local spots that attendees will be interested in: cultural institutions, tourist attractions, book stores, libraries, restaurants, and nightlife. The Social Activities committee plans around these venues. It is nice to have a nighttime location where Game Night can be held (which can be a workshop room).
  
Based on the comments from the 2013 feedback, the program committee may also consider proposing limiting the number of talks on a particular topic or technology used (e.g. Hydra, Solr) unless the next conference host proposes to turn the conference into a multi-track conference.
+
There is nothing wrong with doing a conference in a location we've been to before, or in a location that is close to last year's location. In the past, Code4Lib tended to bounce between the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest, but that is not a requirement and should not dissuade any location from submitting a proposal.
  
===Schedule===
+
== Committee List ==
While always posted on the website, consider putting it on lanyrd like in 2013. Worked great of adding links to sessions, which can then be copied to the website if needed.
+
  
===Talk Acceptance Letter (samples)===
+
Each year we copy the prior year's list of committees (see [[:Category:Conference Committees]]) to a new wiki page. If you are looking for information on a committee or new volunteers, prior years can provide some names, but know that not all committees keep their membership on the wiki up to date.
  
<pre>
+
Brief descriptions of the primary committees:
Dear <<first name last name>>,
+
+
On behalf of the Code4Lib Program Planning Committee, I am pleased to
+
notify you that your proposal, <<proposal title>> has been accepted for
+
the Code4Lib <<year>> in <<location>>.  Please reply to this message to
+
confirm your intention to present the approved session at the Conference. 
+
If at any time in the future you need to bow out or have any program
+
changes, please notify us immediately.  You will be sent a letter of
+
agreement soon.
+
+
The schedule for the conference is here:
+
  
  http://code4lib.org/conference/2011/schedule
+
* Planning (LPC) - primary committee, should have delegates on most others, makes major decisions
 +
* Website - creates and updates the website using a template and data provided by other committees
 +
* Sponsorship - acquires sponsorships to reduce costs
 +
* Keynote - solicits suggestions from community and communicates with keynote candidates
 +
* Pre-conference - plans workshops
 +
* Program - plans posters and conference talks
 +
* Scholarship - solicits diversity scholarship applications and selects candidates
 +
* Community Support Squad (CSS) - enforces the [https://github.com/code4lib/code-of-conduct Code of Conduct]
 +
* T-Shirt - solicits T-Shirt designs
 +
* Social Activities - plans social events at the conference such as Game Night
 +
* Streaming - runs the livestream
 +
* Host Voting - solicits proposals for next year
 +
* Accessibility - consults on physical and digital accessibility, e.g. of venues and the conference websites
  
You will have 20 minutes for your talk, including questions and answers.
+
You will also need on-site volunteers during the conference for tasks like MCing the conference, timing talks, and running microphones for audience questions.
A quick transition between speakers will be necessary.
+
+
It is very important that you focus your presentation on the more unique
+
and technical aspects of your topic whenever possible.  Although Code4Lib
+
attendees come from many different work environments, they attend Code4Lib
+
events for information technology education.
+
+
Experts like you are the heart of Code4Lib.  We really appreciate your contribution
+
and look forward to working with you.
+
 
+
Sincerely,
+
  
</pre>
+
Code4Lib is democratic; most committees faced with multiple options (keynote, pre-conference, program, t-shirt, host voting) host community votes to determine some or all of their choices.
  
===Talk Rejection Letter (sample)===
+
Some committees are small, even a single person. Some years may have some unique committees not present in the list above. For more information on any particular committee, look in their Drive folder or on the wiki.
<pre>
+
I'm sorry, but your prepared talk proposal for the 2010 Code4Lib Conference in Asheville, NC did not receive enough votes to make it into the program. But here are a couple things you should know:
+
  
- The field of presentations was very large (probably the largest we have had so far) and very strong, so you should not take it too hard.
+
== Planning ==
- Please remember that there are many additional opportunities for participating, including lightning talks (open to anyone), breakout sessions (open to anyone to suggest and/or participate), and a special "Ask Anything" (or reply anything) open session. Also, the evening socializing opportunities are considered some of the most rewarding times of the event.
+
  
Again, my condolences on not having your talk proposal accepted, but I hope we still see you in Asheville, NC in February.
+
=== Budgeting ===
Roy
+
</pre>
+
  
== Sponsorship Committee ==
+
* [[Conference_Financial_History_At_A_Glance]]
===Sample Sponsorship Request Letter===
+
As you know, Code4Lib is a group of library technologists, programmers, system administrators, web designers, and librarians.  Started in 2003, the group continues to grow--with a journal, a mailing list, and an active IRC channel. Since 2005, Code4Lib has sponsored an annual conference, which has attracted programmers and librarians from around the world.
+
  
Topics at past conferences have included library information systems, new directions in library research, semantic web applications, and
+
=== Wireless ===
information technology standards, among many others.  More details about the conference, including schedules of previous conferences, can be found from
+
http://www.code4lib.org/conference/
+
  
Our <> conference will be held in <> from <>. Be a part of this library success story by underwriting the conference!
+
Historically, Code4Lib has had trouble with wifi bandwidth at venues. Hotels will lie about their wifi. Try to receive assurance that every attendee will be able to simultaneously have 1-2 devices connected to the network. It's best if you are able to visit the venue to verify its network characteristics.
  
We have several sponsorship levels:
+
It is good if the venue allows VPN traffic as many folks use a work VPN. It's also nice if commonly used ports, like 22 for ssh/git, are usable.
  
<>
+
Aspiration Tech (an org doing unconference facilitation) has developed a [http://facilitation.aspirationtech.org/index.php?title=Logistics:Wireless_Best_Practices great list for assessing and negotiating event wifi].
I look forward to hearing from you, and can be reached at <>.
+
  
Best,
+
== At the Conference ==
  
<>
+
=== Code of Conduct ===
http://code4lib.org/
+
  
== Book Giveaway Committee ==
+
LPC may be consulted by the CSS if a Code of Conduct violation occurs. These have sometimes necessitated someone being removed from the conference or an announcement being made from the stage.
Responsible for contacting publishers to see if they will donate books to the conference so we can raffle them off. Take a look at [[BookRaffle]] for ideas.
+
 
+
Please coordinate with Program committee as to when book raffle is to happen during the conference (as in part it depends on how many things there are to give away).
+
 
+
Will also need to coordinate with sponsorship/host committee about adding logos and what not to the sponsorship list if necessary.
+
 
+
== T-shirt Committee ==
+
Responsible for organizing the call, vote, print, etc. for conference t-shirts. Need to coordinate with sponsorship committee for what goes on the back of the shirt.
+
 
+
Example: [[2013 t-shirt design proposals]]
+
 
+
Propose to add additional restrictions:
+
* should not be a designed used previously (do we have an archive of previous designs somewhere?)
+
* unique (cannot be bought online already)
+
* design should include "code4lib" and conference year in design, city optional
+
 
+
== Money==
+
* [[Conference_Financial_History_At_A_Glance]]
+
* private conlist has budget info
+
 
+
== Shortly before the Conference ==
+
  
 
=== Keynotes ===
 
=== Keynotes ===
# Contact speakers in advance to get a speaker bio, plus to ask if they need anything, arrange airport pickup, etc
 
  
 +
* Speaker gifts
 +
* Small honorarium
 +
* Offer to make dinner plans
  
=== Emails to send out ===
+
=== Lightning Talks ===
  
==== Quick orientation email for newer folks ====
+
* Sign up ahead of time on papers in the venue
 +
* Load slides onto the podium in the break before
 +
* Everybody lines during the time slot (image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393881044/ )
  
Send out at least a week in advance before conference...
+
=== Conference ===
  
 +
* Power - everyone would like to plug in their laptop (and possibly their phone)
  
We're in the last few days before the conference begins, and for a good number of you,
+
=== Photography ===
this will be your first code4lib. Here is some information to help you navigate through
+
the conference craziness next week:
+
+
- Social Activities<insert link to SA page>: There's a lot going on outside of the sessions,
+
and this page has information about various gatherings, events, meals, etc. One activity I
+
want to highlight is the Newcomer dinner<insert link to SA page> that will be on
+
<insert date of dinner>. There are still a lot of great restaurants left on the list, and this
+
is your chance to meet folks you might otherwise not get a chance to talk to at the conference.
+
Read the guidelines on the wiki, and pick your restaurant.
+
+
(Public service announcement: for those of you who have signed up for the dinner already, make
+
sure that there's a designated leader for organizing reservations and people herding.)
+
+
- Hospitality Suite: For some of the events listed on the Social Activities page, you will see
+
the Hospitality Suite listed as a location. This is a place where attendees usually hang out outside
+
of sessions (or taking a break from sessions). The location of the Suite is usually announced
+
through various means, including the wiki, IRC and Twitter.
+
+
- IRC/Twitter/etc.: Speaking of those channels, you'll find many folks using the #c4lXX hashtag
+
for conference related stuff. The IRC channel<insert link to IRC page> is #code4lib, and there
+
will be volunteers at the conference who would be more than happy to help you with IRC.
+
+
- For my last item, give the following a read:<insert links to appropriate pages>
+
+
-- How to hack code4lib
+
-- CodeofConduct4lib
+
-- Zoia, #code4lib's IRC bot
+
+
If you have a question, ask! I'll be bringing in some badge ribbons for everyone to self-identify
+
themselves as first timers and "old timers" as well, if you're into classification and stuff. ;-)
+
  
 +
Code4Lib uses different colored lanyards to articulate personal photography preferences.
  
 +
* Green = it's ok to take my picture
 +
* Yellow = please ask before taking my picture
 +
* Red = don't take my picture
  
=== Freenode IRC connection ===
+
=== Podium ===
Historically, conference attendees have had trouble maintaining persistent connections to the #code4lib IRC channel. We'd always assumed we were overwhelming the conference facility's Internet connection, but we were actually running into Freenode's IP-based connection limits. Freenode is supportive of the IRC-as-backchannel model, however, and they're happy to work with organizers to raise the connection limit.
+
  
Contact the conference facility in advance and see if you can find out what your ''public IP address range'' will be during the conference. (If it starts with 10.*, 192.168.*, or 172.16.*, ask again -- those are "private" IP ranges used for connection sharing.)
 
 
Once you have the IP address or range, send an email to [mailto:ilines@freenode.net ilines@freenode.net] containing a request to raise the connection limit. Include conference info, IP range(s), and the expected number of connections. For example:
 
 
To: ilines@freenode.net
 
 
Hello,
 
 
I'm helping plan the code4lib 2010 conference, taking place in Asheville, NC next week.
 
Since our backchannel runs through #code4lib on Freenode, we're trying to plan ahead
 
to avoid running up against the connection limit. Would it be possible to raise the cap
 
for us during the conference? Details follow.
 
 
Conference: code4lib 2010 < http://code4lib.org/conference/2010/ >
 
Dates: February 22-26, 2010
 
Attendees: 250
 
Location: Renaissance Asheville Hotel, Asheville, NC
 
IP Ranges: 12.21.216.106 and the entire 12.21.217.0/24 block
 
 
We encourage in-channel participation, so we expect a high percentage of attendees to
 
be connected at once. We'll also have two or three channel bots connected from the
 
conference for the lobby monitors.
 
 
Please let me know if you need any further information, and thanks very much for
 
your help!
 
 
Michael
 
 
I received an automated reply with a ticket number almost instantly, but didn't hear back after that. I sent a quick followup early on the morning of the 22nd, and received a response (from a human) letting me know that it had been taken care of. (Follow-up, one year later: Same experience. Immediate automated reply, but with a need to follow up with Freenode staff in the #freenode channel to get the ticket resolved.)
 
 
Additional support is available from the helpful volunteer Freenode staff in the #freenode channel.
 
 
== At the Conference ==
 
 
===Keynotes===
 
 
# Water at the podium
 
# Water at the podium
# Speaker gifts
+
# Provide height adjustable podium, if available. Otherwise:
# Dinner plans
+
# Provide a stand (apple box?) for presenters who would like to use one
 
+
=== Timers ===
+
* Sit in the front of the room
+
* Have several people
+
* You may want to use an extra machine
+
* Here's what some of the software looks like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393891356/ (ask Ed Corrado for details)
+
* Dan Chudnov says the best free timer app for OSX is http://www.apimac.com/timer/
+
 
+
=== Lightning Talks ===
+
* Everybody lines up ahead of time (image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393881044/ )
+
 
+
===PreConf===
+
# make sure projector avail for each session
+
# whiteboards or reasonable facsimile thereof
+
# everyone wants a power outlet
+
 
+
=== Conference ===
+
# power - everyone would like to plug in their laptop
+
  
 
=== Video ===
 
=== Video ===
# live stream is awesome
 
# join.me  ??
 
 
=== Live Blogging ===
 
Consider doing live blogging for 2014. You will have two people so they can switch off during each section of day.
 
  
=== Ask Anything===
+
# Videos are streamed at https://youtube.com/code4lib
* Add to volunteer page to have a moderator or do a general call out
+
# Presenters can opt out of having their likeness recorded and streamed. They may not opt out of having their voice and presentation (i.e. slides, etc.) recorded and streamed.
* Need mics for people to line up at (image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393838640/ )
+
# Presenters must not use unlicensed music in their presentation. Likewise, unlicensed music must not be used between presentations.
 +
# Video must be able to work with the house A/V crew and set up the day before the main con begins.
 +
# Lighting must be provided for the speakers.
  
===Book Raffle===
+
=== Calls for Hosting ===
* (image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393619144/ with people for context: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393623802/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4384550127/ ), better if there's a table
+
  
=== Flipcharts ===
+
'''To do''': This has not been kept up to date. We should use examples from recent years and remove older ones.
Flipcharts can be useful, but it's important to decide what to put on the wiki/website and what to put on a flipchart:
+
images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4392998501/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/47860563@N05/4388430079/
+
  
=== Hospitality Suite ===
+
See [[:Category:Conference Hosting Proposals]].
# having a few people with room keys, any of whom might need to be available to open up or close down the room at the beginning or end of the evening
+
# making sure the mess left for cleaning staff is an appropriate mess
+
# making sure the noise made near other hotel guests is an appropriate noise
+
# having someone act as a point person to gather a gratuity for the housekeeping staff maintaining the suite
+
  
== Suggested Timeline ==
+
{| class="wikitable"
* See [[C4L2010planning]] for an example
+
! Year of proposal
* See [https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/document/d/1Ci_aeXlUOW_1XZ9isvwXfyt-FFyO7zsBxesenbFvCPI/edit|Code4Lib 2014 planning schedule] for example, including dates for responsibilities for each volunteer committee. Note that we established schedule at the outset by counting weeks backwards from the desired conference dates.
+
! Text of call
* Ideal to have program set before registration, including pre-conf
+
! Call issued
** also allows clarity for how many spots are avail for non-presenters
+
! Deadline for submission
 +
! Weeks to submit
 +
! Voting start
 +
! Voting end
 +
! Weeks to vote
 +
! Announcement
 +
|-
 +
|2010
 +
|[https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=CODE4LIB;tBeDRg;201002051132430800 Code4Lib 2011 Hosting Proposals Solicited]
 +
|5 Feb
 +
|5 Mar
 +
|4 weeks
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|2011
 +
|[https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=CODE4LIB;R8d%2FBw;20101210153936%2B0000 Code4Lib 2012 Call for Host Proposals]
 +
|10 Dec, 2010
 +
|23 Jan (Sun)
 +
|6 weeks + 3 days
 +
|25 Jan (Tue)
 +
|9 Feb (3rd day of conf)
 +
|2 weeks + 2 days
 +
|10 Feb (last day of conf)
 +
|-
 +
|2012
 +
|[https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=CODE4LIB;9k0n8A;20111201184554%2B0000 Code4Lib 2013 Call for Host Proposals]
 +
|1 Dec, 2011
 +
|22 Jan (Sun)
 +
|7 weeks + 4 days
 +
|25 Jan (Wed)
 +
|8 Feb (3rd day of conf)
 +
|2 weeks + 1 day
 +
|9 Feb (last day of conf)
 +
|-
 +
|2013
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|15 April?
 +
|-
 +
|2014
 +
|[https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=CODE4LIB;f5d2e9cb.1401 Call for proposals to host Code4Lib Conference in 2015]
 +
|29 Jan
 +
|12 Mar (Wed)
 +
|6 weeks + 1 day
 +
|14 Mar (Fri)
 +
|26 Mar
 +
|1 week + 6 days
 +
|27 Mar (Thursday; last day of conf)
 +
|-
 +
|2015
 +
|[https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=CODE4LIB;1b38757a.1501 Call for proposals to host Code4Lib Conference in 2016]
 +
|8 Jan
 +
|20 Feb (Fri)
 +
|6 weeks + 2 days
 +
|23 Feb (Mon)
 +
|6 Mar
 +
|1 week + 5 days
 +
|9 Mar (Mon)
 +
|-
 +
|2016
 +
|
 +
|19 Jan (Tue)
 +
|1 Mar (Tue)
 +
|6 weeks
 +
|3 Mar (Thu)
 +
|15 Mar (Tue)
 +
|1 week + 5 days (note conf is Mar 7-10)
 +
|16 Mar (Fri)
 +
|}
  
===Calls for Hosting===
+
== Further Readings ==
No one has claimed responsibility for putting out the call and setting the deadline, so for 2014 planning, consider having this task as the host committee, the voting committee, or perhaps the whatever committee.
+
  
* 2008:
+
The most recent year's Lessons Learned (in Drive) are more likely to be relevant. Some of these links are quite old but may still contain valuable insight on problems that have happened over the years.
* 2009:
+
* 2010:
+
* 2011: March 5, 2010
+
* 2012:
+
* 2013: Jan 22, 2012
+
* 2014: January 27, 2013
+
* 2015:
+
  
 +
* [[Code4Lib Conference Lessons Learned]] (from 2014)
 +
* [[2017_Lessons_Learned]]
 +
* [https://medium.com/@louisrosenfeld/how-to-organize-a-conference-567fb50ccdbd How To Organize a Conference] - Some excellent thoughts on conferences in general.
  
[[Category: Code4Lib2010]]
 
[[Category: Code4Lib2011]]
 
[[Category: Code4Lib2012]]
 
[[Category: Code4Lib2013]]
 
 
[[Category: Code4LibCon Planning]]
 
[[Category: Code4LibCon Planning]]

Latest revision as of 19:32, 3 March 2025

General Process

While this is the general chronology of running the conference, it never hurts to plan ahead. Before hosting proposals for the next year are solicited, you can prepare some components of your proposal. Before your proposal is accepted, you can recruit volunteers to serve on committees. In particular, it helps to have at least a few initial people who will form the nucleus of your Local Planning Committee (LPC).

  • When the call for next year's host goes out, prepare a proposal
    • See Successful Code4Lib Conference Proposals from prior years
    • Identify venues for both the conference and the hotel (if different).
    • Prepare cost estimates. The primary factors are:
      • Lodging (hotels) - see if hotels offer discounted room block quotes
      • Venues (conference, workshop, reception, other activities)
      • Catering
      • Wireless: If you are proposing to host the conference on a campus, check with your IT folks about any additional costs. If you look at a hotel or other venue, make sure you talk to them about bandwidth and costs.
      • Do you have organizational relationships which might ensure extra sponsorships? If so, factor in that this might reduce the registration cost. For instance, when we were at the Library of Congress in 2018, they were also our largest sponsor.
      • You can reference data from previous years to estimate minimums and maximums.
    • Use our conference planner (CONCENTRA)
      • Since 2014 in NC, Code4lib has contracted with CONCENTRA to help manage and plan the conference. Their expertise is invaluable. You can ask them questions while preparing your proposal. CONCENTRA knows Code4Lib and our unique structure and well as how to plan various aspects of conferences (hotel room block, catering, bus to reception, etc.). Look for Jennifer Cummings in Slack or use their site's contact link.
      • See if your institution has a conference planning services group or something similar - if so, they can also be very helpful and will know more about campus spaces and costs (e.g. if there are free rooms to use for pre-conferences).
  • Get approved by the community and start planning
    • Receive access to the Code4Lib Conference Drive folders with information from prior years
    • Construct a planning timeline (see templates in Drive)
    • Find a hotel, negotiate and sign a contract with them. CONCENTRA does this but this Sample RFI is still a useful reference; note the WiFi requirements
    • Put out a call for committee volunteers (on the listserv, in Slack)
  • Put on an amazing conference! If you get this far, you have survived the worst part.
  • The final duties of LPC are putting out the call for next year's proposals and writing up reflections.

Location

Code4Lib has been hosted on university campuses and also located purely in hotels. Campus facilities tend to be more affordable, but housing can be scattered and challenging. Hotels are more expensive but cohesive.

If your campus or town has a conference center, that is a logical starting point. Large hotels are also an option. In recent years, the conference has been smaller (a little over 200 attendees). If you are unsure how many attendees to plan for, look at historical attendance figures or ask in the code4libcon channel in Slack. In general, 200-400 attendees is a good range.

A couple of isolated rooms for the conference but away from the main space are important for both the Community Support Squad to hold private discussions and to private a place of quiet respite for weary conference-goers.

Workshops

Workshops have been held before and after the conference. They are referred to as "pre-conferences" or "post-conferences" in planning and publicity materials. There should be space to facilitate 10-20 workshops. It is helpful if they can be located in the same building but not necessary.

These can be class or meeting rooms but should have a projector and ideally a whiteboard. Electricity for attendees is also important.

Reception

A nice reception venue can be appealing to many attendees. In the past, we have gone to museums, libraries, and more fun venues. If Philadelphia, we went to The Mütter Museum. In D.C., we went to the Library of Congress. In Michigan, we went to "fowling" (football bowling).

A nice reception at a separate location is not strictly necessary. It might be possible to do catering at the conference venue in the evening, for instance.

Transportation

Consider how folks coming into town will get to their lodging. Is the airport far? Are there free shuttles? Is it possible to get there via a major railway?

If lodging and the venue are separate, how will attendees get to the conference venue? Are there shuttles? If we need to purchase a bus, how much will it cost?

Most years, we pay for a bus to the reception venue, as it tends to be in a different location.

Local Appeal

Successful proposals in the past included local spots that attendees will be interested in: cultural institutions, tourist attractions, book stores, libraries, restaurants, and nightlife. The Social Activities committee plans around these venues. It is nice to have a nighttime location where Game Night can be held (which can be a workshop room).

There is nothing wrong with doing a conference in a location we've been to before, or in a location that is close to last year's location. In the past, Code4Lib tended to bounce between the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest, but that is not a requirement and should not dissuade any location from submitting a proposal.

Committee List

Each year we copy the prior year's list of committees (see Category:Conference Committees) to a new wiki page. If you are looking for information on a committee or new volunteers, prior years can provide some names, but know that not all committees keep their membership on the wiki up to date.

Brief descriptions of the primary committees:

  • Planning (LPC) - primary committee, should have delegates on most others, makes major decisions
  • Website - creates and updates the website using a template and data provided by other committees
  • Sponsorship - acquires sponsorships to reduce costs
  • Keynote - solicits suggestions from community and communicates with keynote candidates
  • Pre-conference - plans workshops
  • Program - plans posters and conference talks
  • Scholarship - solicits diversity scholarship applications and selects candidates
  • Community Support Squad (CSS) - enforces the Code of Conduct
  • T-Shirt - solicits T-Shirt designs
  • Social Activities - plans social events at the conference such as Game Night
  • Streaming - runs the livestream
  • Host Voting - solicits proposals for next year
  • Accessibility - consults on physical and digital accessibility, e.g. of venues and the conference websites

You will also need on-site volunteers during the conference for tasks like MCing the conference, timing talks, and running microphones for audience questions.

Code4Lib is democratic; most committees faced with multiple options (keynote, pre-conference, program, t-shirt, host voting) host community votes to determine some or all of their choices.

Some committees are small, even a single person. Some years may have some unique committees not present in the list above. For more information on any particular committee, look in their Drive folder or on the wiki.

Planning

Budgeting

Wireless

Historically, Code4Lib has had trouble with wifi bandwidth at venues. Hotels will lie about their wifi. Try to receive assurance that every attendee will be able to simultaneously have 1-2 devices connected to the network. It's best if you are able to visit the venue to verify its network characteristics.

It is good if the venue allows VPN traffic as many folks use a work VPN. It's also nice if commonly used ports, like 22 for ssh/git, are usable.

Aspiration Tech (an org doing unconference facilitation) has developed a great list for assessing and negotiating event wifi.

At the Conference

Code of Conduct

LPC may be consulted by the CSS if a Code of Conduct violation occurs. These have sometimes necessitated someone being removed from the conference or an announcement being made from the stage.

Keynotes

  • Speaker gifts
  • Small honorarium
  • Offer to make dinner plans

Lightning Talks

Conference

  • Power - everyone would like to plug in their laptop (and possibly their phone)

Photography

Code4Lib uses different colored lanyards to articulate personal photography preferences.

  • Green = it's ok to take my picture
  • Yellow = please ask before taking my picture
  • Red = don't take my picture

Podium

  1. Water at the podium
  2. Provide height adjustable podium, if available. Otherwise:
  3. Provide a stand (apple box?) for presenters who would like to use one

Video

  1. Videos are streamed at https://youtube.com/code4lib
  2. Presenters can opt out of having their likeness recorded and streamed. They may not opt out of having their voice and presentation (i.e. slides, etc.) recorded and streamed.
  3. Presenters must not use unlicensed music in their presentation. Likewise, unlicensed music must not be used between presentations.
  4. Video must be able to work with the house A/V crew and set up the day before the main con begins.
  5. Lighting must be provided for the speakers.

Calls for Hosting

To do: This has not been kept up to date. We should use examples from recent years and remove older ones.

See Category:Conference Hosting Proposals.

Year of proposal Text of call Call issued Deadline for submission Weeks to submit Voting start Voting end Weeks to vote Announcement
2010 Code4Lib 2011 Hosting Proposals Solicited 5 Feb 5 Mar 4 weeks
2011 Code4Lib 2012 Call for Host Proposals 10 Dec, 2010 23 Jan (Sun) 6 weeks + 3 days 25 Jan (Tue) 9 Feb (3rd day of conf) 2 weeks + 2 days 10 Feb (last day of conf)
2012 Code4Lib 2013 Call for Host Proposals 1 Dec, 2011 22 Jan (Sun) 7 weeks + 4 days 25 Jan (Wed) 8 Feb (3rd day of conf) 2 weeks + 1 day 9 Feb (last day of conf)
2013 15 April?
2014 Call for proposals to host Code4Lib Conference in 2015 29 Jan 12 Mar (Wed) 6 weeks + 1 day 14 Mar (Fri) 26 Mar 1 week + 6 days 27 Mar (Thursday; last day of conf)
2015 Call for proposals to host Code4Lib Conference in 2016 8 Jan 20 Feb (Fri) 6 weeks + 2 days 23 Feb (Mon) 6 Mar 1 week + 5 days 9 Mar (Mon)
2016 19 Jan (Tue) 1 Mar (Tue) 6 weeks 3 Mar (Thu) 15 Mar (Tue) 1 week + 5 days (note conf is Mar 7-10) 16 Mar (Fri)

Further Readings

The most recent year's Lessons Learned (in Drive) are more likely to be relevant. Some of these links are quite old but may still contain valuable insight on problems that have happened over the years.