Difference between revisions of "How To Plan A Code4LibCon"

From Code4Lib
Jump to: navigation, search
(→‎Freenode IRC connection)
m (added link to BookRaffle page)
 
(74 intermediate revisions by 19 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
* Apply to be a host
+
== General Process ==
−
 
+
* Apply to be a host; see also the page on [http://code4lib.org/conference/hosting Conference Hosting] at [http://code4lib.org code4lib.org]
−
* Consider your action plan
+
** '''Identify venues''' for both the conference and the hotel (if different). Get some cost estimates from each. Make sure the hotel will give you a room block.
−
** 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.
+
*** 2006/Corvallis: the campus provided the conference space at a low cost, and this made running the conference much more affordable.  
−
** 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.
+
*** 2016/Portland: we held everything in a single hotel and we had to acquire 2x the amount of sponsorship than what appears to be normal.
−
** Also, when you get cost estimates, don't forget to include food costs.
+
** '''Prepare a sample / generalized budget'''
−
** 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.
+
*** 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.
−
** 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.
+
*** Get data from previous years to estimate minimums and maximums, and fill in as much as you can ahead of time.
−
** 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.
+
*** 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.
−
** 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.
+
*** Also, when you get cost estimates, don't forget to include food costs.
−
 
+
*** Wireless: 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.
−
 
+
** '''Consider using a conference planner'''
 +
*** 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.
 
* Get approved by the community
 
* Get approved by the community
−
* Find a hotel, negotiate and sign a contract with them
+
* Find a hotel, negotiate and sign a contract with them. [[Sample RFI]]
−
* Invite the community to help with
+
* Invite the community to join committees
 
* Have a timeline
 
* Have a timeline
−
 
+
*[[Useful information from 2012]]
  
 
== Important Public Resources ==
 
== Important Public Resources ==
Line 23: Line 25:
 
* Sponsorship info (public)
 
* Sponsorship info (public)
 
* [http://code4lib.org/logo/ Logos]
 
* [http://code4lib.org/logo/ Logos]
 +
* [http://code4lib.org/content/template-code4lib-20xx Template for the conference page on the main Code4Lib website] - This page is only visible to those who have a code4lib.org account. Once a host has been selected, please copy the template to a new page for that conference year.
 +
* [[Code4Lib Conference Lessons Learned]]
  
 
== Important Private Resources ==
 
== Important Private Resources ==
Line 29: Line 33:
 
* Sponsorship info (private)
 
* Sponsorship info (private)
  
 +
== Committee List ==
 +
* Local Planning Committee
 +
* Accessibility Committee
 +
* [[BookGiveawayCommittee|Book Giveaway Committee]]
 +
* Childcare
 +
* Documentation
 +
* Keynote
 +
* Onsite Volunteer
 +
* Pre-conference
 +
* [[ProgramCommittee|Program Committee]]
 +
* [[ScholarshipCommittee|Gender Diversity & Minority Scholarship Committee]]
 +
* Slack/IRC
 +
* Social Activities
 +
* [[SponsorshipCommittee|Sponsorship Committee]]
 +
* Streaming Video
 +
* [[T-ShirtCommittee|T-Shirt Committee]]
 +
* [[Voting|Voting]]
 +
* Whatever
 +
* Wifi/Electrical
 +
* Duty Officers
  
−
==Gender Diversity & Minority Scholarship Committee==
+
== Planning ==
−
The scholarship committee is a self-selected group that manages the gender diversity & minority scholarships. Separate groups handle AngelFund and Code4LibJapan scholarships.
+
  
−
===Suggestions received===
+
=== Budgeting ===
−
* Send to a wider bunch of listservs, including for national orgs (ALA/SLA/MLA) & relevant sections? & student chapter
+
* [[Conference_Financial_History_At_A_Glance]]
 +
* private conlist has budget info
  
−
===Process===
+
=== Hotels ===
−
# Put out a call
+
* You will likely have to convince the conference hotel of the conference size and past room uptake as part of negotiating your contract. They may want to contact past conference hotels to get more info about actual uptake.
−
# Receive and coordinate applications
+
* 2014 -- Raleigh Downtown Sheraton
−
# Distribute applications to the committee
+
* 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.
−
# Select awardees
+
* 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.
−
# Inform selected candidates
+
* prepare the hotel for deluge via web when announcement is made about hotel registration available. We overwhelmed the Seattle hotel in 2012
−
# 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==
+
TODO: get actual room uptake numbers into a chart here. (NB totals are only useful in the context of how many attendees there were.)
−
The program committee is a self-selected group that manages talk proposals and other aspects of the program.
+
  
−
(Add more info for the program committee here!)
+
=== Wireless ===
 +
* make sure VPN is allowed
  
−
===Talk Acceptance Letter (samples)===
+
TODO: put actual concurrent connections and bandwidth usage data numbers in a chart here. Note when problems were occurring to give context on whether these numbers were sufficient of insufficient.
  
−
<pre>
+
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].
−
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
+
=== Policies ===
−
 
+
A record of [[Conference_Policies]] of all kinds!
−
You will have 20 minutes for your talk, including questions and answers.
+
−
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>
+
−
 
+
−
===Talk Rejection Letter (sample)===
+
−
<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.
+
−
- 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.
+
−
Roy
+
−
</pre>
+
−
 
+
−
== Sponsorship Committee ==
+
−
===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
+
−
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!
+
−
 
+
−
We have several sponsorship levels:
+
−
 
+
−
<>
+
−
I look forward to hearing from you, and can be reached at <>.
+
−
 
+
−
Best,
+
−
 
+
−
<>
+
−
http://code4lib.org/
+
  
 
== Shortly before the Conference ==
 
== Shortly before the Conference ==
  
 
=== Keynotes ===
 
=== Keynotes ===
−
# Contact speakers in advance to ask if they need anything, arrange airport pickup, etc
+
# Contact speakers in advance to get a speaker bio, plus to ask if they need anything, arrange airport pickup, etc
  
−
=== Freenode IRC connection ===
 
−
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.)
+
=== Email Boilerplates / templates ===
−
 
+
* [[ConferenceOrientationEmail|Quick orientation email for newer folks]] - Send out at least a week in advance before conference...
−
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:
+
* [[FreenodeIrcConnection|Freenode IRC connection]]
−
 
+
** 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.
−
To: ilines@freenode.net
+
** 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:
−
Hello,
+
** 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.
−
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 ==
 
== At the Conference ==
  
 
===Keynotes===
 
===Keynotes===
−
# Water at the podium
 
 
# Speaker gifts
 
# Speaker gifts
 
# Dinner plans
 
# Dinner plans
Line 172: Line 110:
 
* Everybody lines up ahead of time (image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393881044/ )
 
* 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 (and possibly their phone)
 +
# IRC Monitor for podium during speaker changes?
 +
 +
===Photography===
 +
 +
* Consider different colored lanyards to articulate personal photography preferences.
 +
** Portland/2015 had color-coded lanyards:
 +
*** Green = it's ok to take my picture
 +
*** Yellow = please ask before taking my picture
 +
*** Red = don't take my picture
 +
 +
=== Podium ===
 +
# Water at the podium
 +
# Provide height adjustable podium, if available. Otherwise:
 +
# Provide an apple box for presenters who would like to use one.
 +
 +
=== Video ===
 +
# Videos are streamed at https://youtube.com/code4lib
 +
# 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.
 +
# 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.
 +
 +
=== 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===
 
=== Ask Anything===
 +
* Add to volunteer page to have a moderator or do a general call out
 
* Need mics for people to line up at (image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393838640/ )
 
* Need mics for people to line up at (image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schwartzray/4393838640/ )
  
 
===Book Raffle===
 
===Book Raffle===
 +
See details here: https://wiki.code4lib.org/BookRaffle
 +
 
* (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
 
* (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
  
Line 191: Line 163:
 
== Suggested Timeline ==
 
== Suggested Timeline ==
 
* See [[C4L2010planning]] for an example  
 
* See [[C4L2010planning]] for an example  
 +
* See [https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/document/d/1Ci_aeXlUOW_1XZ9isvwXfyt-FFyO7zsBxesenbFvCPI/edit Code4Lib 2014 planning schedule] 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.
 +
* Ideal to have program set before registration, including pre-conf
 +
** also allows clarity for how many spots are avail for non-presenters
 +
 +
===Calls for Hosting===
 +
No one has claimed responsibility for putting out the call and setting the deadline. Consider having this task as the host committee, the voting committee, or perhaps the whatever committee.
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Year of proposal
 +
! Text of call
 +
! Call issued
 +
! 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)
 +
|}
 +
 +
== Some Suggested Readings ==
 +
[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: Code4Lib2010]]
 
[[Category: Code4Lib2011]]
 
[[Category: Code4Lib2011]]
 +
[[Category: Code4Lib2012]]
 +
[[Category: Code4Lib2013]]
 +
[[Category: Code4LibCon Planning]]

Latest revision as of 19:08, 3 April 2020

General Process

  • Apply to be a host; see also the page on Conference Hosting at code4lib.org
    • Identify venues for both the conference and the hotel (if different). Get some cost estimates from each. Make sure the hotel will give you a room block.
      • 2006/Corvallis: the campus provided the conference space at a low cost, and this made running the conference much more affordable.
      • 2016/Portland: we held everything in a single hotel and we had to acquire 2x the amount of sponsorship than what appears to be normal.
    • Prepare a sample / generalized budget
      • 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.
      • Get data from previous years to estimate minimums and maximums, and fill in as much as you can ahead of time.
      • 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: 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.
    • Consider using a conference planner
      • 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.
  • Get approved by the community
  • Find a hotel, negotiate and sign a contract with them. Sample RFI
  • Invite the community to join committees
  • Have a timeline
  • Useful information from 2012

Important Public Resources

Important Private Resources

  • Code4LibCon-hostsite listserv
  • Budgets from previous years
  • Sponsorship info (private)

Committee List

Planning

Budgeting

Hotels

  • You will likely have to convince the conference hotel of the conference size and past room uptake as part of negotiating your contract. They may want to contact past conference hotels to get more info about actual uptake.
  • 2014 -- Raleigh Downtown Sheraton
  • 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.
  • 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

TODO: get actual room uptake numbers into a chart here. (NB totals are only useful in the context of how many attendees there were.)

Wireless

  • make sure VPN is allowed

TODO: put actual concurrent connections and bandwidth usage data numbers in a chart here. Note when problems were occurring to give context on whether these numbers were sufficient of insufficient.

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

Policies

A record of Conference_Policies of all kinds!

Shortly before the Conference

Keynotes

  1. Contact speakers in advance to get a speaker bio, plus to ask if they need anything, arrange airport pickup, etc


Email Boilerplates / templates

  • Quick orientation email for newer folks - Send out at least a week in advance before conference...
  • Freenode IRC connection
    • 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 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:
    • 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

  1. Speaker gifts
  2. Dinner plans

Timers

Lightning Talks

PreConf

  1. make sure projector avail for each session
  2. whiteboards or reasonable facsimile thereof
  3. everyone wants a power outlet

Conference

  1. power - everyone would like to plug in their laptop (and possibly their phone)
  2. IRC Monitor for podium during speaker changes?

Photography

  • Consider different colored lanyards to articulate personal photography preferences.
    • Portland/2015 had color-coded lanyards:
      • 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 an 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.

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

Book Raffle

See details here: https://wiki.code4lib.org/BookRaffle

Flipcharts

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

  1. 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
  2. making sure the mess left for cleaning staff is an appropriate mess
  3. making sure the noise made near other hotel guests is an appropriate noise
  4. having someone act as a point person to gather a gratuity for the housekeeping staff maintaining the suite

Suggested Timeline

  • See C4L2010planning for an example
  • See Code4Lib 2014 planning schedule 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.
  • Ideal to have program set before registration, including pre-conf
    • also allows clarity for how many spots are avail for non-presenters

Calls for Hosting

No one has claimed responsibility for putting out the call and setting the deadline. Consider having this task as the host committee, the voting committee, or perhaps the whatever committee.

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)

Some Suggested Readings

How To Organize a Conference - Some excellent thoughts on conferences in general.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.code4lib.org/index.php?title=How_To_Plan_A_Code4LibCon&oldid=47451"