Kicking off your first DevFest! - Nicola Corti - GDG Global Leads Summit

Have you ever organized a DevFest? Finding sponsors, setting up the catering, involving speakers and promoting your event... does it all sounds scary to you? It shouldn't! Organizing a DevFest is a great milestone that every GDG should experience at least once! Don't miss the opportunity to build something great and to have a huge impact on your community. We had the first DevFest Pisa last year, the "0.1". This year we successfully deployed a stable version of DevFest Pisa 2019! In this talk we see what we learned in crafting our first DevFest from the ground up: how to find great speakers, how to involve your participants, how to engage a sponsor and how to build a great DevFest!

Nicola Corti, GDG Pisa - Italy

Transcript

1. Kicking off your first DevFest Nicola Corti GDG Pisa @cortinico
2. GDG Pisa
4. You will probably underestimate the effort behind organizing a conference... -An anonymous GDG Organizer
5. The Idea Global GDG Leads Summit
6. The Idea
7. “Good artists borrow, Great artists steal” P. Picasso
9. Theme Shape your DevFest Audience Price Language What do you love to talk about? Android/Cloud/JS/ML? Tech or non-Tech? Who is my target? Junior/Mid/Senior Dev? Dev/PM/Designers? Tuscany/Italy/Europe/Globe? Free/Paid? Ita/Eng/Multi?
10. All about networking • Make sure you create a good environment for networking • High quality content will involve more attendees • Create networking opportunities (coffee break, party, etc.)
11. The Environment Global GDG Leads Summit
12. Media github.com/gdg-x/hoverboard devfest.gdgpisa.it github.com/gdgpisa/hoverboard-2019
13. Logo • Define logo and graphics • Make sure you’re consistent • No idea? Run a contest! • Prepare a Media Kit for media partners and sponsors • https://bit.ly/dfpi19-mediakit
14. Social • Define a Media Plan • Decide your network based on your target • Schedule your content (Buffer/Hootsuite) • Have photos • @devfestpisa
15. Location • Find the right date ◦ Paid: Thu/Fri ◦ Free: Weekend • Find the right place ◦ Coworking space ◦ Hotels ◦ Universities ◦ Conference Centers • Keep your audience in mind
16. Food • Good food translates into good networking • Coffee/Water are (basically) mandatory, full meal is a plus. • Ask for alternatives (vegan, gluten free, kosher, halal, etc.) • Have a networking party
17. Sponsors • Define a set of levels, but be flexible. • The sooner the better. • Make sure there is a single point of contact. • Sponsors don’t like to be forgotten! • Tips (JetBrains & Stickermule) • https://bit.ly/dfpi19-partnership
18. Helpers • If you need some help, run a call for helpers! • Try to build an identity • Make sure you have printed checklists • Helpers should be easy to recognize • http://bit.ly/dfpi19-volunteer
19. The People Global GDG Leads Summit
21. Speakers • Make sure you prepare a great CFP. • Ask for all the information you need. • The sooner the better. • Advertise your CFP ◦ Android Study Group Conf List. ◦ Android Weekly Conference List. ◦ Slack Groups (GDG Global, Android United, Kotlin lang). • http://bit.ly/dfpi19-c4p
22. Agenda • Making a good agenda is just an NP-hard problem • Some guidelines: ◦ Balance intermediate/beginner talks. ◦ Balance english/foreign talks. ◦ Don’t overlap similar topics. • Don’t announce speakers before they confirm.
23. Attendees • Used Eventbrite? Re-invite previous attendees. • Free event? 30% drop • Sold out is cool, but not 3 months earlier • Make sure you follow up and ask feedback • Do a video recap
24. Code of Conduct • Don’t forget about your Code of Conduct • Have some printed copies to hand out • Leave a phone number/email to reach out to a point of contact • https://confcodeofconduct.com/
25. Delightful Details • Be unique! • Think about all the little details. • Put on some music • What about a placeholder video?
26. ...but tomorrow evening you will be the happiest person on earth! -An anonymous GDG Organizer
27. How to organize your community conference? (on Medium) bit.ly/howtocommunityconf
28. Thanks Nicola Corti GDG Pisa @cortinico bit.ly/howtodevfest