How to save your unconference 1 comments Added on 07/22/07 by
Kris
As far an unconferences go WordCamp 2007 hasn't been that different from many of the others that I have attended; hit and miss, but mostly miss. David Spark sums up the experience pretty well.
Here's my two cents as an attendee at many events like this:
The only way to have an unconference that gets people excited about coming back again, i.e. PodCamp New York, or speaking about the event is to manage number 1 above. Bring that hallway enthusiasm to the stage.
Unconference organizers should be in contact with their speakers dialogging about how to make their event useful to attendees, memorable, something that makes an impact in their daily lives. Nobody wants to sit and listen to what are essentially product diatribes or be spoken to like they are children.
How to save your unconference:
1) Plan, plan and plan some more. Plan everything and have a plan for it your plan doesn't work (because it is an unconference doesn't mean that attendee expectations are lower when they walk through the door than they would be for the $1000 conference that you bemoan)
2) Tell your speakers to get prepared (this is a golden opportunity to share experiences that can help people not make the same mistakes)
3) Create attendee tracks (create unconference value by allowing a channel for filtered conversations a.k.a. hallway conversations)
This post might not come off like it, but I am a big fan of unconferences. However, I am beginning to think that the best conferences might be a mix of the traditional and the new step-child. Maybe that is what I'll experience at Gnomedex next month. We'll see.
How much can you ask for 15 bucks a day? I think WordCamp was a great way to make some new friends while getting back together with the some that you haven't seen in a while. Shame I couldn't attend.
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