Hitchhiker's guide to make a PyConAr2010

The PyCon 2010 was gone as it came, they all seem very happy at the end. These almost 10 months of work left me thinking how terribly easier would have been things for this event if I had known the things that I know now. So, towards the next person that has to do this difficult but noble task, here comes "The PyCon tutorial"

First off a tip, if you do not value a unique moment in the community and the fact of creating a nurturing space for people to share more than things like money and comfort, you might want to think twice before start with this event. Sure you will lose a lot of time and probably some money and you will sleep just a little in last month, having almost nothing to give to your stomach health and leisure time.

The tutorial only has the organizational and the little details of the event, technical part we will go out together during these months and writing down everything in the meanwhile, much of the software to generate things there needs to be rewritten, I'll also help with that.

Team selection

Before thinking about merchandising, locals, thematics and other things, you will have to think about a team, the cornerstone of each event. Beyond the people necessary to conduct the event in the day, you'll need a team that is willing to go with you anywhere and put the same amount of grip for several months.

In my experience, you need:

• 2 people for merchandising and printing of graphics.
• 1 person for the design (assuming you have a base with which to work indicating that type of graphics is needed and the data it carries).
• 1 system administrator (if you use a system, in our case PyConAr, need someone to handle every time it explodes)
• 1 webmaster (someone who upload content on the site, you will need to provide a lot of information and do not have time to look for it and process yourself)
• 1 community manager and press officer (sounds dumb for an event, but it takes a lot of time to spread through social networking and other)
• 1 treasurer / accountant / juggler (these things move a lot of money and at the end of the day you want clear accounts)
• 1 in charge of sponsors (it is confusing for companies that you do not have 1 univocal person to contact, a sponsoring must be handled with the person who made the first contact)
• 1 responsible for negotiating the coming of the keynotes.
• 1 talks reviewers coordinator.

A few tips to keep in mind:

• A friend can be a light, but not necessarily a good partner: When you have a partner, you have to be able to delegate a task and expect it to take place in a timely manner.
  • Delegation is not to ignore:
    • You have to keep in mind that if a problem arises you have to be ready to lend a hand to your partner to get back on track.
    • You have to pass all the necessary data to your collaborators so they can do their work and make intelligent decisions.
    • If you delegate a task or decision that requires resources beyond the role of the person, you have to be available to answer his/her concerns.
• Enthusiasm is no skill or time: Although when you decide to make a event of considerable magnitude and we have many very interesting prospective collaborators, not all are candidates to coordinate tasks.
  • Many have more enthusiasm than time and do not understand the consequences of breaching any of its assigned tasks, so one usually has to be the person that faces consequences.
  • Sometimes the arrangement and responsibility do not come with the ability to make the necessary decisions in time to act. In this case delegating can backfire, since we will end up spending more time answering questions and taking decisions than if we had done the task initially.
• Youth and inexperience is not synonymous with immaturity and inability: Young people in your group are often more in touch with current reality and you have more free time than those already working full time and have families or occupations.

After all choosing people is not so difficult, only keep in mind the perceptions of your local community and find out about past experiences of them, the foundation of our community is the reuse of past experience.

If you still have doubts after all this you can try with some small tasks to ensure that your impressions are correct.

Location

It is not simple to choose a place, especially when we do not know how much people are going to stay. We try to choose a place where maximum people that could come to the event will fit, watching events from the past with similar features helps. Measuring against events in Capital Federal is not a good idea, unless you do an event in Capital Federal, they always bring more people together. If some version numbers are available about events in interior it is better to use those to calculate. Another very important thing to keep in mind is how difficult / costly is to have internet connection there. You will need to think about:

• Ability to build wiring: Distribute internet for a couple of hundred people is hard enough, you usually need to lay cables APs carry everywhere, Please keep in mind when you negotiate the place if it is possible to use pre-existing wiring or put a new one. To see what you do need USLA has a "box of wonders" of about 70kg of equipment for network infrastructure, electricity and other necessities for events.
• Possibility of an ISP: The number of people your are going to have is rarely controllable in the network (beyond the control your router device can do) so you'll need a good internet connection. Make sure that an ISP can provide this connectivity in the event, the first option is to try to get the ISP of the event, if any, enlarge the capacity of the service for a few days. Try to not use a residential service, they tend not to endure.
• Ability to load the Electrical Infrastructure: most likely you will go to plug several power strips with notebooks. Make sure that the main electrical panel of the site will not blow up when you connect a lots of notebooks, projectors, audio amplification equipment, APs, switches, etc.. If you can bring your own power protective devices.
• Accessibility: Please note that software communities tend to be very different, find out if the building, at least in the parts you use, is ready to receive people with motor disabilities without external aid. Also make sure that area is accessibility-friendly, nothing serves a wheelchair lift that serves to upstairs in a temple at the top of the Himalayas.
• Empowerment: Verify whether any special empowerment is needed for the event, a municipal process, etc.
• Security: If we re-arrange other events after that we're planning, make sure you can do it free, doing it behind bars usually brings drawbacks ... Read: we are responsible of the event (and its possible consequences to others).
  • Electrical Safety: Many building's installations are not ready for ''individual users'' plugging their devices in the electrical network, they have industrial installations with other security requirements. Make sure that public outlets have differential protection. The responsible for the room must know where and how to cut the power in case of accident. It would be a good practice to include in the contract of the place that has adequate protection (to determine responsibilities)
  • Injury Prevention: Special care must be taken especially when there are stairs, there should be no wires and objects that may cause tripping as loose wires, etc.. .
  • Evacuation Plan: In many places it is mandatory to have stuck in places visible traffic direction to evacuate the site as well be identify the emergency exits. Volunteer firefighters can help us in this. Once chosen the place and confirmed, make sure that what you've been promised being written and recorded in all means they deem necessary, is important in this case meeting the needs of the bureaucracy. Registration of agreements and respect for the place protocols help to survive changes authorities and other contingencies.

Sponsoring

Assuming that you chose a place, you got a date and safe equipment that will help, it's time to go get money. It is the custom of free software communities in Argentina that the events are no charge. This is good point of view of the low barriers to entry, but it causes many problems on other fronts, I try to tell my experience and one from PyConBr to help you face them.

• An event without tickets is not a commitment on the part of many potential participants: prepare for enough numbers of registered exceed the number of attendees. The problem is that one usually has to plan several factors, which often involve investing money, depending on the number of attendees. In a paid event the no assistance does not involve such a problem, since the payment was made and this covers at least part of the cost incurred by that person. Try the inscription to be detailed and that it is clear to people that their registration is not only an act of support, triggering a series of actions on your part. Also trying to reach the audience regularly to confirm attendance.
  • '''Tip:''' PloneConf2010 people created a mailing list that included all participants, it is interesting to share expectations about the event, including logistics and organization and send general announcements and get them discussed, besides the good feedback it provides.
  • A free entry event does not project serious plans to businesses: This may cost you some sponsors, particularly those who are more "old school "to see an event as a place of recruiting and training. On the side of recruiting they don't see that your barrier to entry is as high enough to be useful. On the side of training, they don't believe that with so little cost your course will be high profile.
  • Anyone can access: While we ask for a fairly complex form to enter, we always end up allowing access at the entrance. Due to the volume of people trying to credit we do not ask many details for the registered in situ. If possible do this in a place where you can restrict access to most people only having an identification of the event. When you get to someone who is not registered, form a queue until you have credited pre-registereds. Take all the necessary data from people not registered, you got a commitment to providing the safest place / comfortable as possible for the people can develop their community business as freely as possible. If you got the human capacity put a specific person to register unexpected people and someone checking the entry for strangers.
  • If possible implement a system of mixed entrance, this should please both parties: companies and just community. For people who wants to register as assistants of a business you could implement a fee, a change in the badge could be different for attendees sent by companies, with the name of it. You can add more things to do stuff more attractive as a customized badge if they send more than N persons or number of tickets if they buy a sponsoring. Remember always that facilitate people coming is as important as buying a sponsorship, people make the events interesting. If you get a company also send its developers you got the auspices implicit and you got something to show others. As for the people in the community or that they are individuals (whether or not from a company) admission is clearly free. I have not implemented this personally, but it's worth exploring and extending the idea.

The second major issue about Sponsoring is selling sponsoring plans. After a long conversation with Dornelles Tremea and Érico Andrei on finding sponsors, some items are worth sharing.

Regarding the level of costs, there is two types of company:

• The FLOSS-related SMEs or technology for your event: They will put the chest to the bullets and are in favor of what you're doing and give you a stronger hand because they share your ideology rather than interest in advertising (which also have). Often can not get rid of a high amount of money, but are interested in helping you out. Its good to have a special pricing to them, you can arrange exchanges also with them, perhaps you need to have something besides money. Always remember to rinse the reason for this pricing plan, to understand that implies a certain commitment to the cause other than the sponsoring purely commercial.
• Large Business: For this company, although it's hard to believe, the more expensive the more attractive. There is an important component of circus in these things, they want to show they are up to the situation and head of mainstream events, their way of measuring these is:
  • Turnout.
  • Cost (the sponsoring and entrances, as discussed earlier)

This brings us to third important issue of sponsorship: For many of the sponsors your event is not the same as for you, they often do not share the ideological baggage. The event is a product, has more to do for them advertising, image, business recruiting and other things. Like any product, to sell, you need a seller. Get a person with sales skills, if possible, professional. This is one of the points which I think is more than valid, even critical, to invest money. You could fix a percentage of the proceeds in exchange for services. The person to deal with the sponsors should understand the codes that they handle, to read and anticipate the needs that will be attractive for each one of the potential investors. Might you think that the community can do everything, but I promise not. To deal with a commercial area or PR do not send a technician, these people do not buy a product, they purchase the seller. After checking the actual experience of people of PyConBr (they outsource almost throughout the event after many years) I understand that an experienced salesperson can give much more scope and visibility. The more approach and sponsors you have, the better the quality of the event you can arrange for community, think about passages of interesting speakers who can not afford travel, scholarships, information material, food, coffee, all these things are good in one event and cost money.

Finally a piece of advice: Try to match your prices to similar events elsewhere, in case of PyConAr, would be good that prices and performance of the sponsors, while it's not disruptive to the spirit of the event, are balanced (except the obvious economic differences both countries).

Information

This was probably our weakest point during the 2010 event. We should not underestimate the importance of information for people that comes from abroad and need to calculate costs, time and logistics in general. Ideally by the time you confirm a place and going to make a official call, you will need to provide, in the most clear and complete possible, the following data:

• Site Address: The address of the venue, accompanied by a map, if possible a mapping system of the type of google maps or openstreetmap, so that people can play with it and become familiar with the place.
  • Landmarks: References to the site from different landmarks of the city (Monuments, shopping centers, universities, etc.), many may have an idea of some of these places and this helps them settle better.
  • Urban Public Transport: All urban transport that passes moderately close, the name of the stop and how to get from there to the exact point of the event. Always is good to clarify which of these mediums go from airports, bus terminals, ports, etc. where might be more interested in getting visitors from other cities. Do not forget the price and payment method of urban transport.
  • Interurban: How to get at least from the most important cities in the country to yours, would be good to name at least one transport for each province. There is no such thing as too detailed, the more information the better. It is very important for all these transport you also include the price.
  • International: How to get to your city from other countries, if you include some kind of international arrival make it clear. The nearest town that can be reached by plane or other international transport (It goes that also put something on how to get from this city to yours, a link to interurban at least)
  • Parking: Many people asked if they could park close in the last event, try to relieve the nearest parking and put some information on where they are along with their price and plans (hourly wages, weekly, etc.)
• Accommodation: Many people come from outside and prefer the word of a local when choosing accommodation. As you are in home probably you won't not know much about accommodation, after all you live there and there are not many reasons to go to a hotel often;).
  • List of hotels by type: It's good to have a list of hotels and all contact information, arranged by number of stars and type (hotel, hostel, Little House on the Prairie, etc.). Including the price is not bad idea. When you make the relieve do not forget to ask if they place some kind of plan groups, many are very cool with this. Give them your contact details and website address where you will put your data, hotels tend to call to inform if they change their prices or availability, this saves work at the time of updating information, take into account that you will spend a few months between the relieve and the event.
  • Media for local lodgers: One of the advantages of these events is get to know each other and share, try to create a space for those coming from outside and people with room to accommodate get in touch.
  • How to get from the hotels: Add some of the transport information page of the hotels, at least basic and further away.
• Food: Add to all this information a variety of places to eat near the event, please keep in mind the special needs such as celiac or vegetarian. Some information about notable places in the town to eat is not bad, can serve to those that come earlier and want to know a little about the town. Again I remind you, prices.
• Contents: Try to keep the information of the talks and spaces available. Don't let pages with errors on your site, instead put something that says it is not available and when it will, try to meet that date, if you are not certain about the date, do not promise impossible.
• Dates: Make sure the registration deadline, calls for talks, surveys and other matters that requires third-party interaction have visible deadlines and repeat as necessary.

Accounting

Money is always an uncomfortable subject, especially when the event is a matter of community and friendship or companionship.

Economic predictability

For this area is important to know some facts:

• Develop at least three quotes with different levels of optimism, you'll to help prioritize your expenses and allocations of money.
• Set deadlines for confirmations and sponsors payment thereof. It is important to maintain the economic uncertainty the furthest time as possible to the event.
• Prioritize in the budget the things you've promised to the sponsors, is a commitment to the community that supports you and our reputation is important to our existence.

Finances

Whichever method you have to manage money officially (we had help from a foundation that gave us your account and legal to deliver receipts) you have to take very clear accounts.

Some tips:

• Before you begin make sure that all who will handle money, who sells the sponsorings and you know very well what are the details of billing for expenses to carry out the details of receipts that are who will give money and qualifications of the case. Some core are:
  • What type of receipt is given to the sponsor and what information from it will you need.
  • What kind of bill(s) you can accept and what data you have to deliver for this (I recommend you do a paper with this information and take it in wallet from the first day until you close the event)
  • How long does it take to issue receipts.
  • How payments are made to the event from the abroad.
• Make sure the person handling the money have all the information needed to decide where the money goes
• Make a weekly meeting to decide how to allocate budgets and know how things are going.
• Maintain a shared spreadsheet with data for:
  • Sponsors who promised to buy packages (with information on when each pays)
  • Cost of each item to purchase (with information about when the payment was made and if you have the invoice)
  • Movements of money from third-party destined to the fund of the event (sometimes one has to make an upfront payment to the event)
  • Totals:
    • How much money you were promised
    • How much you got physically
    • How much money you owe
    • How much did you say you would spend
    • The spent.
• The invoice of everything you spend is NOT optional and no money is given if no invoice. If any official organization has to account for their movements will need the appropriate invoice for each expenditure. You got to be intransigent with this or it can cause a lot of problems. Demand that the bill be as detailed as possible, it is your right and you will simplify your life.
• Make a financial check prior to each session and during the event end of each day. You need to know that you did not do any expenses that you forgot to write down (happens a lot with petty cash when you are very close to the event)

Selection of speakers

There are two major types of speakers:

• Keynotes: Invited by the organization to speak, this is the icing on the dessert of the talks, the show part of the event. Some tips to take into account.
  • Anticipation: The people you invite is often important in community and has a tight schedule. Try to have the names ready and make the invitation as early as possible (about 10 months is fine.)
  • Popular choice: Make a list of three times over what you need and let people from the community sort by interest. Needless to say when you create the list you may see that for bringing these people, for example, that you do not have to pay a Luis Miguel combo to everyone to come. It's good that people can choose their heroes :) and also give you options for backup persons in case the main guest could not come.
  • Guest Profile: Deserved importance to this is not always given, but it is very important. I think in general you enjoy when the international guest enjoy. If you bring someone who is going to be a rockstar throughout the event it can cause an uncomfortable situation for everyone:
    • Check his/her community involvement and communication with others, usually easy to see if is someone social (for geek social standards)
    • The language, if you bring someone from a country that speaks another language you can look if you can communicate enough. If you speak his/her language is better so the guest can enjoy the event. Try that guest talks about something that at least a handful of your colleagues speak, or the situation can be awkward.
    • Special Needs: This is something to be reckoned with everybody, but as this person is your responsibility during his/her stay, make sure you meet special health needs, food, beliefs, etc.. (Eg do not bring a person with respiratory problems to a very moist city or a veggie to eat an "asado")
• General lecturers: if you can make a survey on issues that matter most for the election of talks, this sure will help (or make the selection prioritize). If a talk is very interesting and aligned with what appears to be the interest of the participants consider afford to travel the lecturer if it can not.

Pre-event logistics

As you approach the event, the workload increases, some of the following tips help you get in a timely manner and without an ulcer.

Merchandising of the event: Once you have decided which will be the merchandising just take a week to find out the following from it:

• Costs: (I guess you choose the best value for money)
• Processing time: You will need this to know when you have to order everything.
• Place of delivery: This is important to know what kind of logistics transport you have to manage.
• Packaging: You have to know where are you going to store this

With all this information and assuming that your financial calendar allows it (It should if you started to organize the event well in advance) seek order items twice the processing time before the event (Assuming the item is something that lasts in time and that time is not ridiculously long). This formula does not always doing so as a rule, you can not have anything later than 1 week before the event.

If possible, start putting together packages when you got the items, this saves you from last-minute runs. If someone offers to take the extra material demand same times as you demand you to yourself.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you make souvenirs for visitors or speakers, make sure it is something that can pass the customs and can be carried in an aircraft.

Artwork: Get a printing house for things that you are going to need and when you get it make sure you they are comfortable working with several formats files and are open to help and suggest materials, processes and other things. Trying to stay with the same people always speed up procedures. If you have to print something like a book (in our case the python tutorial) get a printed version from who was the layout designer of the book (as well you get something to give examples) and an experienced printing house, printing this kind of thing is not trivial.

Badges and custom material: Try to get personalized material be the minimum, if badges for example, there is always a part that can be done the same for all, using stickers or something similar to complete during the event. If anyway you can have this one week earlier is better.

Guests, lecturers and keynotes: There are some things to foresee to make life easier to guests:

• Send to all these a signed letter in their language and the most detailed and official as possible as sometimes are required at customs and at work.
• Book a hotel to who are your responsibility, make sure to send a mail with details about what includes the stay.

Certificates: Make all the necessary certificates and sign them prior to the event, it's easier to destroy undelivered certificates rather than sign 200 in a day.

Original version

Original version of this article can be found at http://python.org.ar/pyar/HGTTP