MountainWest RubyConf 2016
The Minimum Viable Conference
The Minimum Viable Conference
by Kerri Miller and Jeremy FloresThe video titled 'The Minimum Viable Conference' features Kerri Miller and Jeremy Flores discussing their experiences organizing conferences, focusing on their event, Open Source and Feelings. They aim to share their insights to help others successfully launch their own conferences. The key points covered in their talk include:
- Understanding the Purpose: Establish a clear reason for organizing the conference, fostering community and participation. A mission statement serves as a guiding reference.
- Selecting a Venue: Choose a venue that aligns with your audience and mission, ensuring it is accessible and equipped with the necessary technical capabilities.
- Funding and Sponsorship: Identify sources for funding through sponsorship, being creative in funding opportunities, and preparing for potential rejection.
- Legal and Financial Management: Form an LLC for protection when handling funds and hire an accountant early to comply with local laws and manage the budget effectively.
- Choosing Presenters: Develop a clear conference identity to guide presenter selection and launch a transparent Call for Proposals (CFP).
- Team Dynamics: Manage relationships among the organizing team to ensure effective collaboration, maintain accountability, and establish a code of conduct among organizers.
- Promoting the Conference: Use outreach strategies, including involving influential speakers and community groups, to attract attendees and ensure diverse participation.
Throughout the discussion, Kerri and Jeremy emphasize the challenges and rewards of organizing conferences, sharing personal anecdotes such as the addition of unique pricing strategies for tickets and the importance of fostering a community spirit. They conclude by encouraging attendees to create their own events, highlighting that building relationships, effective planning, and community engagement are key to a successful experience. The overall takeaway is that running a conference is a complex yet fulfilling endeavor that can significantly impact one's community and industry, provided it is approached thoughtfully.
00:00:00
Hey.
00:00:22
Next up, we have Kerri Miller and Jeremy Flores. They're going to talk about running your own conference.
00:00:28
They run Open Source Feels in Seattle and will share their experiences.
00:00:33
I don't know if you've heard, but this is the last Mountain West conference.
00:00:40
I've had some people ask me why we're closing it and why we're not doing it anymore.
00:00:47
When I say 'we,' I mean in a royal sense; it's just me who is closing things down.
00:00:52
But I love this. This marks the tenth year of my life where we have gathered in the spring as Rubyists.
00:00:58
We’ve shared amazing talks, connected with one another, and I would love to see this continue next year; I just don't want to run it.
00:01:05
It's time for someone else to step up and organize a conference, and I hope that there's someone here today or watching online who will take on this challenge.
00:01:11
There's been talk about why not continue under the Mountain West name, and that's intentional on my part.
00:01:18
I don’t want any comparisons because, for me, Mountain West is a way to relive RubyConf 2005.
00:01:31
Show of hands, who was at RubyConf 2005? Three people, right? Well, for me, that memory matters.
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That's why it is the way it is; I'm chasing what it meant to me.
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Everyone in this room has a different experience of what touches them about the conferences they attend.
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If someone else organizes a conference, it will have a different feel, and people will react to it differently. That's what I want to happen.
00:02:04
So that's why we're closing it; we're not going to do this anymore, and I would really like to see someone else take it on next year.
00:02:11
I love coming to Salt Lake and doing this, and I'm happy to help, but I'm not going to run it anymore.
00:02:25
That said, this is the third time we've tried to get Kerri on stage, and life has intervened.
00:02:31
But this time, she’s here, and Jeremy is also here as our partner.
00:02:39
Jeremy kind of showed up unexpectedly, but he’s super cool, and I like to listen to everything he says.
00:02:53
Thank you, everyone, for coming! I look forward to what you guys have to say. I’m going to touch this—
00:03:05
The shock is real, and you could see it was electricity in action.
00:03:11
Kerri and I are going to laugh at our own jokes for most of this, so I hope that's okay.
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Formal introduction: my name is Kerri Miller. I’m a developer at GitHub based out of Seattle.
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This is my really good friend Jeremy, who is also a developer and teacher.
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I currently teach at Ada Developers Academy, a year-long nonprofit, tuition-free school for women and underrepresented groups in tech.
00:03:36
As Mike mentioned, this is actually the third time he's asked me to speak here at Mountain West.
00:03:42
The last two times, something came up the week beforehand, and I couldn't make it.
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So when he invited me again, I said 'yes' without hesitation.
00:03:55
When I considered what I wanted to talk about, I thought it would be fitting to discuss the idea of running a conference, which is both fun and a bit scary.
00:04:06
None of us really knew what we were doing except for Jeremy.
00:04:12
But I felt I couldn’t give a talk without bringing Jeremy along on the journey.
00:04:19
So for today, we’re going to share our experiences of organizing our conference, Open Source and Feelings.
00:04:25
Before moving to Seattle and getting that off the ground, I organized Steel City Ruby in Pittsburgh for a few years.
00:04:32
Did anyone attend Steel City Ruby back in the day? I know Aaron did, so that's great.
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So arriving in Seattle, I decided I wanted to do more organizing, and we came up with a ridiculous name for our conference.
00:04:53
Speaking of ridiculous names, I want to take a moment to show you my pet.
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This is PJ Higgins JSD; that’s his actual official registered name.
00:05:07
People ask me what the 'TJ' stands for, and I say it’s for TJ Hooker.
00:05:12
And when they ask about 'Higgins,' I explain that Higgins was the butler from Magnum P.I.
00:05:17
It’s so obvious, and also 'TJ' stands for lots of other fun things, depending on my mood.
00:05:24
This is Rosa; she doesn’t have a fancy name; she is simply Rosa.
00:05:29
She’s my best friend and the best part about knowing me is getting to hang out with Rosa.
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Now, we are two of the members of the organizing committee for Open Source and Feelings.
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The first event took place last October in Seattle and it was a whirlwind experience.
00:05:50
We're primarily focused on conversations and inquiries into the intersection of technology and the humanities.
00:06:02
This means that tough discussions are welcome, and it’s primarily a soft topic conference.
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We're looking into how technology intersects with our lives, our identities, and how we interact with others.
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We hosted many great talks on community organizing, civics, open-source software, and government.
00:06:28
We are currently looking for submissions for the 2016 event, so if this sounds interesting to you, check out OSFeels.com.
00:06:36
We also have early supporter tickets priced at three times the normal price, which is a bit odd.
00:06:48
Typically, early bird tickets come with a discount, but we decided to do things differently.
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Those who are most excited about our conference are also the ones who can afford to come.
00:07:06
That extra funding helps pay for speakers and acts as seed money to manage overall costs.
00:07:14
We managed to put together a two-day technical conference for 200 people.
00:07:19
The base ticket price was $55. Some people speculated that it would be a horrible conference due to the cost.
00:07:31
People often ask to see our spreadsheets and how we kept costs low; we will discuss that in detail soon.
00:07:43
When Jeremy asked me to join the organizing committee, I thought it would be challenging, but it would also be a lot of fun.
00:07:56
We had no real idea of where we were going, but we recruited a great team.
00:08:03
When I say 'we' during this presentation, it isn’t just Jeremy and I; we had an entire team behind us.
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We will discuss team dynamics and what conference organizing truly looks like.
00:08:29
You might think it’s all fun and energetic, but in reality, it involves a lot of coffee and early mornings.
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This was us meeting for breakfast before an 8 AM registration, around 7 AM!
00:08:48
We do want to recognize the incredible team that made Open Source and Feelings possible last year.
00:09:01
Besides Jeremy and myself, we had Strand McCutchen, Bree Dodson, Utah Kate Newman, Christina Hartberg, and Whitney Rose Levis.
00:09:09
We also have new organizers this year; Brenna Flood is joining us, along with Sameh El-Akl, and I hope I pronounced that right.
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We work with each other online and keep track of the conversations through Slack, where we conduct our organizing meetings.
00:09:35
So, the first thing to figure out when planning a conference is: why do you want to run it?
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It could be anything—a meetup at your company, a casual lunch and learn, or a full-blown conference.
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Ask yourself if you feel obligated or if there are larger reasons like building community, giving back, or becoming involved.
00:10:05
Consider how your skills might contribute beyond traditional notions of open-source software.
00:10:19
As a GitHub user, I understand how significant contributions are, so aim to get those green dots of participation in your community.
00:10:35
When determining the reason behind your conference, take the time to write it down and create a mission statement.
00:10:44
It’s like the elevator pitch for your startup, and having that clarity will serve various purposes.
00:10:55
It helps pitch to sponsors and contributors, and it becomes a guiding reference for all decision-making related to the conference.
00:11:06
Our mission is more than just a code of conduct; it's a statement of our ideas and values.
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This serves as a benchmark to determine if our actions help or hinder our objectives.
00:11:25
Step two is to find a venue that complements your audience and mission goals.
00:11:39
The venue plays a significant role in shaping your conference experience.
00:11:47
It influences the attendees you attract and the discussions that develop during the conference.
00:11:56
I personally favor venues with distinct gathering spots that promote conversation and interaction between talks.
00:12:05
Create a list of essential features when evaluating venues and compare each option against it.
00:12:18
You can check out our checklist at OSFeels.com.
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We evaluated about a dozen venues in Seattle before settling on Broadway Performance Hall in Capitol Hill.
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Here are a few things we considered when evaluating a venue.
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Accessibility is a top concern; consider if the venue has necessary stairs or elevators.
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Make sure there’s wheelchair access and adequate seating.
00:13:06
Consider the audio and video capabilities as well—whether they're built-in or if you’ll need to provide your equipment.
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Budget for the correct technical resources and ensure they’ll meet your needs.
00:13:27
Catering is another aspect to consider; many venues have preferred caterers, so knowing their policies helps.
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What are the rules regarding food at the venue? Do you need to obtain a banquet license?
00:13:48
The checklist we publish on our site is incredibly useful to assess these various considerations.
00:14:06
Once you have a venue, securing funding is crucial.
00:14:13
Everything associated with the conference incurs costs, so it’s essential to find sponsors.
00:14:22
It's crucial to be prepared for rejection; many potential sponsors will not have the budget.
00:14:30
Create a spreadsheet of potential sponsors based on past conference sponsorships and local businesses.
00:14:42
Get creative with sponsorship opportunities. Some companies will pay upfront, while others might want to sponsor specific aspects, like a coffee bar.
00:14:57
During last year’s event, New Relic sponsored our travel assistance fund.
00:15:04
They expressed interest in supporting our mission.
00:15:10
Jeremy will elaborate on creating a budget and more about our financial management.
00:15:17
It's vital to protect your investments, which means forming an LLC.
00:15:28
Doing so allows you to handle other people's money and provides some protection if things go wrong.
00:15:36
Forming an LLC is relatively easy and can often be completed online.
00:15:46
Next, you'd want to hire an accountant early on to avoid tax issues down the line.
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They'll help keep you compliant with local laws, such as sales and amusement tax.
00:16:07
It is critical to set up a bank account for your LLC to manage funds properly.
00:16:16
Keep conference funds separated from personal funds to avoid issues later.
00:16:25
Your accountant will appreciate it, and you'll have a clearer overview of what's happening with the budget.
00:16:39
To secure the interests of the venue, you typically need to obtain event insurance.
00:16:48
Choosing a provider takes just a quick phone call, typically costing around $100.
00:16:56
Our two-day single-track conference for about 300 attendees only needed $90 to insure.
00:17:06
It’s essential to look at the minimums set forth in the venue contracts regarding insurance needs.
00:17:19
All decisions made should be financially viable; the goal is to avoid being in debt or losing money.
00:17:32
Understanding what your costs will be is critical, so open a blank spreadsheet and start researching.
00:17:41
List down everything either costs or brings in revenue and create a functional budget.
00:17:55
Keep this budget accessible as it’ll inform major decisions throughout the planning process.
00:18:04
All decisions during team meetings should be framed in terms of the available budget.
00:18:17
Now that you have the basics down, let’s move on to selecting presenters.
00:18:24
Choosing presenters can be challenging, but it’s essential to develop your conference identity.
00:18:31
Decide on the format of your conference early on; this will influence everything else.
00:18:41
Will your conference be single or multiple tracks? Can your venue accommodate a dual track?
00:18:47
We found that a single track worked best to keep everyone engaged and participating.
00:18:56
Once you've set your format, it’s time to launch your Call for Proposals (CFP).
00:19:06
It’s a vulnerable moment as you broadcast your mission and invite speakers to participate.
00:19:17
Be as transparent as possible about your expectations for the speakers.
00:19:24
Provide detailed information about the format and length of their talks.
00:19:30
We offered clear guidelines on the types of topics we wanted to engage with and our code of conduct.
00:19:42
A lot of speakers appreciated this upfront information; it helped them prepare.
00:19:52
We also published a wish list of desired talk titles, which helped guide prospective speakers.
00:20:00
This approach helped frame submissions and allowed us to shape a better experience for attendees.
00:20:10
One of the hardest things about organizing a conference is managing relationships among organizers.
00:20:20
Each individual brings their unique vision, experiences, and anxieties to the project.
00:20:32
Balancing everyone's emotions can become complicated, especially when conflict arises.
00:20:40
We approached this conference like software developers approaching a new project.
00:20:52
Our organizing meetings resembled sprint planning, with asynchronous communications flowing in Slack.
00:21:02
Hierarchy in tech can facilitate decision-making, but a lack of it can lead to chaos.
00:21:10
As all efforts were volunteer-driven, accountability for missed deadlines was a challenge.
00:21:25
In the months leading to the event, we faced difficulties with decision-making and communication breakdowns.
00:21:34
This led to people acting independently without communicating their plans.
00:21:39
For instance, Kerri ordered attendee badges without clearing it with anyone, and Utah proposed turning all restrooms gender-neutral.
00:21:58
While some decisions were positive, others led to strained relationships and tedious task ownership.
00:22:06
After the conference, we conducted a formal retrospective, hiring a facilitator to improve our future collaboration.
00:22:19
We discussed what went right and wrong so we could maximize successes and minimize failures.
00:22:33
One key takeaway was to establish an organizer code of conduct.
00:22:39
This should address acceptable and unacceptable behaviors among the organizing team.
00:22:46
It provides a limited formal structure to discuss and resolve disagreements.
00:22:57
Mindful communication, including being aware of each other's preferences, is vital to effective coordination.
00:23:05
Documenting decisions is crucial; if it's not recorded, it isn't decided.
00:23:12
Being specific with documentation helps build accountability, especially when assigning tasks.
00:23:20
Empower your team members by fostering a supportive decision-making environment.
00:23:32
Work on building a sense of ownership and responsibility.
00:23:36
My role as the signatory on the bank account made me a bottleneck for financial decisions.
00:23:47
Now, I encourage budget discussions framed in terms of reasoning and support for specific items.
00:24:01
This has enabled everyone to feel more empowered when making decisions.
00:24:11
While planning, draw from successful elements of your favorite conferences.
00:24:22
Decisions should align with your mission; consider inclusivity for all attendees.
00:24:31
For instance, we opted not to offer Wi-Fi after assessing costs and understanding its necessity.
00:24:44
We also imbued the local community into our event by hosting it near vibrant neighborhoods.
00:25:00
Ultimately, the goal was for attendees to celebrate their experiences together.
00:25:05
After all is said and done, our hope is that attendees will use this information to run their own conferences.
00:25:12
Whether it’s about technology, communication, or community, these events are integral to driving change.
00:25:22
Thank you for your time! Now, we can shift to questions.
00:25:30
We’ll also provide links to the resources mentioned during the talk—if you’re interested in learning more, please reach out.
00:25:44
One common question is how we attracted attendees; the answer is a program of effective outreach and word of mouth.
00:25:57
We had influential speakers engaged in extensive social media outreach, promoting the event within their communities.
00:26:07
We also compiled a large spreadsheet of community groups and mailing lists, facilitating continuous outreach.
00:26:18
In addition, we provided a half-price ticket for anyone who proposed a talk, encouraging more engagement.
00:26:32
We continued to promote widely and invited local clubs and colleges to join.
00:26:43
We encouraged our core community to become champions within their networks and share information about the event.
00:26:56
As a result, we developed a rich array of talent for our first year.
00:27:05
To answer another question regarding the choice of LLC over a nonprofit status: We would love to pursue a 501c3!
00:27:19
However, it’s a lengthy and costly process, often taking years to establish.
00:27:36
It’d be great, but our priority right now is ensuring the conference runs smoothly.
00:27:47
Establishing connections with local nonprofits to explore the possibility of operating under their umbrella may also be beneficial.
00:27:58
We want to optimize sponsorship deals and connect with a wider range of potential sponsors.
00:28:06
Organizing such events does cost time and resources; engage communities actively, and you’ll see improvements.
00:28:22
Develop a trusting relationship with potential sponsors and keep them engaged throughout.
00:28:31
Foster a sense of community within tech and non-tech circles to attract a diverse audience.
00:28:44
Remember that building a conference takes time, but the results can be rewarding!
00:28:50
We appreciate your engagement today, and we look forward to the new possibilities ahead.
00:28:59
Thank you for your time and interest in our journey and work!
