When we met two weeks ago (my first time meeting everyone), I brought up the idea of an overnight, participant-driven event to kickstart some creativity and action. I thought I’d explain a bit more about how such events work. (Tent photo above, taken at BarCamp San Francisco, is courtesy Scott Beale / Laughing Squid.)
The BarCamp model can be summed up in two sentences:
A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from participants.
Or, to borrow from an old ad you should still be old enough to remember, this is not your father’s conference.
For an even better idea of what it’s all about, check out this brief video from BarCamp San Francisco (warning: there are a couple of swear words at the end, so you may want to use headphones if you’re watching this around delicate ears):
As the video explains, this whole concept first germinated with techies and geeks…but it is equally as useful and motivating for any other group of eager enthusiasts. (That would be us.) This format will work as a way for us to get brainstorming and creating those experiences we want to bring to people in Cincinnati.
So how does it work?
To quote from the rules:
When you come, be prepared to share with barcampers.
When you leave, be prepared to share it with the world.NO SPECTATORS, ONLY PARTICIPANTS
Attendees must give a demo, a session, or help with one, or otherwise volunteer / contribute in some way to support the event.
So…if you’re a little too shy to stand up for two (or five) minutes and share your ideas with the group, you can participate in other ways. For example: Donate some drinks, help publicize the event, bring your camera and stick all your best shots of the event on Flickr, or do whatever else you can to participate and bring value.
The Wall (no, not the Pink Floyd album)
More from the rules:
All presentations are scheduled the day they happen. Prepare in advance, but come early to get a slot on the wall. The people present at the event will select the demos or presentations they want to see.
This may sound a little chaotic, but in fact there is a firm structure that holds up all this spontaneity. It’s called the schedule wall (photo by David Heller, taken at BarCamp NYC):
If you want to lead a conversation about a specific topic, add your index card first thing, before the event starts. You can also check out the wall to see what other sessions are being held throughout the day, and take your pick from them.
What’s this about an overnighter?
Everyone brings a sleeping bag, their jammies, and whatever they need to get them through the night. Prepare to stay up talking and laughing into the wee hours, at which point your body may be exhausted but your mind will be buzzing with fresh ideas and inspiration.
So what do we need to make this happen?
1) A venue: Jeff Stec has offered his Inspired Community Change offices
2) Sponsors: We need sponsors to supply or pay for the following:
food and drinks for the duration of the event - nothing fancy, sandwiches or pizza and soft drinks, maybe some beers, that sort of thing. Past experience has proven that it is MUCH easier, logistically, if businesses donate actual stuff (i.e. pay a pizza place $150 directly to deliver pizzas to the venue) rather than cash.
miscellaneous stationery – flip-charts, Post-Its, pens, paper, etc
prizes – books, gift certificates, etc…modest things we can give away as prizes
coffee – I don’t drink it myself, but I understand that it’s as important as air and water to many people
Sponsors get benefits (their color logo on the main wall of the chill-out area, recognition and thanks during the welcome session, signage with their logo during the meal they’ve sponsored, recognition and thanks on the event website, the opportunity to offer literature and schwag at the event, etc).
3) You: Without participants, there is no event. While it is tempting to offer this as a free overnighter, past experience has shown that many people who sign up for a free event do not show up. This makes planning for numbers (and letting sponsors know how much food, drink, etc we need without being wasteful) a nightmare. I would suggest charging $10 per participant, with all proceeds going to offset the cost of future events.
Apologies for the lengthy post, but I wanted to lay out the basics for everyone. Unless this long description has now soured everyone on the idea, it seems to me that people have been extremely positive about doing this sort of an event. If that is still the case, then the first order of business will be to finalize a weekend date to do this. Interested in attending? Sign up here (password to edit page: porkparty).
Please, share your thoughts, criticisms, barbs, and enthusiasm in the comments…
Enthusiasm… yes! Jackie, I was a tiny bit skeptical when I first heard your idea at the meeting, but I’m warming up to it quickly. My skepticism wasn’t toward getting people together, but how successful it might be in staying focused and it not turning into just a big party all weekend (though, don’t get me wrong, I could do that too!). I think the one possible hurdle here (as I mentioned in the meeting) is maybe helping shape some direction or guidance for those who are energetic and enthusiastic, but have no clue how or where to focus that enthusiasm. Like you mentioned, also, there may be plenty out there who might be a little nervous about having to give a “presentation”, so maybe listing some topics on this page would help create that focus and give some people a little direction on what sorts of things to research so they’re more “prepared” to participate? For instance, I attended a meeting a couple weeks back where the city architect/engineer gave a presentation on the proposed Trolley Car system, slated to go to council by Summer or Fall for their vote. I don’t think this is expected to go to a public referendum (I can’t remember the specifics with that), but there was definitely some excitement to see this project take off. (I saw Gina there as well, we all had some great conversation afterward!). In any case, this all looks great. I’m definitely on board!
Hey, Greg! Your enthusiasm is more than welcome…!
I think the one possible hurdle here (as I mentioned in the meeting) is maybe helping shape some direction or guidance for those who are energetic and enthusiastic, but have no clue how or where to focus that enthusiasm. Like you mentioned, also, there may be plenty out there who might be a little nervous about having to give a “presentation”, so maybe listing some topics on this page would help create that focus and give some people a little direction on what sorts of things to research so they’re more “prepared” to participate?
I’d be really hesitant to try to give too much guidance, as that can soon turn this kind of thing from a bottom-up, participant-driven event into a top-down, hierarchical thing. (This reminds me of my fiancé’s euphemism for my nagging: He says I’m “providing focus”. Ahem.
) What I DO think would be a fabulous idea, Greg, is if people would share the topics they’d like to talk about at the event, like your streetcar project idea.
The whole presentation thing shouldn’t be too daunting for most people, as it won’t be like giving a work presentation (no PowerPoint, for one thing!
): There will be multiple conversations running at once, in different rooms, and the “presentations” will be more like led conversations, facilitated by whoever puts their stake in the ground (and index card on the schedule wall). Sitting on the floor, in a circle with people you know, talking about a given topic will – I hope – feel very comfortable to most people.
I’m really glad for your enthusiasm, Greg – especially as you’re the first person to leave a comment! I can’t wait to meet you and make this thing happen, if there’s more positivity toward the idea out there. Fingers crossed!
I love this idea as a way to bring people together in a very profound way.
The overall goal of this “YP Collaboration” is to get more people involved beyond the YP world. This generation understands the value of inclusive, urban communities.
To create that here in Cincinnati, though, we need to get different kinds of people working together. We need events and efforts as big as Taste of Cinti and Leadership Cinti, but planned by and for people that don’t normally work or socialize together.
The overnight connections event, then, is designed to profoundly connect diverse leaders who want to create the cosmopolitan urbanity we all visualize.
Once they come together like this, they can support each other’s current projects and begin new ones–but based in new relationships with new perspectives on what’s needed.
But don’t think we are bound by the specifics in the example–it’s a framework and source of ideas that can be tailored to our community. No matter what happens, though, we need fun (music), dialog, opportunities for planning and visioning, and more fun.
So if this sounds inspiring, come to the next meeting and help us design this thing–and get the right (new, different, diverse, networked) people to help us make it happen.
Jeffrey Stec
[...] at Jeffrey Stec’s offices at 1212 Sycamore Street on April 25 from 6 – 8PM to try and get the proposed overnight event going. I’m really looking forward to laying down the first steps towards what will be a [...]
[...] is the informal blog I set up for discussion surrounding these aims. We’re looking to do a BarCamp-style overnight event in Cincinnati in the near future, something that a lot of people seem to be quite excited about. And we’re [...]
This sounds really fantastic. I have followed the BarCamp experiences through the many blogs I have read. They are inspirational for thier informal, but intense process. Sometimes it takes a personal connection to get important ideas communicated. The camps seem to quickly meld like minded motivated individuals together to be inspired. I would love to be involved.
Blake Fox
Ok-forgive me for not posting sooner! I love this idea, I’m grateful to Jackie for introducing it and I’m 100% behind it. This is a NEW kind of conversation and I encourage us to leave our fears behind and have confidence in ourselves to pull it off and to make it worthwhile. It won’t look or feel like your typical brainstorming or think tank conference, but the results will be just as substantive–and I would argue–potentially even more powerful and action-inspiring.
Looking forward to talking face to face tonight.
[...] 3rd, 2007 by Jackie Danicki Last week, a core group of us met to take the overnight event idea further – and that’s exactly what we did. In short, we decided to…just do it. [...]