Getting to Grips with Logistics

Organising a hackathon isn't an easy task. A lot of the basics of how to organise a great hackathon have been covered, and lots of resources are available. In this presentation however, I try to highlight and provoke a bit more thought around the philosophy of different aspects of a hackathon.

For example, hackers usually need somewhere to work during the hackathon, often times organisers will opt for tables, but what about something like bean bags, hammocks, or standing desks? What about catering towards hackers who actually work better in different locations?

This was a presentation I gave on Sunday 4th September at MLH HackconEU in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Transcript

1. GETTING TO GRIPS WITH LOGISTICS
2. @syeefk
3. GETTING TO GRIPS WITH LOGISTICS
4. LET’S DO AN EXERCISE
5. LET’S DO AN EXERCISE
 - You’re going to have 5 minutes
 - What should you prepare for your hackathon 6 months, 3 months, and 1 month out specifically around logistics
6. WHAT WE’RE GOING TO COVER
 - Venue
 - Volunteers
 - Food
 - Information Desk
 - Run of Show
7. 1. VENUE
8. Start working on it from about 6 months out
9. Type of hackathon venue
10. Multiple smaller rooms
12. - Path of least resistance
 - Prepared including wifi, power and tables
 - Allows for flexibility
13. - Potential lack of interaction from hackers and sponsors
14. Single large space
16. - Mix groups of hackers
 - Create a lively atmosphere
 - General attendee communication is much easier
17. - Hard to book
 - Not equipped by default
 - Large logistical overhead
18. There’s definitely something more that we can do
19. Could we have a venue that was a bit more than the obvious?
20. Nice day + A lake + Shining sun
21. Some really cool things
22. What if hackers could work outside?
23. - Work under a tree on the grass
 - Table next to the lake
24. Feel empowered & know that a building with four walls isn’t the limit
25. Wifi
26. One of the most important things
27. Take this seriously
28. Make sure they understand
29. Make sure they understand, and understand
30. Make sure they understand and understand, and understand again
31. Good, reliable, and stable wifi
32. Hackers will have at least 4 devices
33. Laptop, smartphone, tablet and a piece of hardware
34. Pro-tip
 Focus on the quality of the equipment & the number of simultaneous connections
35. If it doesn’t work…
36. An access point issue and not an incoming connection issue, so spread people around your venue
37. Power
38. Hackers will need about 3 power outlets
39. Laptop, smartphone or tablet and a piece of hardware
40. Pro-tip
 Place multiple power strips per table
41. Tables
42. Do we even need them? ¯\_(ϑ)_/¯
43. Work space contributes to the overall mood and atmosphere for your event
44. Try to place tables such that people have room to easily move in and out
45. Laptops, meals & snacks, and hardware take up significant space
46. Don’t place too many people per table
47. Don’t just fall for the standard table setup
48. Pause, and think about some of the places where you work your best
49. I wouldn’t work my best just being sat at a table for 24 hours
50. Bean bags, rocking chairs, swings, hammocks, or standing desk
51. Good, affordable and achievable alternatives compared to standard tables
53. Audio & Visual
54. Have someone from the AV team on site
55. Insist on getting an understanding of how to operate the AV equipment
56. Training is incredibly important
57. Use the equipment to show off the personality and character of your hackathon
58. Use the equipment to show off the personality and character of your hackathon
59. Full advantage of their AV equipment
60. Pro-tip
 - Invest in adapters
 - Check out HackCam on the iOS App Store
61. Cost of the venue
62. Majority of our hackathons don’t actually pay for their venue
63. Pro-tip
 - Get everything in writing
 - Trust isn’t enough
64. But if things go wrong, it isn’t the end of the world…
66. Put a plan together to call every single possible potential venue in the city
67. And it did all work out for them in the end
68. Make sure you’ve got your shit together
69. Key points to consider for venues:
 - The type of venue
 - Wifi
 - Power
 - Table setup
 - Trust isn’t enough
70. 2. VOLUNTEERS
71. Starting thinking about your plan for volunteers about 2 - 3 months out
72. Play a critical part to the success of your event
73. Three great ways to start looking for volunteers include
74. Three great ways to start looking for volunteers include
75. - This very community - Your university or local tech scene - Your network
76. Social capital is key
77. Motivate your volunteers and have them bought in to the philosophy of your event
78. Set aside budget to host volunteer meet ups and meals before the hacakthon
79. Have their backs
80. Intrinsically motivated
81. 3. FOOD
82. Main meals
83. Venue catering
84. Local catering
85. Pro-tip
 - order enough food for hackers, volunteers, sponsors, directors and venue staff
86. Pro-tip
 - collect the dietary requirements of everyone attending the event during registration and use it
88. Quality of the food
89. Quality of the food
 - Celebrate the wealth and variety of cuisine
91. and serve chicken wings…
92. ❤
93. What should you serve the food on?
95. Who is actually serving the meals at your event is also an important detail that is often overlooked
96. Snacks
97. Just because you might like something doesn’t mean that everyone else does as well
98. Selection of soft drinks, fresh fruit juices, tea & coffee, and a constant supply of bottle water
99. Prioritise having water over anything else
100. Story-time
 A concierge service
101. Story-time
 A concierge service
102. Story-time
 A concierge service
103. Anticipating attrition
104. # of people who sign up for your event, but on the day for whatever reason can’t make it
105. Pro-tip
 - Assume 30% - 40% attrition
 - Always have an emergency budget
106. Key points to consider for food:
 - Always consider the multiple catering options
 - be aware of attrition but have a back up plan prepared
107. 4. INFORMATION DESK
109. Central place to get the most up-to-date information
110. Information Desk = Mission Control
111. Pro-tip
 - Access to all of the information
 - Need to be able to delegate
 - At least one director should always be at the desk
 - Radios
112. 5. RUN OF SHOW
113. Highly detailed itinerary for your event
114. Who needs to do what, where they need to be and when they have to do it
115. Include loading in and setup, day of events, announcements, and tasks and finally teardown and load out
116. A document which clearly disseminates all the information you need to everyone
117. There is no detail which is too small to be included in the run of show
118. Including details like sleep schedules and a social media timeline
119. WHAT WE COVERed
 - Venue
 - Volunteers
 - Food
 - Information Desk
 - Run of Show
120. guide.mlh.io
 
 hackdaymanifesto.com
 
 GUIDE.SYEEFKARIM.COM
121. @syeefk Thanks for listening & happy hacking