This is a good question that a few women have been asking. The camp movement has been a really inspiring one and in some way’s quite utopian. “Just throw it together and it will happen”. Unconferences just like conferences require work in the form of time to put on and resources in the form of money to provide for them.
Events are not Free
I don’t believe in “free” events because if an event costs nothing to sign up for it costs nothing to not show to. In the past several “camps” that I was involved with facilitating have had upwards of 50% “no show” rates. It is almost impossible to buy food and provision space if you don’t know how many people are coming to an event. The cost should be very reasonable and in paying a fee the attendee makes a contract with the organizer to actually attend. Via the transaction, the organizer makes a contract with the attendee to provide food, physical space and good organization/facilitation.
I like to think of unconferences as basically 10x cheaper than regular technology conferences and 10x better.
Why 10x cheaper?
Many Technology Conferences cost between $1000 and $2000 to attend. Yep this is a normal price range for a regular ticket at a conference.
* Java one – $2,590.00, conference+ | 1,795.00 regular conference
* RSA security conference – $3,995 conference+ | $2,195 regular conference
* Hot chips Symposium on High performing Chips – $815
* ETech – $1690 conference+ | $1390 regular conference
* Web 2.0 – $1745 conference+ |$1445 regular conference
One reason is that many of these these events are for-profit, they are trying to make money and lots of it off convening the event. Another reason is that a coffee break at these events can cost $15 per person to provide and a meal upwards of $60 per person per meal – yes that bad conference food you at your last event cost the organizer that much. These events have costs associated with complementary passes – for speakers, press, analysts etc. These costs are born by the other attendees.
Why 10x Better?
The best part of many conferences are the coffee breaks – they are the interactions with the people. Why pay $1000′s of dollars when the best parts are in the lobby? It kinda makes more sense to just make the “way of the lobby” be the way the whole conference works. Open Space Technology -the facilitated method that we use for She’s Geeky- was invented over 20 years ago. It supports the emergence of incredible peer to peer learning opportunities and vibrant discussions. You leave the day full of amazing new ideas and conversations with amazing women. It is totally worth the approximately $10 an hour of conference. I would be very surprised if you don’t come away with knowledge and contacts that are in the long run worth many more times that.
Why any cost at all?
The way of the lobby is not zero cost though – the venue costs multiple thousands of dollars and so does food for 200 women. We also have a coffee barista coming both days so you can have fresh espresso. There is a time cost to organizing and logistics that requires money for compensation.
“You should just get sponsors”
The economic climate has made it such that it is almost impossible to raise sponsorship money. Last year 1/2 the cost of the event was covered by sponsors. This year our budget is 1/2 the size (for a longer event) and we will be lucky if 1/4 of the cost will be covered by sponsorship dollars – read a 75% reduction in the amount of money available.
We are a non-profit project
She’s Geeky is a project of Planetwork, a nonprofit at the intersection of IT, social and environmental good. Our aim is to create a really good space for diverse women in IT to come together, learn from each other and talk about the issues. We are not trying to make a profit like so many technology conferences are. We are just trying to cover our costs.
Scholarships
We have given a scholarship discount code to every woman who has requested one. If cost is really an issue for you – if you are unemployed, or a student or any other reason – please contact us.
CivicActions: Strategic Internet & Drupal Consulting
Since you are essentially trying to create a community organizing event, consider modeling your conference on volunteer-run science-fiction conventions instead of for-profit technology events.
Yes, you’ll still have to charge (a good thing, since as you note that gets people to commit), but you’ll be able to reduce the expense considerably.
We are modeling ourselves on volunteer run conferences. Most of the money is going to venue, insurance and food. We have had lots of help from volunteers spreading the word about the conference. Anyone who is a student or unemployed can ask for a discount code.
The fees that Identity Woman describes are part of what I consider “best practices.”
I have been a volunteer conference organizer in the past (for the Magnetism and Magnetic Materials and Intermag Conference, for those who care). I can attest to the truth of Identity Woman’s assertion of $15/attendee for a coffee break at a conference hotel: that’s how much it cost our non-profit conferences to serve soft drinks in the mid-Nineties.
In addition, I am a volunteer event organizer (for the MIT Club of North California, for those who care). We almost always charge a few dollars for events to discourage no-shows, as Identity Woman suggests.
I find $118 is a cheap conference.
Coffe breaks, food, renting rooms somebody has to pay. Even if a nonprofit does it, it costs. You either have sponsors, charge a fee or else organizer pays.
This is an investment, if 118 is too much, wrong place for somebody to be, right?
Before one goes, assess the potential benefits and off you go:
http://commetrics.com/?cat=217 (metrics to watch)
Enjoy the conference/cummunity organizing event. I will watch from afar over the pond
I’m so proud of you for doing this!!!
Thanks for putting this together! I’m astounded at your level of creativity, your organizing savvy and your commitment to training women in tech!
I’m from the Non-Profit/Community Organizing/Activist world and I think you’re doing an amazing job including us.
Way to go!
Marsha
Happy to support it.
The trick I used in the past to avoid charging for a conference yet still ensure a show up – I’d have people pay $ to register for a full reimbursement upon registering on the first day of conference. If showed up – got money back, if not – I keep the money. Stats were usually 50% no show, so fine. Not once anyone complained. This also required them keeping the badge for a full time (if you want to know more info on badge tricks, email me at olyalapina@gmail.com).