[wplug-plan] Possible conference topics

[Vance Kochenderfer]

wplug at badgertronics.com (Mark Dalrymple) wrote:
> How hard is it to attract presenters for smaller regional conferences?
> (epsecially for a first-time conference before a name's been
> established) We might want to see what resources locally we can
> exploit^H^H^H^H^H invite and base the theme around that.  I know some

You pretty much hit the nail on the head.  IMO, for a successful
conference you need:
  1. Speakers
  2. Listeners
  3. Sponsors

To get #1, you can hit up people you know, or sponge off someone
else's event (for example, Russell Coker came to the CPLUG
conference because he was already in DC for the SELinux Symposium).
<http://www.openthought.org/blosxom.cgi/2005/03/08#selinux_symposium_notes>
They also have to think that people will actually show up to hear
what they have to say.

To get #2, you need to have speakers and a topic that sounds
interesting.  Also, don't underestimate the value of schwag.  It
may sound venal, but the free food and giveaways at the CPLUG
event really left a favorable impression with me.

To get #3, you need to have enough listeners so that one of them
might possibly buy something sometime.  It helps if the topic of
the conference actually has some relation to what the sponsors
do.  This is your source of schwag.

As you can see, there are circular dependencies here, so you
basically have to generate enough noise to fool #1, #2, and #3
into each thinking that their prerequisites have been met.  If you
can get each of them to come, it all works out.

What we were trying to figure out was what kind of gimmick would
generate that level of excitement here.

Oh, and you also need a venue, I guess.  It's always best to
reserve that *before* you announce your conference.  :)

Note that never having organized anything larger than a couple
dozen people (Google "lemurcon" if you're interested), this is all
based on observation and supposition, not actual experience.

Vance Kochenderfer        |  "Get me out of these ropes and into a
vance at happylemur.com      |   good belt of Scotch"    -Nick Danger