Birds of a feather

Revise

Conferences are great opportunities to meet other people trying to solve the same problems as you are. You're all there in the same place at the same time, but, how do you actually maximise your chances of finding each other. This is what Birds of a Feather sessions are great for.

Often they will be held during the lunch breaks, with as simple an idea as a collection of tables are allocated different topics, everyone knows what these topics are, and so you just turn up there if you are interested. We did these for Web Directions North last year, using a kind of barcamp model by calling on attendees to put forward ideas for all the tables. It was really successful, people loved it, and we would love to do it here in Sydney.

We simply don't have the means to pay the considerable additional costs that would be involved in having a sitdown lunch in what is otherwise a really good venue for us. So, what to do?

John and I have tossed around so many other options that might create the same result as Birds of a Feather tables, but just haven't been able to come up with anything. If you've got any ideas about this, we'd love to hear them!

Idea # 5Networking Ideas

Comments

This sounds like a fantastic idea!

Would it be feasable to use some of the smaller auditoriums with the seating re-arranged in a circle? Okay, there's no table, but it could work the same way.

Would each "virtual table" have a chairperson?

A web app where attendees can login and post what they're interested in discussing or solving specific problems. Other attendees can browse through, search via tags etc. If they find anything interesting they could block out a 15 minute slot with the other person (ala meeting request) specifying where to meetup. This could be done prior to the conference and left open during it as well.

I've been to birds of a feather sessions at other conferences where they are held at the end of the first day and in the early morning of the second day. These times are more relaxed than lunchtimes, I reckon.

Yeah, I'd really like to make some form of this work.

Kay's comment about having this at a different time than lunch is really worth considering I think. The Thursday evening is kind of taken up with all kinds of things from our opening night reception to Webjam and so on. But lots of events do Birds of a Feather breakfasts and I think this idea has real merit. We'd hold it in the same room as we had the Thursday night drinks last year. However, we *would* either have to charge for it, or get sponsorship for it.

How much extra would people be prepared to add on to their ticket price to attend a birds of a feather breakfast? You guys let me know that and I shall go off and come up with a costing :)

For breakfast - maybe $15-$20? Then again, I'm not generally a breakfaster, I'd be happy with just coffee.

In order to make a birds of a feather session look like good value on the registration form, I think you'd have to have one of the "rockstar" speakers leading/guiding the discussion.

Yeah, I was thinking the same Kay - re the speaker - but then, this is kind of counter to the whole point of a BOF breakfast - you don't have a lot of time, and the main point of it is people talking amongst themselves.

My feeling is that most people wouldn't want to pay more than this either. The room and food will be expensive though. I think I would have to charge $30 to $40. What would people think of that? Or more, what would people want in terms of entertainment and content if we were charging that much?

I agree with the breakfast suggestion. Nothing against the breakfast speakers of previous years, I think these sessions would work better as a dinner-table-style discussion rather than just eating breakfast while someone important talks at us. The "Birds of a Feather" concept would fit this perfectly, IMO, and would be cheaper than usual (up to $30 could be good).

When taking registrations for the breakfast, you could maybe ask which crowd we'd like to hang with (design, php, rails, business, etc) to help with seating arrangements.

I don't think a dinner discussion would work, you have to up the price per head for food. It cuts into the social events for the evening. If you get a lame table you are stuck usually.

Lunch is just way too short.

Breakfast however is possible. Besides Molly's talk in 2006, the breakfast talks have not worked.

But an informal BoF, with no speakers getting up at all, sure they can come, but they are just live the rest of us, the great unwashed.

Breakfast is a critical meal for me, I have to have a good breakfast, so I'm willing to pay $30 for a filling but simple breakfast.

The problem with a BoF really comes down to time. If it works well, the discussion can be so intense that the 90 minutes of so allotted can disappear very quickly.

Best held on Day 2.

Sounds better and better, each time new suggestions for Birds of a Feather sessions come up.

I would love to see it included in the standard WDS ticket, rock up to the venue an hour early, we will stick you on a table of people with similar interests and feed you (and hopefully provide quality caffeine).

And I think it would be a good icebreaker for day 1.

That said willing to pay up to $30 a day for half decent breakfast, coffee and the chance to chat with other conference goers on topics of mutual interest. On either or both days of the conference proper (and maybe even one of the workshop days).

I still love this breakfast idea, but 7:00 AM maybe a little to early after the night before... Going on previous WDS. Have three days of BoF as a bonus ticket say $80 for three day or $30 for each would be so cool.

If you wanted something less structured, what about coloured stickers or labels or feathers that are attached to name tags so you can find and hang out with people with similar interests during break times.

You could have corresponding coloured banners or flags at certain locations at the venue for people to congregate to casually meet up with others (or if you wanted to be really kitch, stick different coloured birds on sticks and let people choose a corresponding coloured feather for their name tag when they register). Just provide signs/labels as well for the 10% of colourblind males ;-)

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