Unconference Planning  [print page]

What is an Unconference?

An unconference is a facilitated, participant-driven conference centered around a theme or purpose.  It's 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

What SVEC needs to provide:

Date of the conference (I'm thinking in July)

Donated location suited to possibly around 100-150 people (it would be nice if it has wireless available)

Theme for the conference (we're thinking "Engineering" or some variation)

Lunch donated by a sponsor

Publicity,  preregistration (no charge) & badges

A gridded white board for attendees to list their speaking topics once they arrive

What happens at the event:

Be ready to participate - come with an idea for a session you can lead. You don't have to be an expert at your topic; as long as it's not too specific, there'll probably be someone else present who can help you out. You can also contribute to the conversation during a session. This is a great way to participate, since it spreads knowledge from everyone, instead of just the leader.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference

Also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcamp

To join in the planning/brainstorm, please sign up for this email group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sveccamp

Goals in having an SVEC Unconference:

- Getting a younger crowd interested in the SVEC

- Bringing in programmers interested in engineering

- Being accessable to engineering hobbyists and the general public

- Having an event to promote at our MakerFaire booth