Organizing an unconference

An unconference is a participant-driven event. It drops the usual top-down conference format in favor of topics that attendees propose, pitch, and schedule on the day. People show up with what they want to talk about, and the program builds itself. More on unconferences.

Thank you for organizing one. Here are some tips and guidelines.

General organization

Keep it open to anyone interested in AT Protocol, including people working on competing products.
Avoid date conflicts with other events in your region. Check the events page and ask around.
If a company organizes it, moderate promotion is fine, but keep it from turning into a sales pitch.
As the local organizer you are the main contact for speakers and attendees.

Facilities

Have a working coffee machine, and a backup for when it dies.
Name badges or stickers, at least for day one.
Bring plenty of sticky notes (or printed session templates) and markers for the wall.

Content and topics

Content is participant-driven, but you can seed a few topics and open with a short keynote or workshop to set the tone. Sessions get proposed and voted on by the people in the room.

The kickoff

The kickoff is the first part of the day and runs roughly like this:

Intro. Explain the topic, the rules, and how participation works.
Session proposals. Participants write topics on sticky notes.
Pitches. Each proposal is explained, similar ones get merged, and co-leaders step up.
Voting. People vote on topics, and sessions are scheduled by how much interest they draw.
Scheduling. The host places sessions on the wall, then everyone takes a short break before the first one.

The wall

The wall is the living agenda: a grid where topics are posted and updated through the day. Sessions usually run 20 to 30 minutes with 10-minute breaks between them.

During the event

Facilitate the proposals, pitches, voting, and scheduling. Encourage the law of two feet: if you are not learning or contributing in a session, quietly move to another one.

Ground rules

An unconference only works when everyone takes part and looks out for each other. A few basics:

Everyone is a participant and engages actively.
Whoever comes are the right people, and whenever it starts or ends is the right time.
Respect people’s time and contributions.

Participation takes a few shapes:

Lead participants guide a discussion (also called presenters).
Facilitators moderate a session and keep it on track.
Participants join in the discussion.

Self-running sessions

Sessions can run themselves when each one has:

One or more moderators to guide the discussion and keep it on track.
A note taker to capture key points and follow-ups, which can be shared in a short retrospective before everyone heads home.

After the event

Thank participants, venue hosts, and sponsors.
Post a recap on the network and ask for feedback and ideas for next time.
A short write-up or video is great for reach. Publish it and share it from your country’s community account.

What you can expect from us

A hand thinking through the format, plus promotion through the site and the community account.
Introductions to people from other events who have run this format before.

Ready to start? Reach your country site’s maintainer or open an issue on the website repository.