Why Sponsor beCamp2009 1?
The Charlottesville Tech Community has grown and solidified rapidly in the past few years, but we need to continue to support that growth. Networking events are wonderful, but since they're often short evening events, it can be hard to really get to know people or learn in that environment.
beCamp gets people together over two days to share knowledge, network, and collaborate. Last year 91 people 2 showed up to learn new things. Since attendees are strongly encouraged to present, the sessions are often unique and deeply technical. It's a different environment from any meetup or expo, as the great majority of attendees are there because they're truly passionate about technology, learning, and sharing what they know.
Because beCamp is a free event for participants, "we want your time, not your money", we need the help of local Charlottesville technology companies to make this it happen.
By sponsoring beCamp, you'll be helping to foster the Charlottesville tech community, but if you're accustomed to working with traditional conferences or expos, there's a few things you should know.
• We're capping sponsorship at $500. By keeping the sponsorship playing field open and accessible, it ensures that smaller companies can show their support.
• Sponsors will be given love - we will thank you individually at the event, here on the wiki, and your logo will appear on the wall near the schedule (the main hub of activity at beCamp), but will not be the main focus of the event.
• That said, sponsors are strongly encouraged to participate in the event. Sponsoring means exposing your company to a community of devoted and active technologists. The best way to get to know us is to come and meet people at the event. As a participant, you're strongly encouraged to give a meaningful, informative talk or discussion (no pitches, please!). Several sponsors have made great use of this opportunity last year, and have had great conversations with the people they're trying to reach.
• Schwag, giveaways, and prizes are welcome. Feel free to contact the organizers if you've got something you'd like to give away so we can coordinate.
• In kind donation's are best! We don't want to deal with cash unless we need to.
Early sponsors are crucial as we will have up-front costs for things like paper, markers, powerstrips, etc. When you sponsor, we'll get your logo up on the site asap, so the sooner you sponsor, the more exposure you get. There are more details sponsorship opportunities available on the sponsorship page 3 of the wiki.
1 http://barcamp.org/beCamp
2 http://barcamp.org/beCamp2008#Campers
3 http://barcamp.org/sponsor-beCamp-2009
