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Please use tag/hashtag: barcampsaigon

Checklist for Organizing BarCamp Saigon

Event People

Volunteers

• Receptionists (2-3): Your names here

1. Welcome attendees
2. Make them sign in
1. Name
2. Affiliation (school or company)
3. URL (website or blog)
4. Email
5. Phone
3. Give them nametags
4. Give them a welcome packet which contains:
1. Introduction & explanation of conference format
2. List of sponsors
3. Instructions for communication during and after the event (See BarCampSaigonCommunication) and what tags
4. Map of rooms, bathroom, vending machines
5. List of a few restaurants, hotels, coffeeshops, bars, nightclubs in the area
5. Direct them to the main room where they can start by reading the instructions

• General volunteers (5-10): Your name here (Chief Volunteer), Your names here (Assistant Volunteers)

1. Before the event
1. Create the welcome packet as listed in the "Receptionists" section
2. If applicable, create pre-registration badges.
3. Contact 5-20 xe om drivers and tell them about the event and where and when to stay and wait for people (probably starting at 12pm but tell them lots of people after 3pm)
4. Make sure all supplies have been gathered (See below for list)
5. Know where cleanup equipment is located in the venue
6. Obtain and clarify Visa procedures, include the Visa instructions on the website, and be ready to help with last-minute Visa help
7. Put up mobile phone numbers on website for attendees to call if they run into problems
8. Create colored cards with 5-minute warning and time-out signals for each room
2. During the event
1. Be on call at the phone numbers on the website when attendees run into problems (e.g. can't find the venue)
2. Set up the venue 1.5 hours before the event (Tentatively 7:30am)
1. Put up banners
2. Put up signage
3. Set up trash cans
4. Set up receptionist and sponsor tables
5. Set up big board for session times
6. Set up big board for job wanted/offered listings
3. Help direct attendees to the reception desk, the main room, each session room, bathrooms
4. Help attendees get xe om drivers, tell them how much it should cost to their destination
5. Help attendees get taxis
6. Make sure that cleanup is done, either by the venue's Cleaning Staff or by all the attendees at the end of the event

• Food & Beverage (2): Your name here (Chief), Your names here(assistants)

1. Before the event:
1. Procure catering, letting them know how many participants and what foods to prepare
2. Make sure vegetarian/vegan dishes are made available
3. Arrange for beverages to be brought: coffee, water bottles, hot water, etc.
4. Obtain eating supplies: paper plates, plastic cutlery, napkins, paper cups
2. During the event:
1. Manage the catering staff, letting them know what times to set things up and clean up
2. Set up beverages for attendees to get themselves

• Press liaison (1-2): Your names here

1. Before the event:
1. Contact as many newspapers and magazines that cover technology as possible
2. Send them a press kit
3. Stay in communication with the press who intend to get there. Get their mobile numbers.
4. Remind the press of the event the day before the event
2. During the event:
1. Make sure the press has found the location by calling them on their mobiles.
2. Welcome members of the press and explain to them the format and schedule when they come in and during the day
3. During the day, point out sessions to the journalists that could be helpful to write articles, e.g.: sessions about local Vietnamese startups, interesting uses of new technology by Vietnamese. Probably the easiest sessions for them to understand will be in Vietnamese language.
4. Keep track of key participants that give interesting sessions or can give good perspectives of what they got out of the event. Identify participants in different categories (sponsors, local Vietnamese technologists, expats in VN, foreign technologists traveling just for the conference, etc.) and ask them if they are willing to be interviewed.
3. After the event:
1. The day after the event, call the press to make sure their questions have been answered. Give them the URLs for any material that they need (e.g. YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, etc.). Offer to put them in contact with people they can further interview to see what they got out of the conference, e.g. sponsors, local Vietnamese technologists, expats in VN, foreign technologists traveling just for the conference, etc.

• Technical team (2-3): Your names here

1. Before the event:
1. Collaborate with the venue's IT staff to set up internet and wifi access
2. Post the tag "barcampsaigon" for Flickr, YouTube, SlideShare, etc. all over the place
3. If applicable, post wifi passwords all over the place
2. During the event:
1. Help people use the projectors
1. Pay careful attention to screen resolution problems for Windows, Linux, and Mac laptops
2. Help people set up their wifi
3. Stay in contact with the venue's IT staff in case of problems

Hired/Sponsored staff

• IT to provide internet
  • the host should provide us with internet access and hopefully wifi access as well
• Security
  • The host may want to protect their facilities from the attendees
• Catering
• Cleaning staff
  • The venue may have its own cleaning staff. Let's try to get this; if not, the attendees will clean up.
  • Note that all participants will help pick up trash to help out at the end of the event
• Parking staff to watch over the motorbikes

Sponsorship

• Sponsorship team (3-5): Your names here

1. Before the event:
1. Create a pitch for sponsors
1. See http://www.reemer.com/barcampla/sponsor.txt
2. Create a Sponsor Package
1. Sponsor Package on Google Docs
3. Contact sponsors and send interested parties the Sponsor Package
4. Gather money
5. Get sponsors logos
6. Put sponsor names and logos on website and Welcome Packet
7. Create banners
2. After the event:
1. Contact each sponsor by email and thank them

• T-shirt team (1-2): Your names here

1. Make T-shirts with logos of sponsors on the back

Marketing

• Online marketing (2-3): Your name here (Chief), Your names here (assistants)
  • Website (WordPress and Wiki) - All of us are taking care of that
  • Identify key bloggers in Vietnam and South-East Asia, contact them, and send them example text to include a blog entry and links to our website.
  • Identify key (Facebook) groups, mailing lists, web forums, public Google calendars, etc. where to post about the event
  • Contact other BarCamp organizers in South-East Asia and ask them to tell their attendee lists about our event
  • Encourage sponsors to spread the word by giving them example text about the event.
• Offline marketing
  • See the "Press liaison" section.
  • Check out http://theraas.com/feeds-advertising-that-works-on-a-local-level.php

Insurance

• This is critical in the US, but probably not applicable in Vietnam.
  • See http://www.reemer.com/archives/2006/03/20/barcampla_postmortem/ if you're curious

Things

When each of these items has been procured and is ready to go, go ahead and use the strikeout format option in the Wiki

Equipment:

• Tables for reception (2) and sponsors (4-6)
  • The venue may provide that--just know where they are
• Projectors (one for each room, maybe 10)
  • The venue may provide that
• wifi access points
  • The venue may provide that
• Whiteboards (one for each room, maybe 10)
  • The venue may provide that
• One big bulletin board or whiteboard for attaching/writing the list of sessions
• One big bulletin board or whiteboard for attaching/writing job wanted/offered listings
• Printer
  • We may need this to print out signs at the last-minute, instructions, updated maps, session schedules for those that request it, etc.
• Electrical
  • Extension cords (for the projectors, sponsors' booths, attendees with laptops)
  • Power splitters (so many people can use the same socket)
  • Power strips
• Cleaning equipment
  • The venue may provide that--just know where it is

Supplies:

• regular markers
• whiteboard markers
• whiteboard erasers
  • The venue may provide that with each whiteboard--just make sure every whiteboard has an eraser
• regular paper
• lots of pens (attendees will need them too)
• colored paper for putting up the sessions on the board
• colored cards with 5-minute warning and time-out signals
• adhesive (tape or sticky tack)
• nametags
• printer paper
• printer toner if necessary
• cleaning
  • cleaning fluids and sponges
  • garbage bags
  • paper towels
• first-aid kit

To discuss in the future

• Schedule
  • Introduction
    • Getting participants to introduce themselves: 3 words about themselves, 1 thing they want to get out of the event
    • Explanation of format
    • Give 10 minutes for people to add sessions
  • Closing
    • Thank participants
    • Thank each sponsor
    • Get people to say what they got out of the event