WordCamp Weekend

You’ve been planning for so long, and now the big weekend is finally here! Here are some tips for staying organized and helping things run smoothly.

Mission Control

Set up a “Mission Control” at the venue where the organizers will be. Let your volunteers and speakers know where it is so they can find you if they need something. Someone here should have a laptop with access to all the event registration information in case there are any problems, and someone should be prepared  with cash or a credit card if any last-minute expenses crop up. You don’t want your entire organizing team to miss out on all the fun, so make a schedule for who will be sitting at Mission Control to make sure the day is covered.

Registration

Print out the list of attendees and have it at the registration table. For very big events, split it up into sections by the first letter of the last name. Don’t try to be cool and do first name. The minute someone realizes they are in the wrong line because they signed up as Liz instead of Elizabeth and they have to get in another line to get their badge, you’ll see why. :) If you have more than 200 attendees, it is a good idea to have a separate sign-in area for speakers, sponsors, and volunteers.

Signage

Make sure people can find you. Printing out basic signs from your home computer printer that say “WordCamp this way →”or something like that and taping them up around your venue, on the light poles in front of the venue, in the parking lot, and anywhere people might be coming from will help more than you can guess.

Emcee

Have someone act as an emcee for each room. They should introduce each speaker briefly, and make any announcements  as needed. Changing a session? Lunch is arriving late? Have the emcees announce it. Try to pick people who are funny and nice for this role.

Timing

Either your emcees or volunteers assigned to each room should keep an eye on the clock and give speakers a 10-minute, 5-minute, and 2-minute warning toward the end of their talks. They should tell the speakers they will do this before the speakers go on, and demonstrate the hand signal they will use. It’s important to keep things running on time, especially if you have a venue that wants you out by a specific time (or you may be charged overage fees that are expensive).

Video

Make sure someone is recording every session. After the event, you’ll get login information from WordCamp Central for WordPress.tv so you can upload your videos. To get the best sound, it is generally better to have the video people right up front.

Lanyards

Please collect lanyards/badge holders at the end of the event, so they can be re-used for another WordCamp.

Cleanup

Be sure to ask everyone to help clean up at the end. Leaving a clean space behind will keep your relationship with the venue on good terms. If you leave a big mess, they may not be interested in having you back next year if you would like to have WordCamp there again.

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