What You Have Done

This page is intended to be a place where people can list specific things they have done at their Code Camp which has been successful or unsuccessful .

Please list each idea as a bullet point.

Boston: Added chalk talks, small informal discussion sessions to provide a more interactive format. Also, very good for first time presenters.
Philadelphia: Added Hands-on Labs, 50 PC's running Virtual PC with lab materials and proctors.
PortlandCodeCamp added a pre-camp session the evening before camp with a tips talk for new presenters.
Great Presentation tips by Scott Hanselman http://www.hanselman.com/blog/PresentationTipsPPT.aspx
To add to Scott Hanselman's tips, here's a link to a Windows XP theme that pre-sets your environment for high-visibility presenting at 1024x768
Reston: Coupled Mid-Atlantic Code Camp with a user group leader summit the night before to discuss user group best practices
Reston Security Code Camp: Costume Contest...unfortunately was a big bust. Several possible reasons...not enough notice to attendees, full-day event and who wants to wear a costume all day long, and perhaps fewer developers really want to dress up for halloween than we thought.

Lessons learned at the May 2006 Atlanta Code Camp

Have highly visible event-specific signage - especially outside in the parking areas. We had several "Event -->" signs outside and signs inside that pointed you to the Code Camp, but we got some complaints that the signs outside weren't specific about which event was being pointed to.
Require speakers to check in 30 minutes before their presentation. We had some problems with a few late speakers. We were forced to cancel one speaker's presentation (although he showed up 20 minutes late) and several speakers felt there was no problem arriving at the event facility 5 minutes before their presentation time. Requiring early checkin will help avoid future problems
Plan for out of town guests. We failed to investigate hotels or restaurants for out of town speakers and attendees. Simply posting a few recommendations online will help avoid problems
Plan for a networking event AFTER the code camp. Many speakers and attendees come to Code Camps as a chance to meet and talk to other "VIP"s in the IT industry. We planned a pre-event speaker dinner but did not plan a post-event speaker + attendee social event. This was a mistake in our planning.

Lesons Learned for Jacksonville, Florida's 2005 Code (Our 2006 Code Camp is August 26th)

http://cs.jaxdug.com/blogs/dennisbottjer/archive/2005/09/07/963.aspx

“What we learned and could do better next time.”

Introduction:

On August 27th 2005 JaxDug hosted Jacksonville's first ever Code Camp. The following is a reflection of what we learned. This is advice we would give to other user groups and are suggestions we intend to follow ourselves when planning future events.

Communication:

Make sure due dates, task assignments, and expectations are clearly communicated.
Exchange contact information. Relying on one form of communication such as email is a point of failure for important tasks.
A final walkthrough/dress rehearsal will reduce the likelihood of surprises such as missing equipment.

Food

Overestimate lunch. Left over food can usually be donated to a shelter.
Account for alternative diets such as Vegetarian and non-pork.
Add dietary disclaimer to code camp site explaining what will be provided and near by dining alternatives.
Serving breakfast is a good option b/c not everyone will choose to eat breakfast and it can double as a snack throughout the day.
Offer orange juice if serving breakfast for this was a common request.
Stock plenty of water.
Simple white table clothes for the serving tables are a nice touch.
Remember plastic knives to cut bagels if served.
Remember plenty of paper plates and napkins.
Have extra trash bags.
Create a VIP/Speaker lounge for lunch.
New speakers are often nervous; a red carpet treatment will go far.
Treat speakers well and they will return.
Good speakers make a good code camp.
Have multiple food tables to keep the lines short.

Facilities and Registration:

Keep rooms as close together as possible.
Clearly mark where to park with signs.
Potentially use balloons to indicate registration and parking areas.
Printed name tags for those that pre-registered are a nice touch.
Have available plenty of blank name tags for the unregistered.

Assign a greeter role:

Direct groups to breakfast
Point out bathrooms
Welcome them
Start the Introduction/Keynote on time
Potentially have an introduction in the morning and a keynote during the lunch hour w/ a big name speaker. This speaker would then not compete with the normal session but still act as a draw for the code camp.

Speakers and Scheduling:

Prepare a speaker tip sheet including such items as:
Must bring your own laptop, mouse, keyboard, etc.
An overhead project will be provided.
Assume no Internet connectivity is available.
Saving a backup of your code and presentation to a thumb drive is recommended incase of equipment failure.
Try to gather preliminary session interest to help schedule.
Consider repeating popular sessions

Organization:

Planning a code camp is a huge responsibility delegation and teamwork will go a long way.
A well organized portal like web site help keep everyone informed.