<div dir="ltr">Being someone who has fond memories of the big computer shows of the 80's and 90's (eg Comdex), I would certainly come to an event here in KW, regardless of the inaugural size.<div><br><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">On Fri, 5 Jun 2015 at 13:53 Digimer <<a href="mailto:lists@alteeve.ca">lists@alteeve.ca</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Speaking as an interested company, yes, I would want a booth to setup. I<br>
know this is OSS, and everything we do, we give away for free, but we<br>
need to keep the lights on. I can guarantee other potential sponsors<br>
will approach this the same way.<br>
<br>
An event organizer in the OSS space has a special requirement that other<br>
shows don't; There is a cultural and philosophical balancing act that<br>
needs to be maintained. If it comes across as too corporate, people<br>
won't come. On the other hand, if there are too few opportunities for<br>
companies to get their word out, you won't get many vendors.<br>
<br>
Find the right balance, and you can have a very popular show on your<br>
hands after a few years. :)<br>
<br>
On 05/06/15 01:32 PM, CrankyOldBugger wrote:<br>
> Be sure to have an area where vendors can set up booths to do the meet<br>
> and greet part and display their wares. People will come for the swag,<br>
> if nothing else!<br>
><br>
><br>
> On Fri, 5 Jun 2015 at 13:24 Digimer <<a href="mailto:lists@alteeve.ca" target="_blank">lists@alteeve.ca</a><br>
> <mailto:<a href="mailto:lists@alteeve.ca" target="_blank">lists@alteeve.ca</a>>> wrote:<br>
><br>
> I have, unfortunately, zero time to contribute to this effort. What I do<br>
> have though is a small open source tech company in the KW area. If you<br>
> start getting this together, we might be able to be a sponsor and, time<br>
> permitting, give a talk as well.<br>
><br>
> cheers<br>
><br>
> On 05/06/15 01:15 PM, Paul Nijjar wrote:<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > In addition to the below advice: find some other people who are as<br>
> > committed (and will work as hard) as you. Organizing events is not a<br>
> > one-person job.<br>
> ><br>
> > I think it would be excellent for you to organize something. As hinted<br>
> > at below, there are some other events that have been running for a<br>
> > while, so joining forces with one of them may be an option.<br>
> ><br>
> > - Paul<br>
> ><br>
> > On Thu, Jun 04, 2015 at 02:58:50PM -0400, Khalid Baheyeldin wrote:<br>
> >> I did not organize an event myself, but was interacting closely<br>
> with those<br>
> >> who do, be that in Linux events, or Drupal events.<br>
> >><br>
> >> The following recurring themes may help:<br>
> >><br>
> >> - Try to fix the venue and the date(s) as early as possible, so<br>
> people have<br>
> >> time to plan.<br>
> >><br>
> >> - The venue will be the biggest expense, unless it is provided<br>
> for free.<br>
> >><br>
> >> - Have projectors ready for people to present.<br>
> >><br>
> >> - Ask for sessions as soon as have the venue and dates available.<br>
> >><br>
> >> - If the event is sponsored, then try to line up sponsors in 3 or<br>
> so tiers,<br>
> >> based on your expected costs (venue, lunch, audio/visual, ...etc,<br>
> not all<br>
> >> that will apply for all events).<br>
> >><br>
> >> - If the event is paid for by the attendees, make it as simple as<br>
> possible<br>
> >> to pay (e.g. Paypal).<br>
> >><br>
> >> - Have a marketing plan ready, including social media and<br>
> local/regional<br>
> >> media (e.g. newspaper, computer clubs, Communitech, user groups,<br>
> ...etc.)<br>
> >><br>
> >> - Try to balance the needs of advanced and beginners needs<br>
> depending on the<br>
> >> audience you expect. Split them in different (possibly parallel)<br>
> tracks if<br>
> >> you do have many sessions and more than one room.<br>
> >><br>
> >> And finally, organizing an event is always hard work and time<br>
> consuming for<br>
> >> the organizers.<br>
> >><br>
> >> Hope that helps.<br>
> >><br>
> >> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 2:17 PM, Colin Mills<br>
> <<a href="mailto:colin.j.mills96@gmail.com" target="_blank">colin.j.mills96@gmail.com</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:colin.j.mills96@gmail.com" target="_blank">colin.j.mills96@gmail.com</a>>><br>
> >> wrote:<br>
> >><br>
> >>> Thanks for the input everyone!<br>
> >>><br>
> >>><br>
> >>><br>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
> >>> Colin J. Mills (cjm)<br>
> >>> FOSS<br>
> <<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software</a>> Advocate<br>
> >>><br>
> >>> Software Engineering Technology<br>
> >>> Second Year<br>
> >>> Conestoga College<br>
> >>> Canada<br>
> >>><br>
> >>> "makepkg, not war"<br>
> >>><br>
> >>><br>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
> >>><br>
> >>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 1:11 PM, <<a href="mailto:john@vanostrand.com" target="_blank">john@vanostrand.com</a><br>
> <mailto:<a href="mailto:john@vanostrand.com" target="_blank">john@vanostrand.com</a>>> wrote:<br>
> >>><br>
> >>>> I was one of the organizers of the ontario Linux fest. I'm a<br>
> little<br>
> >>>> surprised the <a href="http://onlinux.ca" target="_blank">onlinux.ca</a> <<a href="http://onlinux.ca" target="_blank">http://onlinux.ca</a>> domain is still<br>
> active.<br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> Sent from my BlackBerry 12 neural implant.<br>
> >>>> Original Message<br>
> >>>> From: B. S.<br>
> >>>> Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2015 12:00 PM<br>
> >>>> To: KWLUG discussion<br>
> >>>> Reply To: KWLUG discussion<br>
> >>>> Subject: Re: [kwlug-disc] Linux Conference<br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> There are also UoW people on this list whom will have seen your<br>
> message.<br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> No doubt there is both academic and non-academic community<br>
> interest,<br>
> >>>> likely just a matter of people showing the interest and putting<br>
> in the time<br>
> >>>> to organize and execute. Whether there is sufficient community<br>
> interest is<br>
> >>>> probably hard to gauge. Paul / Software Freedom Day would also<br>
> bring some<br>
> >>>> expertise in these senses to your party. Same with those doing<br>
> Ubuntu hour<br>
> >>>> / release parties, Drupal group, and so on and so forth.<br>
> There's a Waterloo<br>
> >>>> events calendar (Lori?) around somewhere. Seeing how well, or<br>
> not, such<br>
> >>>> events are attended may be helpful to you.<br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> I don't know how in/formal your day would have to be to be<br>
> successful,<br>
> >>>> let alone the definition of success. These groups and the OnLinux<br>
> >>>> organizations may be helpful in those respects. Time of year<br>
> will also<br>
> >>>> matter. AFAIK kwlug is less attended in summer, and except for<br>
> co-op,<br>
> >>>> students not in town for classes aren't present to attend anything.<br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> One of the things that have been problematic is the apparent<br>
> divergent<br>
> >>>> interests of the academics vs the wider user community. e.g.<br>
> Sufficient<br>
> >>>> interest in Languages / kernel vs application use such as gimp<br>
> or Libre<br>
> >>>> Office. Presumably manageable by collecting 'common' topics in<br>
> time blocks.<br>
> >>>> Presumably 'running your small business on Linux' (be it accounting<br>
> >>>> software, VoIP, or marketing / web) will always have some low<br>
> level of<br>
> >>>> interest in the area.<br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> GL&HF<br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>>> ________________________________<br>
> >>>>> From: Colin Mills <<a href="mailto:colin.j.mills96@gmail.com" target="_blank">colin.j.mills96@gmail.com</a><br>
> <mailto:<a href="mailto:colin.j.mills96@gmail.com" target="_blank">colin.j.mills96@gmail.com</a>>><br>
> >>>>> To: KWLUG discussion <<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a><br>
> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a>>><br>
> >>>>> Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2015 12:43 PM<br>
> >>>>> Subject: Re: [kwlug-disc] Linux Conference<br>
> >>>>><br>
> >>>>><br>
> >>>>><br>
> >>>>> * Ok thank you, hopefully we can get something going! I am<br>
> going to<br>
> >>>> BSDCan in Ottawa in the next couple of weeks and it just<br>
> inspired a couple<br>
> >>>> of ideas.<br>
> >>>>><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>>><br>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
> >>>>><br>
> >>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 12:41 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin<br>
> <<a href="mailto:kb@2bits.com" target="_blank">kb@2bits.com</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kb@2bits.com" target="_blank">kb@2bits.com</a>>> wrote:<br>
> >>>>><br>
> >>>>><br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 12:34 PM, Colin Mills<br>
> <<a href="mailto:colin.j.mills96@gmail.com" target="_blank">colin.j.mills96@gmail.com</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:colin.j.mills96@gmail.com" target="_blank">colin.j.mills96@gmail.com</a>>><br>
> >>>> wrote:<br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>> Hi All,<br>
> >>>>>>><br>
> >>>>>>> I am looking at organizing a conference in the KW region<br>
> centered<br>
> >>>> around Linux in general. I feel like the area would have the<br>
> biggest draw<br>
> >>>> for technical users and casual users alike.<br>
> >>>>>>><br>
> >>>>>>> * I found this : <a href="http://www.onlinux.ca/" target="_blank">http://www.onlinux.ca/</a> does anyone know if<br>
> its still<br>
> >>>> active?<br>
> >>>>>>><br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>> This is Ontario Linux Fest, which was modelled after the Ohio<br>
> Linux<br>
> >>>> Fest. It ran for server years in a row.<br>
> >>>>>> I know two of the organizers (who happened to be from the<br>
> >>>> Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge area, but organized the event in<br>
> Toronto for a<br>
> >>>> wider audience).<br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>> I bcc'd them on this email.<br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>><br>
> >>>>>> * Anyway I would love to get some ideas and thoughts around<br>
> the idea<br>
> >>>> and see if its even viable. Have a good one everybody. Ill be<br>
> at the<br>
> >>>> meeting on July 6th :).<br>
> >>>>>>><br>
> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________<br>
> >>>>>>> kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
> >>>>>>> <a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a>><br>
> >>>>>>> <a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
> >>>>>>><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> _______________________________________________<br>
> >>>> kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
> >>>> <a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a>><br>
> >>>> <a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>>> _______________________________________________<br>
> >>>> kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
> >>>> <a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a>><br>
> >>>> <a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
> >>>><br>
> >>><br>
> >>><br>
> >>> _______________________________________________<br>
> >>> kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
> >>> <a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a>><br>
> >>> <a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
> >>><br>
> >>><br>
> >><br>
> >><br>
> >> --<br>
> >> Khalid M. Baheyeldin<br>
> >> <a href="http://2bits.com" target="_blank">2bits.com</a> <<a href="http://2bits.com" target="_blank">http://2bits.com</a>>, Inc.<br>
> >> Fast Reliable Drupal<br>
> >> Drupal optimization, development, customization and consulting.<br>
> >> Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. -- Edsger W.Dijkstra<br>
> >> Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. -- Leonardo da Vinci<br>
> >> For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear,<br>
> simple, and<br>
> >> wrong." -- H.L. Mencken<br>
> ><br>
> >> _______________________________________________<br>
> >> kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
> >> <a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a>><br>
> >> <a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
><br>
><br>
> --<br>
> Digimer<br>
> Papers and Projects: <a href="https://alteeve.ca/w/" target="_blank">https://alteeve.ca/w/</a><br>
> What if the cure for cancer is trapped in the mind of a person without<br>
> access to education?<br>
><br>
><br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
> <a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a>><br>
> <a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
> <a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a><br>
> <a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
><br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Digimer<br>
Papers and Projects: <a href="https://alteeve.ca/w/" target="_blank">https://alteeve.ca/w/</a><br>
What if the cure for cancer is trapped in the mind of a person without<br>
access to education?<br>
<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
kwlug-disc mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:kwlug-disc@kwlug.org" target="_blank">kwlug-disc@kwlug.org</a><br>
<a href="http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org" target="_blank">http://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org</a><br>
</blockquote></div>