At the April SeaDUG, we decided that we'd like to have an UnCamp in Seattle in June.
The idea of an UnCamp is to get together, probably on a Saturday. Everyone who comes can present something, and everyone will participate in some way. Instead of organizing a schedule ahead of time, we'll put up a whiteboard or some other method for organizing sessions on the fly.
It may sound chaotic, but it actually worked out really well the last time we did it, in February of 2009.
This time, we've had a proposal of a theme of "What's new in Drupal 7", but of course we would welcome other topics. There will likely be some "sprint" time for people to find out how to get involved in Drupal development or documentation, and hopefully everyone will have a chance to share knowlege -- on both the giving and the receiving end.
So...
In order for this to happen, we need a date and a place, and some food.
Date: A Saturday, perhaps in June.
Place: It would need to have:
- WiFi
- small, medium, and large conference rooms
- hang-out space with some way to make a schedule (whiteboard, wall with magnets, etc., or even a projector hooked up to a spreadsheet could work)
- kitchen/eating space
- Preferably free, unless someone wants to sponsor a paid space.
Food: Someone to sponsor breakfast snacks, coffee, and lunch
The first thing is to find a time/space -- does anyone have leads on a company that has space like that we could use?
Comments
I really liked the space at
I really liked the space at OfficeNomads, maybe they could volunteer us some space. They had at least two rooms.
Anyone have a contact there?
That sounds like a good idea -- I agree that the OfficeNomads space looked like it could work well. But they'd pretty much need to agree to be taken over for a Saturday.
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Drupal author - http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034612.do
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How large a group are we talking?
The great folks at Adobe that sponsored the Summit seemed like they wanted to make their space available for community events of this sort. I don't know if they would be willing or it makes sense given the number of people, but it certainly worked out well for the summit. I seem to recall that we had to get an insurance binder given the event was open to the public, but I suspect is would be worth looking into. I have a couple other ideas but will check with my contacts before suggesting them.
Very into the idea.
I can send a message to Jacob at Office Nomads... actually saw him at the airport on the way to DrupalCon :)
Also, the people above Adobe (Tableau Software) use Drupal and might be willing to let us use some space.
They have a kitchen facility and other requirements.
Can't promise anything, but will ask.
Group size?
I'm not really sure how many people we would have. At our last UnCamp last year, I think there were about 30 people, but we've been having that many at our monthly meetings. I doubt it would top 50. ???
Drupal programmer - http://poplarware.com
Drupal author - http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034612.do
Drupal contributor - https://www.drupal.org/u/jhodgdon
Definite interest
I am definitely interested in learning more about this event. I am not a code-geek, and am a novice really at Drupal (only a couple of years dabbling), and wonder what folks like myself would be able to contribute to help make this happen. Since I wouldn't be able to really teach anyone anything, if there is something I can do organizationally to support this event, please let me know.
Venue and date needed...
Thanks for your offer of organizational help!
At this point, the main organizational need is a place/date to hold the event (see above).
Once/if that is established, the organization is fairly minimal: we'll need to solicit minimal sponsorship (coffee & food), and arrange for food, projectors (if not provided by venue), power strips, etc. to arrive at the venue.
If someone comes up with a venue, we'll likely spin off a committee to make the event happen at an upcoming group meeting. If no one comes up with a venue, we won't have a camp.
Drupal programmer - http://poplarware.com
Drupal author - http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034612.do
Drupal contributor - https://www.drupal.org/u/jhodgdon
Venue details....
So what does the venue need in the way of space and amenities? One room or many smaller rooms? Tables, chairs, etc? I mean, what is stopping us from using a community center, and taking donations to cover rental costs, for instance? Library? Or perhaps some other public facility that might allow us to use it for free so long as the event is non-profit? There are also places like the Geenwood Collective, and other collaborative spaces that we might solicit for space.
And being a promotions-minded gal who has organized/promoted many events in my day, I know I always liked to have camp shirts or something when I went to my (un)camps, and wonder if some costs could be covered by some pre-order shirt, bag, or other kind of schwag to commemorate the event, and could help cover any rental/food costs as well.
I get that you want this to be low-key, but if you have 50 people attending, it is not incredibly tiny, and has potential for some energy to be generated, yes?
Forgive me if I am getting ahead of myself. Just wanna help if I can.
Venue, SWAG
The details of what the venue needs are at the top of this thread, in the original post.
Shirts, SWAG (which by the way is an acronym for Something We All Get)... My opinion is that it's an additional cost and hassel, and we probably don't need another t-shirt or bag. The idea of the UnCamp is to make it really super-easy to organize. The more additional hassels we add to organizing it, the less likely it is to get organized. Plus, if no one bought the stuff, that wouldn't be much of a fund-raiser. :)
That said, in the past for more formal DrupalCamps, we've used CafePress to submit a design that people could order on their own if they really wanted a t-shirt/bag/mug/etc.
Drupal programmer - http://poplarware.com
Drupal author - http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034612.do
Drupal contributor - https://www.drupal.org/u/jhodgdon
That was why I suggested it
That was why I suggested it be pre-order. Then you only print as many as are ordered. Just an idea!
Possible venue
I went to InfoCamp a few years ago and it was at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. It was a pretty good space. They're also willing to cut deals with groups that are promoting community education: http://www.youngstownarts.org/
We've used Youngstown
We've had Camp events at Youngstown, and it's definitely a fine space. We are still hoping to find free space for the UnCamp, to minimize cost. The more cost there is, the more organizational hassel (we have to find sponsors to pay the cost, or charge attendees).
Drupal programmer - http://poplarware.com
Drupal author - http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034612.do
Drupal contributor - https://www.drupal.org/u/jhodgdon
Free Venue in SODO
My employer has volunteered our office in SODO. We've got the small medium and large rooms down. Only downside is that the kitchen/hangout area bleeds into the large room. We have a parking lot and are on several major bus lines.
If someone wants to vet the space before hand let me know and we can set up a visit.