Camps are evolving. Checkout what Asheville is doing!

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dougvann's picture

We all see that the landscape of Drupal Camps is changing significantly.
Some camps have skipped a year. Some camps have gone to the "mini-camp" model. Some camps are going to one-day camps.
I'd like to draw our attention to the crew over in Asheville https://www.drupalasheville.com who have apparently given this a lot of thought and come up with. what I think, is a great idea!
NOTE: I am not involved in any way in the planning of this camp. :-)
What are they doing that I think we should pay attention to?
a] FREE! This year's camp is FREE which I suspect will greatly increase the numbers.
b] TOURISM! Their website really sells the city. By the way, the city of Asheville sells itself!
c[ FOUR LEVELS of personal sponsorship! $100, $75, $50, $35. The top level even comes with a branded HOODIE!

I like my hoodie from BADCamp and I'm a big fan of personal sponsorships. I just registered for MidCamp the other day. I paid $125 for the personal sponsorship because I just can't bring myself to not give back to the community that made it possible for my lifestyle.

What do you all think? Is Asheville in the right direction? Are they going to BANK on the personal sponsorships from ppl who insist on paying for a FREE camp?
Are hoodies going to increase top level sponsorships?

I have a rather rosy outlook on this. We shall see!

Comments

Do free tickets encourage no-show signups?

zengenuity's picture

I would interested in knowing after the camp is over if the free tickets increased the number of no-shows. In planning DrupalCamp Michigan in the past, I've been against doing free tickets because people signup before they are sure they are really going to go, which messes up your planning for room size and food.

We typically have a donated venue for our camp, so I'm pretty sure we could go free on the tickets with a few sponsorships, but we've been hesitant for this reason. I see that Asheville is providing lunch, so maybe after it's over somebody can let us know if there were any major issues.

Free and wasteful

dherndon43's picture

I totally agree. While I have been involve with Music Festivals, I too have noticed that people will sign up and not show up, throwing off planning. I'm sure that happens in the Computer Community as well.