Although the PodCamp Boston2 went fine and the unconference attendees doubled this year, the organizers can’t help to feel some dismay because of the 52.1% no show rate (only 650 people attended out of the 1,357 who registered). So, the PodCamp organizers who are led by Christopher Penn announced some changes to PodCamp Rules.
They decided to revoke the PodCamp Rule Four “All sessions and events must be free of charge to attend”. From now on, PodCamp organizers are given more freedom on how they want their events to be run and how they want to deal with the very real and tangible costs of operating an event.
This change is somehow triggered when they figured out the wasted resources because of the whopping 52.1% no show rate on the PodCamp Boston2. This is very understandable as we all know that Podcamps are just free to attend because of the generosity of the sponsors and the effort of committed people who volunteer their time. In short, PodCamps are free because somebody assume the cost and these are wasted when the expected guests did not came.
But of course, the revocation of PodCamp Rule 4 does not mean that upcoming PodCamps will be like other podcasting events that charge more than $100 bucks during registration. The Rule 4 revocation simply aims to minimize the wasted money, time and effort that are caused by “no-show people” and at the same time to lessen the burden of the sponsors and volunteers and so, future PodCamp registration may implement minimal fees to ensure a certain level of commitment.
And based on the suggestions, the implementation of minimal registration fee is actually good step forward to filter those who are serious and those who are not. Mitch Joel wrote that charging should depend on the size and commitment that the organizers are dreaming up while one suggested “make the fee pay for lunch” which I also prefer since this will pave way for more opportunity to socialize and make friends.
1 response so far ↓
Whitney Hoffman // Nov 1, 2007 at 6:44 pm
I have helped organize 4 podcamps to date, and the late flood of registrations causes headaches for planning. Try ordering something like t-shirts in advance, telling sponsors how many people are allegedly coming, when you really have no clue how many people will show up in the end….It’s a headache and a nightmare rolled into one.
When there are 1300 people registered, you have to be prepared for all of them to come. Once we crossed the 1,000 mark for PC Boston, I advised putting the brakes on the PR machine, mostly because we were going to be running out of physical chairs, and I would hate for people to come and then get closed out of sessions, or find that things were oversold- then peple are annoyed, disappointed, and as a planner, you look like a real jerk.
Now, in retrospect, what would have been the prudent idea? Keep the PR machine going full tilt? Assume a 50% no show rate? We planned on a 25% no show in ordering shirts…..1300 registered, 1000 shirts- still too many.
I guess from an organizer’s point of view, I want the community to be as committed to Podcamp, and the idea of a small charge comes out of the co-pay at the doctor’s office- you then go only when you need to, and when it gets charged whether you show or not, you have some investment in coming on time. No shows drop dramatically. Now Podcamp is not a medical practice, but getting some sort of committment from people ahead of time may help them feel more invested in Podcamp, and it will make some decisions regarding planning a lot easier.
We’ll see if this works. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But like Podcamp itself, it’s certainly worth a try and tweeking this big experiment.
Moreover, we need to make the organizers feel that they are appreciated for all the hours and effort that go into creating these community events.
This is a whole different problem, but for example, Chris Penn is the machine that makes Podcamp Boston run- from finances to marketing. I am “logistics girl”. It’s hard not to feel burnt out after such a big event, when the no-show rate was higher than expected and the bulk of the work was borne by just a few people.
Podcamps need to be community events run by a community, not community events run by a few dedicated people who give up hours and hours of time to make these events happen, for no pay and often little acclaim.
Chris Brogan is still getting the bulk of the credit for podcamp and podcamp Boston, yet from an actual “doing” the work standpoint, even he will acknowledge his day job and travel schedule prevented him from doing much of anything to make this event happen. Chris Penn makes the event happen in every tangible way, and I think it’s time he gets the credit he deserves.
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