10 Tips for Planning Open Source Community Events

Planning a successful open source community event? Here's what you need to know:

1. Set clear, measurable goals
2. Choose the right event type (conference, hackathon, workshop, meetup)
3. Pick a suitable venue (in-person, online, or hybrid)
4. Make events welcoming for all
5. Create interesting content
6. Collaborate with other communities
7. Communicate clearly
8. Handle event details well
9. Help attendees connect
10. Use feedback to improve

By following these tips, you'll create an event that brings people together, fosters learning, and strengthens the open source community.

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1. Set Clear Goals

Setting clear goals is key to planning a good open source community event. Clear goals help you:

• Stay focused
• Make sure everyone understands the plan
• Create a good experience for people who come

Here's how to set good goals:

1. Make goals you can measure: Choose goals with numbers. For example:

   • "Get 20% more people to come than last year"
   • "Get 30% more people talking about the event online"

2. Match goals with what the community wants: Find out what your open source community needs. This helps you plan an event they'll like and want to join.

3. Use SMART goals: Make your goals:

Using SMART goals helps you make a clear plan and see how well you're doing.

2. Pick the Right Event Type

Choosing the best event type is key for a good open source community event. The type you pick affects how many people come, what they do, and how well the event works.

Here are some common event types:

When picking an event type, think about:

• What you want the event to do
• Who you want to come
• What you have (money, place, people to help)

Picking the right type helps make your event work well and be fun for everyone.

Some examples:

• The Open Source Festival in Africa brings in many different people, like students and companies.
• Linux.conf.au is for people who work with free and open source software in Australia and nearby countries.

3. Choose a Suitable Venue

Picking the right place for your open source event is very important. It can make your event good or bad for the people who come. Think about what kind of event you're having, how many people will be there, and what you can afford.

In-Person Events

For events where people meet face-to-face, think about:

Online Events

If your event is on the internet, you need to pick a good online tool. Here are some options:

Mix of In-Person and Online

Some events have people in a room and online at the same time. For these, you need to think about both the real place and the online tool. Make sure people in the room and online can talk to each other.

Some events that do this well are:

• The Open Source Summit
• Events by the Linux Foundation

These events let people join in person or from home.

4. Make Events Welcoming for All

Making your open source event welcoming for everyone is key to creating a good experience. This means thinking about different types of people who might come and making sure they all feel included.

Group Ethos

When planning your event, think about these questions:

Answering these helps you make an event that fits what people want and need.

Getting Involved

Let people do more than just show up. Here's how:

• Make a chat group (like Slack or Discord) for people to talk before and after the event
• Let people help run the event
• Tell people clearly how they can help out

This helps people feel like they're part of a group.

Safety Considerations

Keeping everyone safe is very important:

5. Create Interesting Content

Making good content is key to keeping people interested in your open source community event. Here are some ways to do this:

Share Useful Presentations

Ask speakers if you can share their talks after the event. This:

• Gives people who came something useful
• Makes speakers want to make better talks

Tell People About Your Event

Collect things from your event like:

• Pictures
• Tweets
• Videos

Then, use a tool like Storify to make a report about what happened. This helps:

• Show people who didn't come what they missed
• Make people want to come next time

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6. Work with Other Communities

Working with other open source communities can make your event better. It helps you:

• Meet more people who know a lot
• Get more things to use
• Have more people come

When you work with others, you can learn from each other. This makes your event better for everyone who comes. It also helps you find new people to talk at your event or give money to help.

To find groups to work with:

1. Look for groups that like the same things as you
2. Ask if they want to work together
3. Tell them how working together can help both of you

Here are some good ways to work with other groups:

When you ask a group to work with you:

• Be clear about what you want to do
• Listen to what they want
• Be ready to change your plans if needed

Here's how to work well with other groups:

Working with other groups can make your event much better. It helps you learn new things and meet new people.

7. Communicate Clearly

Good communication is key to making your open source community event work well. It helps everyone know what's going on and feel part of the event.

Help People Who Come

Tell people everything they need to know about the event. This includes:

• When things happen
• Where to go
• What talks are on

Keep in touch with people before and during the event. This makes them feel good about coming.

Make the Event Run Smoothly

Talk often with your team, speakers, and helpers. This makes sure everyone knows what to do. If things change, tell people quickly. This stops problems and keeps the event running well.

Use different ways to talk to people:

Make sure all your information is clear and easy to understand. Include:

• Event schedule
• Who's speaking
• How to get to the event

8. Handle Event Details Well

Taking care of event details is key to running a good open source community event. This means making a list of things to do, giving jobs to people, and fixing problems that come up.

Make a Big List of Things to Do

A big list helps you remember everything for the event, like:

Give Jobs to People

Letting other people help makes the work easier. Give jobs like:

Fix Problems That Come Up

Even with good planning, things can go wrong. Be ready to fix problems by:

• Thinking about what could go wrong and how to fix it
• Knowing how to tell people if something changes
• Having a backup plan if someone can't come
• Being ready to change plans if needed

9. Help Attendees Connect

Helping people meet each other is a big part of open source community events. You can do this by planning activities that get people talking and making spaces where they can chat easily.

Plan Activities That Get People Talking

Here are some ways to help people meet:

Make Places for People to Meet

It's good to have places where people can talk without a set plan. Try these:

10. Use Feedback to Improve

Getting feedback from people who came to your open source event helps you make it better next time. Here's how to do it:

Ask the Right People

Try to get feedback from people who mostly liked the event but saw some things that could be better. They can give you good ideas.

Give Small Rewards

People are more likely to give feedback if they get something for it. You could offer:

Look at Outside Things

When you read feedback, think about other things that might have affected how people felt. For example:

Check if You Met Your Goals

Look at the feedback and see if it matches what you wanted to do. Ask yourself:

• Did we do what we said we would?
• Did people learn what we wanted them to?
• Did we help people meet each other?

This helps you see if your event did what you hoped it would.

Conclusion

By using these 10 tips for planning open source community events, you can make a good event that people will enjoy. Remember, to have a great event, you need to:

• Plan carefully
• Pay attention to small details
• Be ready to change things if needed

Open source community events let people work together, learn new things, and grow. When you make everyone feel welcome, people can meet new friends and come up with new ideas. Don't be scared to try new things and learn from mistakes.

As you use these tips, remember to:

• Get the community involved
• Talk clearly to everyone
• Always try to make things better

If you do these things, your event will be better than people expect.

Here's a quick look at what makes a good open source event:

Now you're ready to start planning your next open source community event! Use these tips and add your own ideas to make an event that people will remember and enjoy.

FAQs

What is an open source event?

Open source events are gatherings where people meet to learn about and work on open source projects. These events can be big or small and help open source grow. They're good for:

At these events, people can:

• Learn new things
• Share ideas
• Work on projects together
• Meet others who like open source

Open source events are key for:

• Growing open source overall
• Helping people in their jobs
• Making open source projects better

They give people a place to meet, learn from each other, and work on things that can help many people.

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