(or what I did for the last four months)
This post was my first attempt to summarize the awesomeness that was BarCamp Philly 2 + BeerCamp. It came out rote and logistical, writing it the day after both events my mind was still reeling, so I left it unpublished for awhile, mulling over everything. Now that i’ve typed up the broader-view of the experience (v1 above), I thought it worthwhile to publish this one too incase anyone out there on the interwebs wants to know how shit went down:
August – Get Started.
Set-up the basics:
- Venus
- Finances
- Parties! *BeerCamp Kickoff Meeting with TGOB + IndyHall*
- New Website
September – Communicate.
- Sponsorship
- Community Involvement
- Homebrewer Happy Hour
- Open Registration
October -Grow it.
BarCamp
- Registration is growing!
- Pursue additional resources (space + sponsors)
- T-Shirt Costs
- Coffee & Food Estimates
BeerCamp
- Blue-sky event ideas
- Basic Website
- Organize homebrewers, get people talking
- Find Beer Industry supporters
- Custom Glassware Pricing
November – Execute.
BarCamp
- Get sponsor logos together for website
- Design & print t-shirt
- Manage waitlist
- Start to rally volunteers
- Order Pins, Lanyards, signs, supplies
- Finalize venu resources (We need more space! Secured the Black Box)
- Put together informational handout (trifold this year, inspired by DIY Days)
- Order coffee + noms
BeerCamp
- Get all Brewer Bios/Buy-in together
- Check-up on all the homegrown beers
- Publish everything on website as it comes together
- Coordinate with Unbreaded for sandwiches
- Open ticket sales
- Design and order custom glassware
- Purchase all supplies & set-up (1 day!)
Wow. That’s how it went down. These things were largely achieved totally collaboratively via emails between the three BarCamp organizers on the BarCamp side, and the TGOB + Howdiz/Brewing conglomerate on the BeerCamp side.
Most important tools, in no particular order:
1) Google Chat
2) Email
3) Google Groups
4) Twitter
5) Google Docs & Spreadsheets
6) WordPress
7) Eventbrite
Its amazing looking back how ordered and sensible it all seems. I remember feeling this constant state of excitement at all the new ideas and new things coming together, while at the same instant having no idea how it was going to fall into place. This was especially the case with BeerCamp, as we had a pretty solid idea of what to expect from BarCamp last year. Though growth in registration for BarCamp posed new challenges all along the way too…
We couldn’t believe that with almost a month to go until the event that we had hit our max capacity of 350 registrants. A waiting list popped-up and the question of capacity became front-and-center. For both events! What a great problem to have, such an active, bustling, eager community growing right before our eyes.
On the BeerCamp side, the moment that was really INCREDIBLE to me was how many homebrewers came out to our Happy Hour and were excited to get involved in a new DIY/Community oriented beer event. These were all connections that had been floating around in the tech/co-working community around everyone’s favorite topic – BEER! Certainly the new energy around beer had been bolstered by the recent sucesses of TGOB. It was refreshing to see this new, younger, greener community growing around BeerCamp bursting at the seams for a way to come together and share their love for making beer.
So how was it?
Awesome. Both events went off without a hitch (meaning they both had minor hitches of course). The energy inside BeerCamp was frenzied but fun as IndyHall transitioned from co-working space to beer + sandwich set-up in just twohours. The brewers were all AMAZING in helping to make this happen, lugging-in equipment and helping with set-up. Once the doors were open and attendees started flowing into the space, it was clear the event was going to be a blast.
So much great beer, so many good people, some really incredible sandwiches, and two great hosts. It really was a blast.
The next day at BarCamp came together with the same amazing kismet. It was early, and there was a bit of hangovercamp clouds floating in the air, but the space was so beautiful and open as we started to set-up. When we first walked into the 16th floor space in the morning with Roz and JP I knew it was going to be unreal.
And it was….
