BarCamp Basics for Everyone
1. BarCamp Philly is a one day ‘un-conference’ event. That means the schedule and sessions for BarCamp Philly are decided on the morning of our event. Although some of our longtime attendees may promote that they’re giving a talk at the event, we cannot promise exactly what topics the day will include. It’s all a surprise, and that’s part of the fun!
2. As an attendee at BarCamp Philly, your voice gets to be heard! Throughout the morning, potential speakers will pin their talks to the session board, and everyone gets to vote with stickers for talks that they find interesting. This helps us judge the size of the audience for each talk. Please vote on any and all talks that sound like something you’d like to learn more about.
3. The “Rule of Two Feet” is BarCamp’s most important guiding principle. When you are in a BarCamp talk, feel free to move from the session you are currently in to another one. To us and the speakers this doesn’t mean “I don’t like you or your session.” It instead means “I’ve heard everything I need to hear from this session right now. Thanks for the information!”
4. Networking is most definitely encouraged! It’s a day of making new friends while learning something new. Meeting folks and sharing what you do is part of the fun.
5. We never want to turn away anyone for any reason. If the financial cost of BarCamp Philly is prohibitive, we encourage you to reach out to us at Ticketing@BarCampPhilly.org. Our sponsors and partners have reserved some tickets for folks who might not otherwise be able to attend. We would love to hear from you and help you be a part of the day!
Additional Guidelines
1. While we cater a light breakfast (and all the coffee you could possibly drink), lunch is on you. It’s a tradition to get lunch outside of the conference hall with some of the new people you’ve met!
2. There is no official BarCamp Philly after party. Traditionally, folks self-organize and gather where they’re comfortable, often bringing some new friends along.
3. Wearing a mask at BarCamp Philly is not required, and anyone is welcome to bring and wear a mask.
4. People are often taking photos and recording video throughout the day at BarCamp Philly. At registration, you’ll get the option of choosing a color-coded lanyard that shows everyone whether you’re okay with being photographed or recorded (green), you don’t want to be recorded at all (red), or you would prefer to be asked first (yellow). We ask everyone to honor these preferences — if you’re having difficulty seeing someone’s lanyard or if you’re unable to distinguish the colors, please ask permission before recording.
5. Please read and understand our event’s SafeSpaces policy to learn how our community members help each other ensure an enjoyable experience. If you’re not willing to abide by—and help enforce—these rules, please don’t attend.
How to get more involved or more information!
1. BarCamp Philly relies on volunteers throughout the year and especially on the day of the event. We’re always looking for more help. This is a small commitment, as little as one hour, and can involve checking attendees in, providing wayfinding information, and assisting with minor questions. We would love to have you join us, and you get a pretty sweet volunteers-only BarCamp Philly T-Shirt. If interested, email us at Info@BarCampPhilly.org.
2. For general questions, email us at Info@BarCampPhilly.org.
3. For ticketing questions, email us at Ticketing@BarCampPhilly.org.
4. For questions around sponsorship or are considering it, thank you in advance! You help us make the event possible. Email us at Sponsorship@BarCampPhilly.org.
For accessibility information about BarCamp Philly’s venue—Huntsman Hall at The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business—please refer to the following resources: Penn Access Map of Jon. M Huntsman Hall. You can also get more information from the facilities website for Huntsman Hall. If you need additional assistance, please let us know by emailing us at Info@BarCampPhilly.org.
Guidelines and Notes for Presenters
Curious about giving a talk but not sure where to start? Here are our top 5 questions and answers about preparing to speak at BarCamp Philly
1. What do you want to say with your presentation?
Think about what is important to share with your audience. You likely have a ton of great ideas! The best talks tend to have interesting visuals or is a topic that the speaker is passionate about. Talks can also be given by more than 1 person in a session, so grab a friend!
2. Who is your audience?
When crafting and giving your presentation, who are you intending to speak to? Is it an experienced audience with extensive prior knowledge or are you hoping to educate novices on the basics of your favorite subject? Attendees come from a fairly diverse background. We have seen folks provide both entry-level and expert-level talks at BarCamp over the years, but it means communicating that clearly in your talk title and on your voting card.
3. What is the one thing you want your audience to walk away with after listening to your speaking session?
Folks are going to attend a lot of sessions in one day! Try to focus on just one or two key takeaways that will stick out in their minds. Additionally, having a takeaway like an informational cheat sheet, a QR code to your slide deck, website, white paper, or printed infographic will help make your point memorable.
4. What type of session do you want to host?
Talks can take on any format you like! They can be straight informational like a lecture, a fun educational learning experience, or cultivate a group discussion with a round-table Q&A or an entirely different “immersive learning” experience.
5. What resources do you need for your presentation?
You don’t need to create a slide deck, but you should come with specific materials or tools you need. If you’ve prepared materials, please bring your own laptop or a flash drive. We can accommodate most requests, but the earlier you tell the BarCamp Philly team what you need, the faster we can assist you. We have projectors and white boards for you.
Remember that BarCamp Philly is about sharing ideas, whether unfinished or polished like marble. This is meant to be fun, not intimidating. If you have any questions, please let the BarCamp Philly team know! We aren’t mind readers (yet), so we can only help you if you help us out and share what you need with us!