On Vendors & Unconferences
Session Whiteboard from flickr user ikkoskinen
RE BarCamp Phoenix starts in 36 hours or so and I noticed a new hashtag on Twitter #vendorrush
Dustin Luther, Jim Marks & Jay Thompson started a conversation last night about facilitation and organization.
Organized Session List vs Open White Board
With an organized session list, attendees have advance knowledge of topics covered and speakers know if they’ll be speaking about their topic.
The open white board means that anyone can vy for a speaking slot to discuss whatever topic they want to learn more about or will be useful.
The potential problem? When the white board opens, attending vendors will rush for the white board to pitch or self-promote.
As a BarCamper and someone with a professional relationship to one of the sponsors, DocuSign, I found the discussion interesting.
BarCamps, as ad-hoc unconferences, embody a spirit of sharing and learning from others in an open environment. This sharing and learning likely includes discussions, demos and interaction from attendees.
Who goes to BarCamp?
Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. This includes vendors. Vendors can expect to share what they have with attendees so long as they recognize that attendees can also vote with their feet. Large events mean lots of people to learn from and share with.
Provide interesting, useful content in your session and you don’t have to worry about being that vendor.