The Perfect Unconference Venue
May 21st, 2008 by JoeC
I like “unconferences” like PodCamps and BarCamps. These are conferences that are user-generated, the meeting equivalent of open-source software. They’re usually no or low charge and there’s no profit-making agenda behind them. Their purpose is to bring people together to help each other out. Sessions are done by attendees, as opposed to “big name” invited speakers. The organization is very ad hoc and go-with-the-flow. I love them because of the parties and the socializing that happen at them. I get to meet people in real life that perhaps before I had only known online, and I get to reunion with friends I’ve met the same way before. The real value of unconferences is in the friendships that you make, not the sessions, although they can be catalysts for making worthwhile new acquaintances.
The physical space where an unconference is held can have a dramatic effect on the experience that the attendees have. After attending several BarCamps and PodCamps, I’ve begun to formulate a concept for the Perfect Unconference Venue. Herewith are my ideas. I would love to hear what you think.
A single, large, openly connected space is what I have in mind. In a house, it would be called an “open floor plan”. So far, the best space I’ve personally experienced was PodCampBoston2 last October. It was held at the Boston Convention Center which is a HUGE facilty. We had a small corner of it, but it was wonderful in that all the session rooms, including the main ballroom-sized space, were adjacent to each other off a common main corridor. The corridor itself was wide and spacious and had comfy benches to sit on with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Boston skyline. As you probably know if you attend conferences, the best part often takes place in the corridors, where you can meet and talk to whomever you want, without the constraints of a formal panel or presentation.
Spaces that are on different floors or in disconnected parts of a building, or worse different buildings make people feel disconnected and stranded. You lose track of the people you want to see and be with. You feel isolated and alone. That’s not good. Unconferences (or regular conferences for that matter) ought to foster a feeling of connectedness and community, not isolation and loneliness.
Again, socializing is key, and ready availability of coffee, food and liquor and comfortable, quiet, cozy spaces would significantly enhance the experience for everyone. And let me emphasize the quiet aspect. As someone who is not young anymore, I have a hard time following conversations when there is a lot of ambient noise. It is not hard to create spaces with noise-dampening surfaces. Why make people yell at each other when they can have a calm, quiet conversation in an atmosphere that suggests closeness and encourages openness?
In my mind, I see the perfect venue having a circular overall architecture. Meeting rooms and large auditorium fanning out from a central terraced core socializing area which would funnel downward toward a central food services hub containing one or more bars, coffee and food vendors. The terraced architecture would let everyone see and be seen. People love to people watch. And at a conference, you would want to be able to spot your friends and acquaintances-to-be within that large open space.
The terraced socializing area would be furnished with many ultra-comfortable seating areas-some large, allowing a group of 10 or so to collect for an ad hoc conversation, and some small, intimate spaces for a few or even just two people to have a private conversation, yet still be semi-visible to others in the space. Ideally, the space would be adjacent to a hotel where attendees would stay and yet be convenient to an urban area with a host of independent restaurants and entertainment.
Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s a pipe dream. But damn, wouldn’t that be just perfect? I’m going to try to get my son, the architect, to put a rendering together on his CAD system and post it up here. Would love to hear your ideas on the Perfect Unconference Venue.
Joe, I have to agree about a venue that does not cause you to lose your voice by the end of day one. The free flow of ideas and bodies is key. Narrow hallways create bottlenecks.
Since we are dreaming, it would be awesome to have a computer at each gathering area so the discussion topic could be immediately posted to attract interested folks.
Circular seating, rather than schoolroom style reduces the tendency to see one person as the authority.
Dreams do come true Joe. Please go give something to your piggy bank today. More details in a few days.
It’s funny Joe, because even as a multi-camp organizer, I feel the same way. Keeping everyone as close as possible is optimal and promotes community; Architecture dictates how people feel and interact; I think there should be a separate podcamp rule called “the power of coffee and donuts”- and how we can provide some sort of central, friendly eating experience. I even thing having the meal/eating/gathering space as informal as possible, encouraging people to mingle and grab a seat next to someone else, a la a food court, or maybe even just two to three round tables- making people mix it up, interact and not form cliques.
The great joy and great frustration about unconferences is that you are always in the middle of a great conversation, but missing another great one occurring somewhere else at the same time. I think taking the time to post a subject might actually detract from the free flow nature of this kind of brainstorming, and I think we just have to accept we have to come back and hope we have the same great connections next time.
I always feel that the biggest problem with unconferences is that they aren’t long enough- I never seem to see enough of the people I really like. I secretly think we need to try a real camp atmosphere- take over a summer camp in the boonies (with wifi of course) and blend the gek with the socializing- it’s why the podcamp cruise was such a great idea- everyone concentrated on a boat for a specific period of time.
The worry of course, is the expense and effort it takes, and the reluctance of people to take time off of work or away from family to go on such a retreat. But ideally, in my mind, I’d love to include our families, because I want all of you to be “real” to my family, rather than those people I talk to in the box. For example, I was so happy having people stay in my house for Podcamp Philly because it closed my personal circle- my internet friends got to see where I live and my family got to meet my online family, so to speak.
So that’s my dream- a vacation beach house, camp in the mountains- something that would really build us all together into an even bigger, stronger team, lasting more than two short days; letting people stay up late or sleep in; grab coffee and chat almost 24 x 7.
Whitney,
I am SO DOWN with the beach idea! It’s a similar motivation for my SocialMedia BBQ coming up in August. Wouldn’t it be great to get a place on Cape Cod for something like that? Or really any seaside retreat. Of course, we do have Roxanne Darling planning PodCamp Hawaii, and I am planning to take my wife to that. A vacation destination like Hawaii would encourage people to bring their families.
JoeC