[GRLUG] BarCampGR unconference: Aug 23 & 24

Tue Jul 23 21:10:22 EDT 2024

Attention everyone who likes anything! BarCampGR is back again, the wonderful 
"unconference" where anyone and everyone can share their passion about 
technology, art, nature, people and life itself.  BarCampGR will be on Friday, 
August 23 and Saturday, August 24 at the Calvin University School of Business.

To register and attend for free, visit: https://barcampgr.org/register/

If you're already a BarCamp “camper” and know a company that might be interested 
in sponsoring, let us know - we are seeking sponsors!

LOCATION
Calvin University's School of Business in Grand Rapids, MI

SCHEDULE
Friday, August 23

     5:00-5:30 PM – Doors Open

     5:30-6:30 PM – Check-in and dinner

     6:30-7:00 PM – Opening session

     7:00-9:30 PM – Sessions every 1/2 hour

     9:30-10:00 PM – Afterparty

Saturday, August 24

     9:00-10:00 AM – Continental breakfast

     10:00 AM-12:00 PM – Sessions every 1/2 hour

     12:00-1:00 PM – Lunch

     1:00-4:00 PM – Sessions every 1/2 hour

     4:00-4:30 PM – Closing session

Thank you and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions: 
info at barcampgr.org

New to BarCampGR or want more information? Read on below and also see our 
website https://barcampgr.org.

//What is BarCampGR?

Meet interesting people, talk about what you want to talk about, listen to what 
you find interesting! That's what we're about. From web programming to digital 
photography, computer vision to tabletop games, cosplay to turkey basting, we've 
had it all. We don't set the talks up ahead of time; you, the attendees, show up 
and give BarCampGR direction and content.

//What's the format?

Talks run 25 minutes long, with five minutes in between. Sit in on a talk or 
hang around in the lounge and talk; it's all the same to us. If you give a talk, 
we don't care how—so long as you don't get us in trouble! Give a monologue, a 
Q&A or a round table; it's your topic, your presentation, your audience. If 
people want to hear about your topic, they'll be there.

//Don't know what to talk about?

Certainly you have some relatively unique experiences! What do you do for a 
hobby? Is there something you managed to fix that you're proud of? It doesn't 
matter if the height of your accomplishment is changing your car's oil or 
deploying a thousand servers; if people are interested, they will show up at 
your talk. If they aren’t interested, no big deal; they'll likely attend one of 
the other talks.

But I'm not an expert!

Sure you are! If you know the first thing about a subject, you know more than 
people who don't. Sure, people who know more than you might attend your 
presentation. Interact with them; you found a kindred spirit. Chances are, if 
you're both interested in the same subject, you'll look for each other in the 
lounge later to follow up!

//How do I register a talk?

There's a blank schedule grid near the entrance with a list of rooms and times, 
and the grid starts off empty. Simply walk up to that board, find a spot, write 
in your topic and your name, and then show up in that room at that time to 
speak. It's that simple. Please be considerate when signing up for multiple 
talks at the start of the conference. If you see slots lingering open later on, 
feel free to fill them in then. This allows for more room for new talks and late 
adds, while also keeping you from accidentally scheduling an hour for a 25 
minute talk!

I'm not sure I want to talk...

No problem. Come on in, take a look around and get a feel for things. It's a 
two-day event; come by on Friday, sit in on the presentations which interest you 
or hang around in the lounge and network with other people. Perhaps you'll be 
inspired to talk about something later or on Saturday. Or perhaps you'll be 
content to simply listen to the people around you; it's all good.

If you'd like to be able to listen, but don't know if you'll have anything to 
say, you can still…

//Join us as a volunteer!

We need people to help prep & setup before the event, and help everything run 
smoothly during the event.  If you can help set up, be a greeter, help take out 
trash, etc that would be great. Just mark the checkbox on the registration form 
and we'll get in touch.

We also have a Slack chat you can join at https://barcampgr.org/slack-chat/  Use 
it to ask for certain subjects to be covered.  Or use it to offer subjects that 
you can talk about. And after the event, use it to post supplemental materials 
and ask followup questions.

CODE OF CONDUCT

You can read our code of conduct here:

     https://barcampgr.org/code-of-conduct/

See you there!