How to Host or Attend a Tiny Conference(briancasel.com)
briancasel.com
How to Host or Attend a Tiny Conference
https://briancasel.com/tiny-conferences/
14 comments
Along similar lines, one of the first things that came to mind for me was Benjamin Franklin's Junto:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junto_(club)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junto_(club)
That's what I was thinking. Or maybe a circle (like the Vienna Circle).
The DevRel Salon in Amsterdam, hosted by Don Goodman-Wilson, takes this approach and it’s a refreshing change from the standard meet-up format.
It reminds me to the beginning of H. G. Wells' The Time Machine.
I feel like it's a bit odd to call these "conferences", given suggestions like: "we found that it adds more value for everyone when we hand-curate the attendee list."
The idea of a small group of folks coordinating what is essentially a combination vacation / work trip seems viable, and I can see how it would be productive/enjoyable, but this isn't a "conference" any more than me going out to brunch with a group of my friends and chatting about DevOps is a conference.
The idea of a small group of folks coordinating what is essentially a combination vacation / work trip seems viable, and I can see how it would be productive/enjoyable, but this isn't a "conference" any more than me going out to brunch with a group of my friends and chatting about DevOps is a conference.
>The idea of a small group of folks coordinating what is essentially a combination vacation / work trip seems viable, [...], but this isn't a "conference" any more than me going out to brunch with a group of my friends and chatting about DevOps is a conference.
The idea of a "conference" being a very tiny group of handpicked invitation-only friends to discuss a shared intellectual interest has a long history. The Solvay Conferences[1] being a good example. Ernest Solvay curated the physicists to invite and used his wealth to fund the meetings. There was also some rest & relaxation deliberately woven into those meetings.
But yes, this intimate gathering of peers is probably not thought of as a "conference" as much as Apple's WWDC and Microsoft's BUILD conferences.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvay_Conference
The idea of a "conference" being a very tiny group of handpicked invitation-only friends to discuss a shared intellectual interest has a long history. The Solvay Conferences[1] being a good example. Ernest Solvay curated the physicists to invite and used his wealth to fund the meetings. There was also some rest & relaxation deliberately woven into those meetings.
But yes, this intimate gathering of peers is probably not thought of as a "conference" as much as Apple's WWDC and Microsoft's BUILD conferences.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvay_Conference
We've been doing this since 2014: http://humanstate.com/winter-developers-conference
We called it a "conference" in lieu of not thinking of a better word. It's also only for our dev/design team, and we get to ski/snowboard (although that's because our Swiss office is based in a mountain resort...)
We called it a "conference" in lieu of not thinking of a better word. It's also only for our dev/design team, and we get to ski/snowboard (although that's because our Swiss office is based in a mountain resort...)
What do you think 'conference' means more than a structured meeting of a group of people with a shared interest?
In my mind, the relevant distinction is that a conference is broader than the "hand-curated list". If you had a conference and only 12 people showed up, I'd still be willing to consider it a conference. But when I ask some friends if they want to meet up after work and talk shop over beers, I'm not organizing a conference.
To be clear: literally speaking, "conference" is basically a useless word: it just means folks getting together and talking. Practically speaking, if we're going to use "conference" to mean any time multiple people talk to each other, the word stops being useful for communication, because when it's used it doesn't convey any information.
To be clear: literally speaking, "conference" is basically a useless word: it just means folks getting together and talking. Practically speaking, if we're going to use "conference" to mean any time multiple people talk to each other, the word stops being useful for communication, because when it's used it doesn't convey any information.
"Conference" has always meant any formal(-ish) gathering of people talking together. From OED: a formal meeting for discussion.
"he gathered all the men around the table for a conference"
It's "convention" that denotes "large conference". (OED, again: a large meeting or conference, especially of members of a political party or a particular profession)
It's "convention" that denotes "large conference". (OED, again: a large meeting or conference, especially of members of a political party or a particular profession)
I specifically noted in my comment that I understand the literal meaning of the word can be applied to basically any group of people who meet. My point is that an article about "How to Host or Attend a Tiny Conference" holds a very different connotation than "they gathered all the people around the table for a conference".
I was agreeing and expounding about the literal meaning and how easily it is to confuse "conference" and "convention". It seems like a lot of people's connotations in the debates here confound "conference" and "convention". The existence of "convention" for meaning "large conference" as size being a key factor would also seem to imply a usefulness in the term "small conference" or "tiny conference".
I think the remaining debate is about semantic distinctions in individual connotations eluded to in the "formal" part of the literal definition of "conference". To many here it seems like open enrollment is a formality they expect, though an interesting argument here would be that invite-only is more generally/historically considered the more "formal" in connotation. It's an interesting assumption to question in people's connotations of what "conference" means.
I think the remaining debate is about semantic distinctions in individual connotations eluded to in the "formal" part of the literal definition of "conference". To many here it seems like open enrollment is a formality they expect, though an interesting argument here would be that invite-only is more generally/historically considered the more "formal" in connotation. It's an interesting assumption to question in people's connotations of what "conference" means.
This has some similarity with something I've been organizing with some friends 1-2 times per year for the last four years, but our's is even tinier ;)
It is a one-day conference and we fill the day with talks on engaging topics for the audience. (We're techies, so this works better for us) There's been 10-18 attendees and this has been working well as long as the room we have been in has had the right size. It is invitation only, and we're struggling to keep the invitation list from growing too quickly. We're taking turns giving the presentations, so we have a reason to keep inviting the same people back. We order take-out for lunch and after the talks we go out for dinner.
This is dirt cheap. The admission price is really that you have to prepare a talk once in a while. We sometimes charge a little bit to cover costs for coffee and snacks and we have made an investment in a HDMI capture card.
The most striking similarity with the "Tiny Conferences" of the article is that it is definitely the conference I get the best value out of. I heartily recommend organizing something like it! :)
(If you are super curious, recordings mostly in Norwegian are here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAz5MrT56_p2DCt0D4fz8w A few are in English, and some are captioned in English)
It is a one-day conference and we fill the day with talks on engaging topics for the audience. (We're techies, so this works better for us) There's been 10-18 attendees and this has been working well as long as the room we have been in has had the right size. It is invitation only, and we're struggling to keep the invitation list from growing too quickly. We're taking turns giving the presentations, so we have a reason to keep inviting the same people back. We order take-out for lunch and after the talks we go out for dinner.
This is dirt cheap. The admission price is really that you have to prepare a talk once in a while. We sometimes charge a little bit to cover costs for coffee and snacks and we have made an investment in a HDMI capture card.
The most striking similarity with the "Tiny Conferences" of the article is that it is definitely the conference I get the best value out of. I heartily recommend organizing something like it! :)
(If you are super curious, recordings mostly in Norwegian are here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAz5MrT56_p2DCt0D4fz8w A few are in English, and some are captioned in English)
I used to do similar for a programming language, but it was around 30-40 attendees. Stayed at a hotel which had a large room with whiteboard, table and chairs so at to be arranged as required. Mainly run as a training event and attendees volunteered to show how they tackled problems or met requirements, so it covered everything from transitioning database files from ISAM to SQL variants, learning COM objects, creating own controls and more and was windows based. It proved popular because all presentations where submitted before the event so the powerpoint presentations could be stored on a cd/DVD along with their notes and example apps. This was so that if you were at the back of the room you could still run through on your own laptop what was being shown on the projector and also allowed you to work at your pace whilst also having something to take home with you. Some people learn from being tutored (theory) others learnt from the examples (practical), and most learnt from a bit of the both.
Having attended virtual online remote conferences, you dont get the same networking & relationship building as you do with the in the flesh conference which is important. Virtual conferences dont allow for the chit chat that you get in the flesh and this aspect of networking is hugely understated. It can build life long friendships and working relationships whilst also being useful for planning what to discuss/be taught in for future meetings. Whether its as relaxed as the type where one goes skiing is upto the group but having annual or biannual get togethers in the flesh is so much more productive because you get the spontaneous chit chat, inspiration that you miss from the sterile online remote conferences, not to mention the ability to pick up the phone, drop an email to ask someone something during the months between the meetings.
> In most cases, some or all people will share a room with someone else. This has worked fine in my experience. Just make sure that you’re up-front about this so that people don’t have the wrong expectation.
Precisely 1 of the event photos shared is mixed gender. I'm not sure he's enough consideration in this guide to the gender dynamic, and this quote is one of the prime examples of where things can go wrong.
Precisely 1 of the event photos shared is mixed gender. I'm not sure he's enough consideration in this guide to the gender dynamic, and this quote is one of the prime examples of where things can go wrong.
These looks like boys weekends, not Tiny Conferences.
I think I see at least one woman in 3 of the 6 photos, unless you had a higher ratio in mind to be considered mixed gender.
Did you just assume everyones gender?
I did, but I'm not sure that's a get out of jail free card for the author.
Not to defend the guy you're replying too, but it's quite a stretch to imply the author is in jail - or on the chopping block for, even.
The quote you originally had shoots down your complaints anyway, if you're upfront about it you can plan around it. And if people have strong preferences for same sex lodgings they can plan that upfront, or if not, maybe I'm misunderstanding your complaint?
The quote you originally had shoots down your complaints anyway, if you're upfront about it you can plan around it. And if people have strong preferences for same sex lodgings they can plan that upfront, or if not, maybe I'm misunderstanding your complaint?
It turns out that the language of social justice isn't just a set of magical incantations by which you produce controversy, and attempting to concern troll by cargo-culting that language is pretty much always obvious.
I think people are just getting tripped on the fact that it's called a conference or how can you possibly get value from 12 people having fun and talking on what looks like a vacation trip.
The problem is that on HN I would gather most people are tech workers or startup folks and have gone to "real" conferences which are big with tons of people, where Brian Casel fits more into the content marketing, consultant, life-style business sphere, which is usually for self-employed consultants, or 1-2 person bootstrapped SaaS or service businesses. In that sphere, there is so much value to be had talking to another successful person doing something similar to you and how they manage a solo 6 figure business and/or 100k+ mailing list empire.
As mentioned in the article, it's probably more akin to a mastermind group (again which seems like it only fits into that latter sphere, unless you are a high level operating exec), but with some variability into who gets in and who stays.
As someone who went from startup world into consulting world, reading and listening to the folks in that sphere, this kind of stuff is pretty common and is actually super valuable, perhaps 1000x more value then I've ever seen in another conference I've attended, especially since I'm more shy and dislike talking to rando's and going to strange parties knowing no one after hours, but this is a small group of people in an intimate setting where everyone can meet each other and get a chance to talk, like forced networking.
I don't think a group of friends or colleagues going skiing to discuss dev-ops or NodeJS would be that relevant or worthwhile in this type of case, but perhaps a group of founders running companies with 5-10 employees facing the same challenges might be.
The problem is that on HN I would gather most people are tech workers or startup folks and have gone to "real" conferences which are big with tons of people, where Brian Casel fits more into the content marketing, consultant, life-style business sphere, which is usually for self-employed consultants, or 1-2 person bootstrapped SaaS or service businesses. In that sphere, there is so much value to be had talking to another successful person doing something similar to you and how they manage a solo 6 figure business and/or 100k+ mailing list empire.
As mentioned in the article, it's probably more akin to a mastermind group (again which seems like it only fits into that latter sphere, unless you are a high level operating exec), but with some variability into who gets in and who stays.
As someone who went from startup world into consulting world, reading and listening to the folks in that sphere, this kind of stuff is pretty common and is actually super valuable, perhaps 1000x more value then I've ever seen in another conference I've attended, especially since I'm more shy and dislike talking to rando's and going to strange parties knowing no one after hours, but this is a small group of people in an intimate setting where everyone can meet each other and get a chance to talk, like forced networking.
I don't think a group of friends or colleagues going skiing to discuss dev-ops or NodeJS would be that relevant or worthwhile in this type of case, but perhaps a group of founders running companies with 5-10 employees facing the same challenges might be.
As I get older, I have less and less interest in most big tech vendor conferences and have taken pretty much all of them off my must-do list except for one (that's not too too big). They're crowded, the food is lousy, it's hard to meet up with people, I mostly don't care about the parties, etc.
I don't do any really small conferences but I do have several regulars in the 100-300 person range and they're definitely my favorites.
I don't do any really small conferences but I do have several regulars in the 100-300 person range and they're definitely my favorites.
There's also the Winter Tech Forum, previously known as the Java Posse Roundup, from the podcast. The recordings of the sessions certainly made me wish I could have attended.
Is there something like this in Western Europe? I've attended both conferences and meetups, but there's too much presentation and too little discussion.
Is there something like this in Western Europe? I've attended both conferences and meetups, but there's too much presentation and too little discussion.
I set up a page to gather feedback on my idea to do a tiny conference using amusement park ride lines for session time. http://thrillcode.xyz
Mostly people assume that I'm joking about doing this, but it is legitimately something I think would be a good idea. I got tired of seeing the same reused slide decks in conferences/conventions, and I love the idea of a conference medium where the medium's limitations can be creative opportunities (you can't present a slide deck in ride line, but you can speak to a passion), and naturally present a different sort of conference rhythm. Seriously, what if at the end of each session, whether it was good or bad, there was an amusement park ride to enjoy?
Mostly people assume that I'm joking about doing this, but it is legitimately something I think would be a good idea. I got tired of seeing the same reused slide decks in conferences/conventions, and I love the idea of a conference medium where the medium's limitations can be creative opportunities (you can't present a slide deck in ride line, but you can speak to a passion), and naturally present a different sort of conference rhythm. Seriously, what if at the end of each session, whether it was good or bad, there was an amusement park ride to enjoy?
Indie.vc's founder field trip to Tuft and Needle was probably the most valuable conference that I have attended. Everybody flew into Phoenix, had dinner Thursday evening, then spent all day Friday at T&N in sessions with the team. The group size of ~20 people was small enough to meet everybody but large enough that you could constantly be meeting new people. The sessions oriented everybody in discussing business tactics. However, the content was a bit dense - there was little time to relax and recharge. If the same amount of content was spread over 3 days, I think it would have been a lot more valuable.
Just wondering how long does a tiny conference last? One-day or two days?
Based on my experience, if it's mostly a daytime event (with maybe some beers or whatever afterwards), one day is good. If you want to have a real evening get-together then you might go for 1 1/2 days to give people an excuse to overnight.
For all the verbiage on the website it’s strange to see literally no mention of the cost of these trips on the linked event pages. Perhaps that’s because they’re just shared costs?
https://east.bigsnowtinyconf.com
This one has the cost listed as $595/person. That’s probably above the running costs, which are likely anywhere between 50-80% of 595*11.
This one has the cost listed as $595/person. That’s probably above the running costs, which are likely anywhere between 50-80% of 595*11.
I think they're just shared costs.
It may be worth observing that conferences aren't binary "tiny" and "big vendor conferences," the latter of which can get into the 10s of thousands.
There is a size in the 100-200 or so range that does tend to involve sponsorships and finding some sort of event space but is still relatively intimate. Fees can still be pretty modest.
It may be worth observing that conferences aren't binary "tiny" and "big vendor conferences," the latter of which can get into the 10s of thousands.
There is a size in the 100-200 or so range that does tend to involve sponsorships and finding some sort of event space but is still relatively intimate. Fees can still be pretty modest.
Indeed, I founded one: http://www.fromdayone.co
I’m hosting these on Majagual.org
(the island we acquired for the purposes of inspiring and connecting great souls).
Off grid adventures and transformational relationships.
(the island we acquired for the purposes of inspiring and connecting great souls).
Off grid adventures and transformational relationships.
Wait what? You bought an island to make a cryptocurrency around spending time on it? I am so confused.
You bought an island < yes
to make a cryptocurrency around spending time on it? < MAJA was created as an experiment, we've been giving it to people we are inspired by. It's backed by time on the island.
to make a cryptocurrency around spending time on it? < MAJA was created as an experiment, we've been giving it to people we are inspired by. It's backed by time on the island.
I've thought about organizing something like this in the NYC area, but I have no idea how to even start looking for a venue. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I need to Google to get started?
[deleted]
NYC is tough for (inexpensive) event space generally. You might try reaching out to meetup organizers and see where they meet. A lot of the time though meetups are in the evening and the space won't be available during the day. There are hotels of course but that raises the price a lot.
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I do super-tiny and pretty cheap “Studio” workshops (for just 4 paying participants, named after my studio office which is just a nicely-converted double garage). I live near a national park and that’s part of the attraction, but it’s sufficiently work-oriented that employers do pay (though most of my clients are independents). I’m getting people back for second helpings after big city workshops and it’s a nice change for all involved.
I have been to unconferences in mountain resorts. Actually great experiences but they’re not cheap. The very significant advantage is the intensity of the experience.
I have been to unconferences in mountain resorts. Actually great experiences but they’re not cheap. The very significant advantage is the intensity of the experience.
When did going to skiing with some mates become a conference?
Yeah, I went to Hooters...conferenced pretty hard, drank too much, conferenced all over the sidewalk...you can tell I am serious because I use the word conference a lot...conference.
Yeah, I went to Hooters...conferenced pretty hard, drank too much, conferenced all over the sidewalk...you can tell I am serious because I use the word conference a lot...conference.
> A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to please or to educate" (Latin: aut delectare aut prodesse). Salons, commonly associated with French literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries, were carried on until as recently as the 1940s in urban settings.