Organizing a Technical Show and Tell
From Payne.org Wiki
This note summarizes our experience with a Boston-area CTO group with organizing a technical "show and tell".
Feel free to use the info here (email messages, templates, etc.) to organize your own event. A reference/credit to this page would be appreciated, but is not necessary.
Here are the emails sent out by the organizer.
Contents |
Genesis
This idea started from a number of one-on-one discussions with Internet/software CTO friends that were all comparing notes on the same things: hosting, technology stacks, scalability, development tools, open source libraries, operations, etc.
Those one-on-one discussions evolved into the idea of having a group "show and tell", where a bunch of local Internet companies got together to present technical implementations, compare notes on common issues, and network.
Things to consider up front:
- Non-presenting attendees? We were worried about having a lot of attendees with not enough presenters. We didn't actively solicit non-presenting attendees, and it worked out. We got about 20 total people, across 7 companies. A few folks asked to attend but not present -- we put them on the list, but only one showed up.
- Competitive overlap. We wanted an open discussion, so we made sure that there were no competitors. Every presenter knew the other companies presenting, and in one case, the organizer asked two companies to make sure they were comfortable (they were).
Pick a Format & Date
Based on the responses to the inquiry email, we planned for about 8 companies presenting, with 15 minutes for each company (total 2 hours). Our idea was to cover key elements and make introductions, and companies interested in more detail could take those discussions off-line.
One of the companies eventually canceled, so we ended up with 7 presenting.
(In retrospect, keeping it to 2-3 hours was good, as "meeting fatigue" sets in much beyond that. Next time, we'd budget 20 minutes per presentation).
About 4 weeks out, we polled everyone for their availability and picked a date that worked for everyone that was about 3 weeks out. We also suggested CTOs bring 1-2 others: the head ops person and a tech lead or senior developer. The email also included the confirmed presenter list, so we could ferret out any competitive overlap.
Lock in Venue & Food
We scheduled our event partially over lunch (11am to 1pm), and a local venture firm "sponsored" a light lunch. Plan B was pizza delivery.
We found a venue that was large enough and mutually convenient for everyone. Our venue had a screen and projector. If yours doesn't, you'll have to borrow/rent one.
Schedule access to your venue for 30-60 minutes before the meeting start time, so your organizer can make sure everything is set up and have time to correct any problems. In addition, you should reserve the room for 60+ minutes after the scheduled end time, as (a) it's likely you'll run over, and (b) some may want to linger and have more detailed discussions.
Send out Venue, Schedule, & Slide Template
After the date and venue were locked in, we sent out an email that included that info along with a Power Point slide template.
We designed the template based on the interests expressed during the one-on-one discussion. It also helped to have a consistent slide format and a consistent level of detail.
Slides were due 4 business days before the event. Most met the deadline, one group was 2 days late.
Some were concerned about sharing sensitive information. We did not require an NDA, but we wanted the most open discussion possible, and did ask everyone to keep the material confidential. As a compromise, we handed out only paper copies of the presentations at the meeting; we did not distribute them electronically.
The slide template included an area for each company to list team: name, role, and email contact info, so everyone attending had everyone else's email address.
Here is the template we used: Image:BostonCTOPresTemplate.ppt.
Slide Reminder
One day before slide templates were due, we sent out a reminder.
As the slides come in, the organizer should quickly review for typos, consistent detail level, etc.
Prepare for the Meeting
A day or two before the meeting:
- Choose the presentation order. We went from "youngest" to "oldest" company, and it seemed to work well.
- Assemble the integrated slide deck, and make sure it's loaded on your laptop.
- Assemble the final attendee list (our host needed a final attendee list, and we needed a lunch headcount)
- Print out handouts (We did 2 slides per page, duplex, in black and white. Color would have been nicer).
- As a backup, put the presentation on a USB drive and make sure someone else brings a laptop that can be used to present.
Day of Meeting
"(Our co-lo provider) did not share our passion for uptime."
Send out reminder email, including the organizer's cell phone for any last minute coordinating.
Order lunch (if necessary).
Bring a digital camera; take pictures. We got a nice group picture at the end.
During the meeting, try to keep things moving along. Between a few late arrivals, and everyone getting settled, we got started about 15 minutes late. Next time, we'd factor that into the schedule (but not tell anyone).
Ask for live feedback. Remind everyone about keeping the information confidential.
Send thank you emails to everyone that helped you get organized (especially the sponsors).