NUCCC-checklist

Tentative deadlines

These deadlines are guesswork. Your mileage may vary.

T-3 months

• Website created (design not required)
• Date picked, added on website and clubs informed
• Link to website added on nuccc.org

T-2 months

• Conference logo (and possibly slogan) complete
• Sponsor deals complete
• Poster sent to other clubs
• Website updated, with info and design
• Place to have dinner booked

T-1 month

• Speakers booked
  • Make sure the speakers travel and sleeping arrangements are clear to everyone

T-1 week

• Check that all technical equipment for speakers is OK.
• Contact all attendants and speakers with last-minute updates
  • Remind about info on how to get there
  • Who to call if you get lost

Correspondence

• if you want to know whether people read your mail, remember to add some question they will answer
• Pick a few suggestions, contact clubs@nuccc.org to poll which date is most suitable
• Notify clubs@nuccc.org IMMEDIATELY after the date is set, even if you don't have any other info yet, to avoid double-bookings.
• Don't be afraid to e-mail clubs@nuccc.org (and perhaps people@nuccc.org) when the webpages are updated. People do not poll them often.
  • Remember to also send updates to sponsors and speakers.
• Send a poster by mail a few months before. Include whatever info you have at the time. This means the logo must be finished at this time.

Sponsors

• 2-4 sponsors are OK. 5-7.000 NOK are realiastic from a sponsor, 15.000 NOK from a main sponsor (adjust to fit your country)
• Focus on companies where members of your club work, they can talk to management. Talk to the members.
• Also talk to companies who you have previously dealed with in some way
• Most companies don't answer when they mean "no". Poke them again after a week if they don't reply. Don't be afraid to call them on the phone.
• Remember to inform about what the benefits for sponsoring are:
  • Possibility to speak at your conference
  • Logo on your T-shirts/posters/web pages (twice as big for main sponsor)

Speakers

• Have a dedicated person for handling speakers (could be the same person handling sponsors, because sponsors often send speakers)
• Start finding speakers as soon as the date is set.
• Prepare an e-mail with information about NUCCC
• Unless you know the speaker personally, sending an e-mail will rarely cut it. Give him/her a call first. If he/she is interested, follow up with the information e-mail.
• Sponsors will often want to have a speaker. But you are unlikely to get more than two or three speakers from sponsors, tops. Start asking others right away.

After booking the speaker

• Inform the speaker about what technical equipment is available
• Check back at least once a month to check on the speaker. If not, they might forget you and double-book themselves.
• If you e-mail your speaker and you do not get a reply within a week, ask them to confirm that they received your message.

Stuff/handouts

• Having a little booklet with the program, a map of the city, some interesting info (like pubs or when/where beer is sold) is a good idea.
• T-shirts are a good idea.
• Geeks from Sweden and Finland often expect a patch to stitch on their overall

Dinner

• Finding a place to eat is hard (at least in Norway). Start early, or the cheap ones will be booked.
• Using a catering company for the dinner is usually a good idea. Other meals you can usually do yourselves.
• Remember to make a songbook for the party. Geeky songs are important.
• Having a toastmaster is a good idea.