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.