Episode 34: Organizing Conferences and Events with Kevin Lewis

Enjoy the Vue - A podcast by The Enjoy the Vue Team

Categories:

Tehnologie

Key Points From This Episode

  • What brought Kevin to the Vue ecosystem, after struggling with the “magic” of React.
  • What Kevin’s day-to-day is like at Vonage when it comes to organizing events.
  • Shifting to virtual conferences and events, and how Kevin’s team has gone on to help others.
  • Some of the software Kevin has used for virtual conferences, like Remo and StreamYard.
  • Women of React was the first remote conference Kevin organized, and he learned a lot!
  • Event organizing versus remote conferencing – how Kevin started his career and what he thinks is lost when an event goes virtual.
  • Typical things Kevin sees conference organizers get wrong, from access points and WiFi to food, networking, and plants in the audience.
  • Scheduling – planning breaks, based on content of the conference, facilities, and buffer time.
  • It’s your responsibility as an event organizer to make sure that speakers feel respected.
  • When it comes to Q&A sessions, Kevin has some tips fro making sure it’s moderated well.
  • Kevin asks the panel what makes an event good for them as attendees – Ari says the hallway track or time between talks is vital.
  • Ben says he appreciates guidance for newer attendees on after parties and dinners, etc.
  • Tessa’s feedback includes structured activities for attendees to mingle, like bowling.
  • A firm structure for events and locations seems like a low barrier to entry, but it’s crucial.
  • Over-communicating is critical! Your audience needs to know if things in the program change.
  • Single-track versus multi-track conferences – it depends what you’re trying to achieve.
  • Selecting speakers – Kevin reacts to Ben’s story of a conference with a blind CFP survey.
  • Kevin talks about BarCamp London and the simple concept of an unconference.
  • The CFP or talk selection process, and Kevin’s take on it for an event like You Got This.
  • Keynote spots are a way to course-correct if your lineup isn’t diverse or goes off the rails.
  • The value of a mentorship program for first-time speakers to encourage and support them.

Picks of the week:

Resources mentioned:

Special Guest: Kevin Lewis.

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