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| | The Podcaster Central Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Podcamp Questions | Views: 410 | | Apr 18, 2007 4:34 pm | | Podcamp Questions | # | 
Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | When should one conduct a podcamp? Can it be done outdoors at a summertime festival from a booth - provided you have Internet access? If the answer is "yes," and you know someone in Northern California is interested in doing something like this, I would really like to be contacted.
I am involved with an outdoor festival called "Middletown Days" in Middletown, CA. I would like to spruce up the overall festival with a podcamp, but am having trouble finding folks in Northern California that know anything about the process. Last year, I was able to bring the Fox News Channel to my town for the festival. Unfortunately, there was nothing going on here that convinced them to stay beyond the parade. In fact, most folks attending the parade did not bother to come to the festival. Yes, it was that bad. So, this year, a special effort is being made to change that situation. We are having a local radio station do a live broadcast of the parade - and maybe even the festival as well. If we could gather a podcamp here, that would be a real feather in our cap. Unfortunately, Middletown Days is scheduled for June 16th and 17th. There is not much time left. Is there anyone out there that can help me?
Lamar Morgan
CDMM
http://www.squidoo.com/CDMM
Attract more customers! Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | Apr 18, 2007 5:31 pm | | re: Podcamp Questions | # | 
Angelo Cerase | | Lamar,
First off, I'd like to say that I've only been to one podcamp (Podcamp Toronto) and a few community festivals.
In my opinion, merging the two will be twice the work, and there will probably be little 'cross-pollination'. In fact, they would be competing for the same customers at the same time.
From what I've seen, the people that go to community festivals go there to spend anywhere from an hour or more outside walking around on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And it attracted a wide variety of people, from young families, to the elderly, and everyone in-between. Geography seemed to be the major deciding factor, IMO, since I would consider going to a festival in my neighbourhood, but I wouldn't bother going to one far away unless there was a special reason to.
Podcamp Toronto had a different atmosphere. It was indoors, in a building in a downtown university. Many people attended both days, all day. Many people had very similar interests, work in similar fields, and were well aware of podcasting, as listeners of podcasts at the very least. Both days were full of energy and enthusiasm (albeit different from the energy and enthusiasm from a community festival). I'd like to compare it to a weekend seminar that your workplace would send you to, but more positive and with more energy than anyone that I've ever been to.
I don't mean to sound negative or anything, but perhaps organizing a Podcamp is not the best way to keep the "parade-crowd" in town to stay for the festival. Don't get me wrong, I applaud your efforts to work on community events - without volunteers like you, there would be a lot fewer events going on.
It sounds like you really want to put on a Podcamp. I suggest choosing another weekend, and giving yourself ample time to put together a team to put together the best Podcamp you can. There are 52 weekends a year, so the Podcamp and the festival don't have to be on the same one.
As far as the festival goes, find an event or events that the 'parade-crowd' would be interested in. You've identified your target market/niche, now find out what makes them tick and what they want - then give it to them.
To be perfectly honest, my guess (and it's just a guess) is that few 'parade-watchers' will also be podcasters, and even if they are, I doubt they would be willing to drag their spouse and children in tow to several hours of seminars. Perhaps plenty of festival events for children would be a better idea? Rent one of those inflatable castles for kids to jump around in, and some carnival games. Face painters are always popular (heck, get an army of them so the kids don't have to wait long). Find out what will make kids happy (and in turn, their parents) and give it to them.
Best of luck,
AngeloPrivate Reply to Angelo Cerase | | Apr 19, 2007 2:03 pm | | re: re: Podcamp Questions | # |
Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | Angelo,
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments.
Whether the podcamp is inside a building or takes place outdoors, what happens? Is there some kind of official agenda, keynote speakers that come to a platform, talk and show slides? What is the format for a podcamp? I can recall when Atlanta hosted Comdex. Year after year you had this wonderful trade show. Some of the vendors put on very clever skits showcasing their products. Does a podcamp feature vendors of software or hardware products? Or, is it more along the line of a computer user group meeting? Having never been to a podcamp, I am clueless.
Lamar Morgan
CDMM
http://www.squidoo.com/CDMM
Attract more customers! Private Reply to Lamar Morgan 954-603-7901 | | Apr 19, 2007 3:43 pm | | re: re: re: Podcamp Questions | # |
Angelo Cerase | | HI Lamar,
First off, I strongly suggest going to a Podcamp. It's lots of fun for podcast pros to podcast wannabes and everyone inbetween.
Most Podcamps are 'Un-conferences'.
With a regular conference, the speakers are set up in advance of the event being announced, and the whole thing is scheduled well in advance.
An unconference works something like this:
- Organizer announces there will be a PodCamp, and has (ideally) secured the required space (no agenda has been set), and ideally a hotel nearby
- Organizer searches for volunteers to help out
- Guests register on a website
- Guests volunteer to host a seminar session on whatever topic they think people might be interested in hearing
- Organizer sets up a rudimentary schedule (ie we have 3 different rooms set up, sessions will be 30min in length with a 15min break in between, etc)
- Guests that volunteered to host a session sign up for one of the spots
- Schedule is finalized shortly before the event. Check out what the final schedule looked like http://podcamptoronto.pbwiki.com/Schedule
- People show up, mingle, chat, attend various sessions, etc. and a good time is had by all
Of course this is an overly-simplified version. This process seemed to have started at least 8 months before the event, possibly more. Each step was spread out over several months, so you were able to register as a presenter a few months after regular registration was open, and presenters were able to fill in spots a few months after their registration was open (to allow a good number of presenters to have registered first).
My suggestion is to attend several different podcamps, since I'm sure each one is different from the other. Here's where you can find some info:
http://podcamp.pbwiki.com/
You can see which ones seem to be better organized that others.
Fortunately Podcamp Toronto was held a university and the university staff videotaped all the sessions and posted them online. You can view all the sessions at:
http://podcamptoronto.pbwiki.com/MediaArchive
Anyways, go to several podcamps and/or network with many other podcasters in your area. Hop on a cheap Southwest flight and visit some Podcamps in different cities.
AngeloPrivate Reply to Angelo Cerase | | |
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