Let the BarcampLA 9 organizers know when you’d like the next barcamp by completing this poll.

The Barcamp Org team wants to be transparent with our numbers, and we’ve finally had a chance to reconcile the expenses for Barcamp LA 8. The good news is: all our costs were covered and we even have a surplus of $992.80. This money will be used to produce Barcamp LA 9.

As someone watching the ticket sales, getting sponsors and managing the budget, it was not obvious we would come out in the black until a few days before the event. We got some last minute sponsors and there were a fair number of last minute and on-site ticket sales.

Most importantly to note, this event would not have happened without the ticket sales. From the Income data below, you can see that ticket sales were 60% of the income.

Square was the onsite ticket sales.  We had a total of 8 sponsors ranging from individuals who gave $100 to companies donating up to $500. Tickets cost anywhere from $25 to $55. People who bought tickets when we planned to have the event back in January for $35 were offered a second ticket at no extra cost as a thank you for their support. We did refund tickets for those who asked – and there were several people who did request this. Many people waited until the last minute to buy tickets – making the logistics more difficult – but also allowing us to cover costs and add lunch (pizza) both days.

Now let’s look at the expenses. Because of the venue we selected (Mt Washington Elementary School) we did not have to pay for Insurance – usually a $700+ cost, but the trade-off was crummy Internet.

Because of the last minute ticket sales and sponsorship, we were able to add sponsored breakfast both mornings and a lunch of pizza’s both days. We had really wanted to provide meals, but our earlier budgets did not allow. When we saw (the day before Barcamp) we would have enough funds for lunch, we added it.

All in all the organizers were very happy that Barcamp LA 8 came out in the black. Since this was a successful event, we expect to be able to engage additional sponsors with the intention of lowering the cost or even making it free to attend. The organizers wish to thank each and everyone who bought a ticket. Your support really mattered in making this community event happen. We hope you will spread the word about BarcampLA 9 (not yet scheduled) and help us continue to have this community supported event in Los Angeles.

(post cross-posted from Heather’s blog)

Barcamp is almost upon us and we are very excited to see you on Saturday. In this post you will find all the information you need to have a great Barcamp!

*******Please note, there is an after party Saturday night that everyone is welcome too –
whether or not you attended Barcamp or got a ticket. *********

Contents:
Location and Parking
Tickets and T-shirts
Agenda: arrive at 9:30am
Presentations
Food Trucks and Snacks
Schedule
After Party
WiFi Status
Stuff to bring with you

1. Location and Parking
Barcamp is held at Mt Washington Elementary, 3981 San Rafael Avenue,
Los Angeles CA
Map: http://bit.ly/klwSHm
Parking is neighborhood street parking. Please be courteous and do not
block driveways. Please do not park in the small parking lot, as it is
needed for Food Truck parking. We recommend carpooling if possible.

2. Tickets and T-shirts
Tickets are still available: use discount code “ilovebarcamp” to get
50% off: http://barcampla8.eventbrite.com/
You do not need to print out your ticket. Please bring your name and
email address that was used to purchase your ticket. T-shirts are not
guaranteed if you purchased your ticket after 4/16.

3. Agenda Creation
The conference schedule aka the Agenda is created each morning of the
event. So bring your presentations, demo, expertise and great ideas.
There will be 30, 60 and smaller time slots as desired.

4. What to Present?
Bring presentations, demos, hack sessions, whatever you’re passionate
about (please try to keep it tech/internet related). We will have
projectors, but wifi is spotty.

5. Food Trucks and Food
We will have no-host food trucks on hand for lunch both days.
Breakfast, coffee and beverages will be available to attendees both
days. We recommend you bring a water bottle as there are plentiful
water fountains and we will not have bottled water. We will have a
snack table pot-luck so bring some snacks or something you would like
to share.

6. Schedule

Saturday
9:00am Coffee and Breakfast: Please arrive at this time
10:00am Barcamp Begins
10:30am Agenda Creation
11-8pm: Barcamp sessions (with lunch, dinner and snack breaks)
8PM-??: Afterparty nearby

Sunday
9:00am Coffee and Breakfast: Please arrive at this time
10:00am Recap and Agenda Creation
10:30-4pm: Barcamp sessions (with Lunch break)

7. Saturday Night After Party
We will have an afterparty on Saturday night at a bar/restaurant ~15
minutes away. Everyone is welcome.

8. Wifi
Please note that the venue is an elementary school, which has very
limited (and blocked) WiFi. Additionally, the school is in a bit of a
dead zone with limited coverage. Please prepare to be unplugged at
Barcamp.:)

9. Stuff to Bring
Barcamp does not happen without you. If you can bring anything to make
the event better we appreciate it. We can use:
projectors,
powerstrips,
extension cords,
your own water bottle,
your own internet (if you need that),
extra snacks and drinks (no alcohol please) and
a DIY attitude.

Be sure to look for unorganizers and volunteers wearing chocolate
brown shirts if you need assistance.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us. We’re very
excited to see you in a few days.

The Barcamp LA Team
Scott, Alex, Heather, Andy, Carlyn, Shana

Just a quick note to let you know that the tee shirts for barcampla-8 have been ordered. Attendees will get a olive colored shirt and unorganizers/volunteers will get a chocolate brown shirt.  If you bought your ticket before 4/18, I have your name and shirt size to ensure you get one.  If you bought a ticket later, I did order additional shirts but it is possible we will run out or not have one in your size.

Here is the artwork (thanks to Ed and Carlyn):

If you are curious, we ordered them from tshirtpros.com based on a strong recommendation by Podrunner.

Hey Los Angeles Barcampers!

Are you getting excited for the upcoming BarcampLA on April 30^th & May 1^st? It’s been in the works for a while since its hiatus but it’s finally upon us! BarcampLA is an ad-hoc technology conference where attendees are the speakers. Got something cool to share with your fellow tech geeks? Been working on a neat side project? Come to BarcampLA and meet others with your passion while sharing yours. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, be sure to do so here! Don’t forget to purchase student priced tickets if you’re enrolled in a college or university to get a discount! (Be sure to bring your Student I.D.) Your business may also sponsor BarcampLA by contacting @BarcampLA on Twitter or using the contact form. It’s a perfect opportunity to reach out to the tech saavy community within Los Angeles!

Twitter users, want a chance for a free ticket?  To participate in the raffle give-away follow @BarcampLA and tweet a link to http://www.barcampla.org with the hashtag #BarcampLA in your timeline to help spread the word! But be sure to do so before the end of the raffle on Friday April 15^th 2011 9:00pm PST.

One lucky random qualifying Twitter user will be contacted and awarded with a free ticket to attend BarcampLA 8!

Good luck, we look forward to seeing you there!

One important aspect of barcamp is ‘fresh blood’.  Having return campers is great, but new people are always needed to bolster the ranks and bring new ideas.  All of us work with and know other people who would make *great* barcampers, if we could only get them to come to the event.

In an effort to entice them, below is the current promotional blurb we have been using. Please print&post it, email it, blog it, hand out flyers in the cafeteria. You know the drill.

——————-

Barcamp returns to Los Angeles, April 30 – May 1!

Barcamp is a ad-hoc technology conference where attendees are the speakers. Got something cool to share with your fellow tech geeks? Been working on a neat side project? Come to barcamp and meet others with your passion while sharing yours. The agenda is created each morning of the event, so while you won’t know exactly what the topics will be, you can be sure it will be engaging and interesting. Past sessions have ranged from Richard Stallman talking about the Free Software Foundation to an introduction to Tactical Corsets.

Its been a huge effort to bring barcamp back after and extended hiatus. Please join us!

Tickets: http://barcampla8.eventbrite.com/

When: April 30 & May 1 (the whole weekend)

Where: Mt. Washington School in Northeast LA

Why: Because you’re into tech, live in LA and want to meet other likeminded people.

More Info at: http://barcampla.org.

If your business is looking to be an most excellent barcamp sponsor, please contact us (@barcampla on twitter). Barcamp sponsorship is an affordable way of reaching Los Angeles’ tech savvy community.

The evolution of the unconference in general and barcamp in specific carries on this year. While many larger cities have outgrown the general BarCamp structure, more narrowly-focused barcamp-style unconferences seem to be taking place daily worldwide. From CrisisCamp to TransparencyCamp to HealthCamp and WikiLeaks Unconferences there seems to be no topic or field of interest that isn’t tackled by some unconference at some point, somewhere.

There are plenty of unconferences, unconference-like events and “camps” in Los Angeles as well. But given the breadth and depth of talent and brains across many niches in this here great basin of sunshine, there’s always room for more. BarcampLA-8 is a throwback to the roots of unconferences — there is no general topic, everyone is a participant, let’s share cool stuff and have a blast.

Nearly 400 campers are expected to take part on April 30 – May 1 at Mount Washington Elementary, just north of downtown LA. I’d love to see campers grow inspired to organize many more niche, focused, barcamps and hopefully the sessions and interaction of BarcampLA-8 will prove again that anyone can organize an unconference on any topic in any part of town.

What are your fave things about Barcamp?

We rediscovered the dozens of posts that had been posted at this domain over the years and are excited to bring them back online! BarcampLA has quite a history, dating back to early 2005, and in the archives of this blog – as well as on our Barcamp.org wiki – you can check plenty of links, documentation, and evidence of real people doing actual planning. Big hat tip to boogah aka Jason Cosper, who dug these up and took a leading role in many BarcampLAs as well as the creation of this blog.

Here’s a shortlist of some of the key BarCampLA posts over the years (navigate the archives in the right sidebar):

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to BarcampLA-6
• BarcampLA-5 Wrap-Up
• BarcampLA-4 Wrap-Up
• Recapping BarcampLA-3
• Dispelling Social Anxiety & Fears About Attending BarCampLA
• … more recaps!
  

barcampla is brought to you by volunteers.  Volunteers with work duties and families.  Volunteers that get sick and go out of town.  In short, people just like your selves.

And we need your help to make the event a success.  Both in the weeks and days leading up to the event and on the weekend, we need your help.  Plus if you are maybe grumbling under your breathe about buying a ticket (egads!), this is you big chance to attend the event for free.  Plus we might even have some cool ‘unorganizer’ shirts.

And what help do we need?  Here is a quick list.  If nothing on here is interesting, drop us a line anyways and we can probably find something for you.

before the event

• coordinating sponsors
• getting the food trucks lined up
• graphics design for the tee shirts
• obtaining our ‘office supply’ needs
• etc.

during the event we will need people to:

• pickup fruit/coffee/donuts for breakfast
• direct parking
• man the registration table
• be a resident A/V geek
• be a resident networking geek (Clear wimax we are guessing)
• help setup the event grid
• refill snack and ice
• etc.

See you there!

And click here to register for (or sponsor) BarCampLA-8, April 30 – May 1, 2011!

Sponsors

Usability Counts

blogdowntown

Hark

Drexel

Lamps.com

AmeriQuest

Businesses

DIf Interactive

Exaltation of Larks

Press

LAist

Blogs

Andy Sternberg

Amoration

Daynah.com

Nick Dynice

LA Drupal

The Broke-Ass Bride

:: jozjozjoz ::

Jason Toney

Miron Lulic

Twitter handles

Mark Dienger

Mack Reed

Alexander Valenzuela

Ed Wu

@jozjozjoz

Jason Toney - Twitter

Thumbnail Screenshots by Thumbshots

Yes, you read that right ‘tickets’.  Seriously, what the what?

Here is the deal: these events cost money.  Period.  Full stop.

In the past, generous sponsors have enabled barcampla to be a free event.  You may have noticed the economy is not all that happy, so getting free cash from companies is tough.  Especially since it has been a while since the last barcampla.  This event should (fingers crossed) break even with $35 tickets.  If not, some organizers are going to be left owing money all over town.  If we are super successful, we will use the funds to kickstart another barcamp later this year.  So please spread the word and get your tickets now because the 19th will be here before you know it.

Oh and by the way, you will *still* get a cool barcampla shirt and we are arranging for some killer food trucks for lunch and dinner.

Barcamp is back in Los Angeles. Please join us the weekend of April 30 – May 1 for BarCampLA-8!

Ticket price includes:

• Two days of Barcampy goodness
• T-shirt
• Snacks and drinks
• More developing

Why are we charging money?

It’s been a challenge to get barcamp back in Los Angeles for some time. Events have real costs and sponsors are a lot of work to find. The host team decided to bootstrap this barcamp by charging for the weekend. Rest assured all monies collected will be used to produce the event and any overage will be used to bootstrap Barcamp 9! We want Barcamp to come back strong -and it will with the support of our amazing community. We are working on financial hardship assistance and volunteer options if you can not afford the full amount of $35.

Your Hosts

• Scott Kelley
• Andy Sternberg
• Alexander Valenzuela
• Evonne Heyning
• Heathervescent
• and others

Just a quick note to say we got our final venue approval today and I am happy to announce that barcampla-8 will be taking place before you know it!

When: The weekend of April 30th and May 1

Where: Mt. Washington Elementary School in Northeast LA.

Stay tuned for upcoming announcements, information and event detail

(this is gonna totally rock)

This is just a quick note to let you know that barcampla is crawling towards our next event. As always, securing a venue is a challenge.  We have been researching three very different venues and as soon as we can get commitment and a date we can begin planning in ernest.

>кухниate to do this, and more so are sorry about the late notice, but BarCampLA 8 is going to be postponed a couple months.

We’re looking at the possibility of January, we’re just making sure we can find a date with the least amount of conflicts that makes sense.
But I’m sure what you’d all really like to know is, “Why is BarCamp postponed?”

There are a lot of reasons, the big ones currently being resources, economy, and time. When it comes to us, the organizers, it’s been an
interesting time of year. I myself have been slaving away on work and projects to pay my bills. In addition, im currently in the middle of
moving to a new place, which has taken time from BarCamp planning. Similarly, our own Jeremy Kitchen recently just closed on/bought a
brand new home, and has been handling that craziness and moving with his busy work schedule being a kick ass network jedi of sorts for the
fine folks over at Dreamhost.  In addition, Bronwyn has been focused on going back to school while working full time as well, big props to
her on that! We brought on Alex, who’s done a great job at our planning meetings as well as managing some of the flow of things we
needed to do, and Shannon is still our resident food-ninja, and is quite the ace at it.

As crazy as our schedules were, we had some great momentum in making this happen, but in the end, lack of being able to grab a decent venue
was what did us in. We contacted many prospective venues, but each time got responses of either ‘we’re not interested right now, check
back in the future’, responses involving not wanting to do it due to economical/financial reasons,  it not being the particular venue’s
‘conference season’ and this not being available, or that weekend already being set aside for something or booked already for that venue.

So what does this mean?

Some really great things, actually. It means you, the attendees and BarCampLA community, will be getting a much better BarCamp experience
than what we would have been able to provide you with the original November dates. Our respective schedules and free time should be
rebounding soon, and we are dedicated to making this BarCampLA better than any previous BarCampLA to date. Bigger, better venue than before, more spaces and options, and other bits of feedback we’ve gotten from all of you on the BarCampLA mailing list, are all in the works.
There’s also one big change happening we wanted to let everyone know about..

Starting with the next one, we will be switching BarCampLA back to being once a year. The first BarCampLA was put together with the intent of being once a year, much like most BarCamp’s across the US, and the world. Part of the initial organizers from the first one decided ‘hey, this is awesome, I want to do another one, let’s get started now!’, and thus they created BarCampLA2, 6 months later.There’s a lot that goes into organizing BarCampLA, and a 6 month schedule invites burnout all too easily, not just for the organizers, but the attendees as well sometimes, which makes it harder for everyone to get excited for it and keep that passion. Switching to the normal once a year schedule will allow us to make the conference bigger, better, and more valuable to everyone and bring more excitement to it.

We would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on everything, including the new changes. Post on the mailing list,
@reply us on twitter, or just comment here on the blog. We’re here for you, our BarCampLA community, with open ears.

Thanks for your support, everyone!

-Chris, Kitchen, Bronwyn, Alex, Shannon, Your BarCampLA Team

http://www.barcampla.org
http://www.twitter.com/barcampla
http://groups.google.com/group/barcampla

That’s right folks. It’s that time again. BarCampLA 8 is coming soon!

Mark your calendar’s, BarCampLA 8 will be held November 14-15th, 2009

We’ve got a great team getting things geared up and together to make this BarCamp really rock, consisting of:

Chris Darbro – @RockNRollGeek
Jeremy Kitchen – @Kitchen
Bronwyn Lewis  – @Bronwyn
Shannon Ramsay – @ShanGogh
Alexandra Mokh – @AlexandraMokh

Be sure to follow @barcampla on Twitter for more info, and come say Hi on the BarCamp LA Mailing List, at http://bit.ly/BCLAMail

Stat tuned here in the future as well for more info about the Venue, Sponsors/Sponsoring, and more!!

Howdy BarCampers!

We’re just 24 hours or so away from the awesomeness that will be BarCamp LA 7! We wanted to take this post to tell you about our sponsors, who have helped to make this upcoming BarCamp ROCK!!!

First off, we’d like to thank our venue sponsor, OTX Research, who have lended us a really cool venue that we think you’ll really like. Good space, great rooms for talks, we think you’ll love it!

Our Media Sponsor is TechZulu, SoCal’s favorite news source for all the latest on the pulse of the LA Tech Scene! They’ll be on site getting some great BarCampLA content!

Top Level sponsor’s include:

• Microsoft (who provided our event insurance, whoo-hoo!)
• DreamHost – Great Web Hosting, check em out!
• Yahoo! Developer Network – They’re a past sponsor, and we’re glad to have em back again this time ’round!
• Corporate Espionage – A Card Game of Corporate Survival & Conquest!
• Planet Chiropractic – The Chiropractic resource for Chiropractors worldwide
• SpeakTech – an Interactive Design & Technolology Firm
• Weber Shandwick – We hear they’ll might be looking for tech/marcom gurus for cool gigs while there!
• Digisynd

Other sponsors include:

• Awe.sm
• Commerical Programming Systems
• The AV CLub

Last but not least, our party sponsors, who’ve provided drinks and such for the night festivities include:

• LAGeeks.org
• Hulu
• Lalawag

So while enjoying your BarCamp fun this weekend, if you happen to see or meet any of these great sponsors, make sure to tell them thanks for helping make BarCamp happen!!!

Hey BarCampers! Looking forward to this weekend? We are!

Because there are drinks to be iced, breakfast to be arranged, cars to be unloaded, signs to be made and hung, chairs to distribute and so much more, we need a crew of people to show up and help us out.

For the early birds, we’ll provide some food and sweet, glorious coffee. One of the added bonuses of doing this is that you’ll get to know a few people a little better before the Camp starts. So if you’re new to BarCamp, this could be a great way to ease yourself into getting to know people.

It’s also an easy way of contributing if you’re feeling too shy to do a talk…

Anyhow, if you want to pitch in, show up at the venue on Saturday morning around 9:00 AM and we’ll put you to work. And try to put your name on the volunteer list on the wiki if you have a minute.

This event couldn’t happen without the folks who are awesome and help out — so hopefully we’ll see plenty of faces bright and early on Saturday morning!