Event Feedback Review

• 21 responses were received from the post-event survey sent to attendees
• Positive feedback focused on community interactions, networking, and talks
• Some attendees requested: 
  • Better way to share contact information after the event
  • Lightning talk opportunities
  • Clearer information about session length for speakers
  • More promotion and marketing
• Mixed feedback regarding political talks and badge readability
• Favorable feedback about David Dylan Thomas's closing talk, which evolved from his presentation the previous year

Financial Challenges

• Event faced significant financial hurdles: 
  • T-shirts cost approximately $23 per attendee
  • Catering cost approximately $23 per attendee
  • Ticket price was around $30, creating a deficit per attendee
• Team had to cover a ~$3,000 shortfall the night before the event
• Started previous cycle with $6,000 cushion but will start next cycle with zero
• Johns & Taylor stepped up as last minute, moving from Big sponsor to Presenting Sponsor
• [REDACTED] declined sponsorship due to insufficient attendee numbers
• Many previous sponsor companies no longer exist

Ideas for Next Year

• Implement earlier t-shirt order cutoff dates (3-4 weeks before event)
• Consider different ticket pricing tiers (with/without t-shirt)
• Create additional merchandise like stickers or fridge magnets
• Develop a system to track attendees and follow up with no-shows
• Explore non-tech industry sponsors
• Use Open Collective as a Patreon-like system for monthly contributions
• Create content calendar with regular outreach throughout the year
• Consider smaller events throughout the year to maintain community engagement

Session Highlights

• David Dylan Thomas's closing talk was well-received
• Tim's talk on his political app was mentioned positively
• Other interesting sessions included a talk about obtaining Czech citizenship
• The format of having organizers do the final wrap-up worked well

Event Assessment

• Lower attendance than expected this year, with many ticket holders not showing up
• Different attendee arrival pattern observed: 20% early arrivals (to post on boards) vs 80% later arrivals
• Some concerns about talk variety and overall attendance numbers
• Limited young people in attendance, though there were a few (including a notable 12-year-old attendee)

Venue Considerations

• Penn/Wharton School remains a valuable venue partner
• Moving to a different venue would add $10,000-$12,000 in costs
• Potential scheduling constraints with the university venue
• Team wants to maintain the Penn partnership while addressing scheduling challenges

Marketing Challenges

• Discussion about starting marketing earlier in the year (January)
• Concern about promoting without confirmed details: "I hate it when the agenda is there and I can't purchase a ticket"
• Need to balance early promotion with having concrete event information

Future Improvements

• Develop a year-round presence rather than just one annual event
• Create smaller community-building events (virtual or in-person)
• Potentially attach the Bar Camp brand to existing events
• Consider using "ringers" from the community who already give talks as a platform
• Explore membership models ($10/month tier with added value)
• Previous attempts at "pop-ups" had low turnout despite initial interest

Team Changes

• Jess announced reduced capacity to volunteer next year due to family health matters
• Need to recruit new volunteers for the admin collective
• Importance of transitioning responsibilities early to distribute workload