Bitnorth 2009 recap

FINANCES

Well, Bitnorth 2009 is a wrap, and the results of our survey in. Thanks to those of you who took the time to give us feedback. Since we’re big fans of transparency, and we run Bitnorth for interesting rather than for pro�table, we wanted to share some statistics on the event, what you thought, and where money went.

Expenses 12,322.67$

Accommodations 6,715.00$ Alcohol 1,393.77$ Equipment 393.00$ Taxes 1,094.95$ Baskets & food 700.00$ Travel & vehicles 800.00$ Shirts, bags, & swag 800.00$ Paypal fee 238.45$ Eventbrite fee 187.50$

Revenues 8,954.83$

Paypal 8,054.83$ Check 900.00$

Profit (loss) (3,367.84)$

Accommodations,55%

Alcohol, 11%

Equipment rental, 3%

Taxes, 9%

Baskets & extrafood, 6%

Travel & vehicles, 6%

Shirts, bags & swag, 6%Paypal fee, 2% Eventbrite fee, 2%

Whe

re d

id th

e m

oney

go?

How many people should attend?Should we have scholarships?

...and how do we invite others?

0 3 6 9 12 15

Many fewer - I barelychatted with anyone

A few less - it wascrowded and "clique"-y

The number was just rightA few more people;

variety is the spice of life

Lots more people - thisevent needs to be shared!

What should we charge?

0 5 10 15 20

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

Open registration up to anyone (1)Let alumni invite one

friend each (12)

Have newcomers proposetopics, then alumni votea few new attendees (3)

Make it invite only.Alistair chooses. So there. (3)

Other (6)

People should paytheir own way.This keeps outthe riff-raff.

Nice idea but I’malready paying a lot

Sure, I can subsidizeby paying a bit more

Tough question. I’m really not sure.

Mix of alumni friends and and Alistair invites.

Combination of newcomers propose topics and Alistair chooses.

Propose candidates. Get referals. More referals, the better the candidate. Have a mystery vote/opinion.

People can register and then a decision is made as to whether Bitnorth is appropriate for them; and past attendees can bring people

Rednod proposes theme + picks speakers; everyone else can make suggestions. It can’t be by group consensus

WHAT YOU SAID Here’s how you said you’d describe the event to others. Boldface emphasis are ours (stu� that made us laugh or nod.) We love that the words “not pretentious” made “pretentious” turn up in the tagcloud, too.

It's a conference full of smart people that get to talk about things that make them passionate as opposed to the things they may be used to talking about all the time.

Smart people disconnected so they're forced to talk to one another!

An amazing and unique opportunity to chill out, talk to interesting people, be excited by ideas, and to have a bit of a party.

A week end with lots of di�erent people talking about lots of di�erent things, good time and funny games.

Brilliance on crack with ping pong.

Disconnect from the web to meet real people who will inspire you. Then get to know them better even better while partying.

It's like a tech conference where people get to hang out instead of interacting with their laptops all weekend.

TED meets pyjama party

It's a get-together of people from di�erent backgrounds in an informal setting where everyone gets a chance to talk about something they are very passionate about. You learn a lot during the day and party at night.

A place you should come (if you aren't a pretentious ass) to meet some interesting people, get away for a weekend at a 2 star location (if you aren’t a pretentious ass), and be challenged (if you aren’t a pretentious ass). Bitnorth is what you make it, not what you expect it to be (if you aren't a pretentious ass).

A kinda techy-ish retreat, where smart people talk about stu� that matters to them, not necessarily tech. It's like camp for adults.

An inspiring get-together that will fuel your innovation for quite some time

A fun, interesting, eclectic party. A gathering of smart people with varied experiences and knowledge sharing subjects that interest them for 10 minutes, and if you are not engaged just wait 10 minutes.

During the “party” part you can have further discussions, or just have fun, sing, play wii or poker or ping pong.

An interesting diversion from your usual daily routine.

Hanging out with a bunch of dorks, being clever and witty at each other.

Great ideas that percolate, and cause you start up conversations with folks. In some cases, these ideas lead to actions, later.

Great weekend with really nice “intellectual” people talking about interesting topics. Good times! Hard mattress.

Bitnorth is a part technology conference, part party for all sorts of people to share ideas and have interesting conversations, whilst also relaxing and getting away from it all for the weekend.

It's half a conference of interesting and eclectic topics, and half a weekend getaway in the country with fun and activities and plenty of people to meet.

A non-convention for broad idea exchange, soapbox and social gathering

Good fun with smart people

Bitnorth lets me focus on being whatever or whoever I want to be, though grounded in everyday reality while being undistracted by it as well.

A bunch of fun people together to share ideas / thoughts / knowledge with others

Brilliant minds, big hearts.

Small group of smart people talking about what they're passionate about.

TED-like participatory conference, followed by geeky partying.

WHY DO YOU COME TO BITNORTH(Nobody said “for the party”, BTW)

FOR THEPEOPLE

FOR THECONTENT

OTHER

Should Bitnorth be moresilly or more serious?

Should we expect presentationsa week ahead of time?

What worked, what sucked?

Powerpoint Karaoke

This

was a

wful

OK bu

t not

for m

e

Didn

’t see

/par

ticipa

te

Pretty

good

Awes

ome!

This

was a

wful

OK bu

t not

for m

e

Didn

’t see

/par

ticipa

te

Pretty

good

Awes

ome!

Content...

0

5

10

15

20

Make it more silly. I get enough talky-talk at regular conferences.

Smarten up! I’ve had it with poop jokes.

Table tennis

Wii sports

Short bits

“Invited” presenters

Kids’ panel

Game show

Poker tournament

Werewolf

Massage/meditation

Horror movie brunch

Birds of a Feather

0 3 3 13 6

0 4 11 9 1

0 4 11 7 3

0 0 0 7 18

0 0 3 13 9

0 4 18 2 5

2 0 3 7 13

0 5 14 5 1

0 0 5 11 9

0 3 16 3 3

1 8 8 6 2

0 4 11 8 2

Yes! Otherwise, we waste everyone's

time switching computers and

finding files!

That's a nice idea, but it'll never work. We're just too busy

to get it done in advance.

10(40%)15

(60%)

We’re leaving the logistical results (quality of food, rooms, etc.) out of this document because (a) it’s boring, (b) there were no surprises, and (c) that’s for us to go yell at CAMMAC about in future years.

For the two events you liked most: why?The game show made me laugh my ass o�. The short bits made me think. (longer bits were equally as insightful)

Werewolf is a great icebreaker because it forces people to be social. Why? Otherwise you get eaten by ravenous lycanthropes! This would work just as well on a Friday night to get to know people.

I always like the short bits and presentations. I think there should be more emphasis on a theme for the event. In fact, I wouldn't mind if we always stuck with the “disconnect to reconnect” theme. It's always relevant for this crowd. This would make the presenta-tions even more interesting and would make it easier to attract speakers. Don't be afraid to extend some sessions to Sunday (late) morning. It gives people a reason to stay overnight. I think people are shy to suggest BoF sessions. Why not set those up beforehand so there are 3-4, chaired by one person, or a small panel, based on what they presented. We could even have a debate format.

I liked the longer presenters because they were polished speakers who could hold a room and communicate e�ectively, and because of the freedom of BitNorth they could present unusual and o�-beat topics.

The Poker tournament was great because it has been years since I played and yet I was second in the �nal showdown for the two games I played.

Because the game show was hilarious and the werewolf game was a great way to get to know other people and have lots of fun!

I liked the short bits because they were smart and not too long (except the ones that were too long, of course). It wouldn't be an exceptional experience without the clever content.

I liked the kids panel last year because it was di�erent; the answers weren't predictable and everyone seemed to work together to come to a better understanding of the distinct ways kids interact with technology.

Because they're fast and need short attention from me.

Powerpoint karaoke gave me a chance to get to know people in a sort of fun way before sitting in a room with them listening to short bits stu�.

Game show was like nothing else I'd ever done/seen before. That said, short bits seemed integral to the whole thing so I don't know if i'd rank them so much as say I couldn't imagine the event without them.

I loved powerpower karoake, a fun chance to mess around and have fun - I would make it the second night though, to give a chance for people involve (read: pick on) people they might not have know when showing up friday

The short bits give a chance for people who speak regularly to speak about a topic with which they may not normally be associ-ated - That's what needs to happen more - in fact, perhaps a nudge to the presenters next year - choose something you're passionate about, but please don't make it about your day job -

it's easy to tell when someone is presenting what they do for living

PowerPoint Karaoke is creative, spontaneous and gives a chance to anyone to stand out. Very democratic and does not promote cliques. Same thing for Short Bits.

Game Show was fun to watch, but its very nature tends to highlight speci�c people and elevate them. Tends to promote cliques as a result, IMHO.

I got to understand who I was participating at the conference with.

I missed most of the event, so I am not a fair evaluator. Both of the things I liked were entertainment and fun. In some sense, the important thing in conferences is getting people to know each other, so bitnorth's social events does a great job of doing that.

Powerpoint karaoke: I never saw it before, and I loved the mix between seriousness and fun. Shortbits: I loved the fact that some talks were about pointing out speci�c problems (oil-dependence, stupid rules, ...). It's inspiring to hear people who are not alter-mondialists care about these issues.

I like the varied topics, and the intelligent insights. The presenters are passionate about their topics and that makes it interesting.

You can learn a lot from a 10 minute topic.

I really enjoy the social activities, you can play and interact. The “events” are pre-made and easy to join. The game show was high-larious. And the short bits were interesting and nifty and all over the place.

I really like the diversity of the short bits. The guys doing the research regarding the censorship of the Internet in Iran really resonated with me. I liked the opportunity of birds of a feather to follow up. There were so many good short bits from 1/2 through the oil age, to urban transportation, to radio carbon dating and problems with the lack of a dating scene for women in Mexico. There were so many other bits that I have left out.

Perhaps, if the Birds of a Feather, could be a little more organized? Not sure how to do this, unless, you know that a topic will “need” more exploration, the next day.

Game show. lmao. LOVE creativity and lmao. Longer guest speakers. LOVE creativity and people who speak well. Side note: NO ONE who attended was annoying. BIG BONUS.

Werewolf is just such a great game, and quite a good way to get to know a few people. The birds of a feather discussion was really interesting, once it got going. It was a good opportunity to discuss ideas with new people and to hear di�erent points of view.

For the two events you liked most: why? (cont.)

For the two events you liked least: why?

The thing I liked best was the Short Bits. Some fascinating talks and plenty of stu� to broaden the mind and make you think. My favourites were:

Jonathan Ginter's bit about astrophysics (because it was clearly explaining a very complex topic in a new way)

Angela Case's talk (because I wholeheartedly agree with the need for more “citation” type thinking,

Bruce & David's talk (because I think net neutrality is an important issue and it was fascinating to learn DPI is already used in Iran)

Nicholas Kruchten's talk (because there is a direct parallel with a charity I am involved with and I can introduce them to him)

Also - Bob's, Ray's, Sean's & Patrick's were all very interesting, and Pete's & Bryan's were both very entertaining .

The second event I liked most was Werewolf. It's always fascinat-ing and every game is di�erent. Plus, you get to know people well.

The presentations were what I came to BitNorth for. I liked the variety of information and the passion folks put into their subjects.

The game show was fantastic though I'd cut it by about 5 minutes and try to have ways of getting more audience participation.

Kids panel was a riot and very informative. Werewolf is just plain fun and appeals to many demographics.

Short bits and birds of a feather were my favorite organized things. Short bits not only had tremendous diversity, they often allowed presenters to speak to something not bound or even in�uenced by their everyday lives. Sometimes they did, but often it was about their future or a fantasy.

Birds of a feather simply provided some loosely organized, blocked-o� time for people to openly chat but with the purpose of chatting. It wasn't chatting while drinking (though we did that at other times), it was purposefully talking about the BOF session topic.

Karaoke: it was a lot of fun watching and doing it. Short bits: I learned a lot! (new stu� I didn`t know it even existed) Short bits: It's fun to learn in spurts. The presenters are always interesting.

ppt karaoke was a good way to loosen people up and get people to relax a bit before the 'serious' presentations the next day. The short bits were generally informative, well delivered and captured a wide range of topics.

I thought the game show was hysterical, but could have been a bit more participatory for the audience. The short bits and presentations were pretty thought-provoking.

Mostly because i didn't really participate in them. I'm not a big poker or horror movie fan for example. But they were cool! just not for me :)

There wasn't anything I didn't like. But I think the more you emphasize the “brains” part, i.e. making the theme and the presentations better, the more the “party” aspect will take care of itself. I'm not there for the party (I could do that at home). I'm there to be challenged, to challenge myself, and to learn. The fun will happen automagically.

The movie idea was �ne, but the fact that it was shown in bright sunlight meant that the picture was extremely hard to see.

I didn't really dislike any events. But I did not participate in everything... I think everything was pretty good... except for people who did not really get ready for what they were going to say. That's too bad if the point is to make people think about something or teach them something.

I disliked the horror movies because they make me nauseous and it was too early. No objections to any of the other content.

Didn't really dislike anything. Maybe more “o�cial” get to know everybody would be nice. Maybe a 2mins round table next time?

Did not play poker, did not play table tennis. I am sure they were wonderful but it seemed like the things you'd be least able to just jump in without knowing the people or how to play exactly.

Movies by design limit the opportunity to interact. I wasn't there to watch a 2 hour movie, I was there to see people.

BOF could use a bit more structure I think - left alone and hungover, there's not much pushing people into it - It wouldn't take much to make it work. Funny thing is, last year BOF was one of the highlights..and this year it barely registered for me - go �gure.

Not a poker player. Although I like video games, I've never gravitated to the sports-oriented games. On the other hand, I tend to play video games alone, which might explain it. :)

Just not my style, but that's ok, because I was able to do my own thing without being harassed. But only because there were other people I could hang out with who weren't pretentious asses.

Table tennis: I'm really, really, really bad at that, so I avoid playing it. Poker: I only play strip-poker with Samantha Fox

Nothing was “mandatory” so I can't seriously dislike anything. At worst something was an amusing distraction, but nothing was interminable. I liked the relaxed atmosphere of “participation”.

WILL YOU BE RETURNING NEXT YEAR?(Nobody said “no,” so, yay, and such.)

For the two events you liked least: why? (cont.)I'm just not that into wii-sports.

Powerpoint karaoke seems.. painful.. for the participants, for the most part (uh, except for fuck twitter. That wasn't so painful)"

I am not a game person, but others are-- so, I like the option of being able to opt out. In trying to please all, you have a good range of activities.

Missed some of it so I can't really say. nothing was bad.

I just don't like blood, guts and gore horror movies.

The powerpoint karoke was ok, but not as funny as I was expect-ing.

I think that the sunday morning was the weak point of the weekend. I think it's telling that some people left sunday morning - there wasn't a lot of “value” to stay for. It would have been nice to have some more activities - perhaps something outdoors like a walk or canoeing.

Watching a movie didn't seem quite right for a trip away - not very social and easily done at home.

The birds of a feather was good once we got a discussion going, but needed more structure and needed to be better moderated/kicked o�.

Game show was way too long. A little naughty humor is perfectly �ne but this got a little blue - (not referring to the Mom comment here!!) First, 2nd, 3rd time was funny but it got old after the dozenth or so. A few folks “wandered” o� to get drinks and didn't come back.

No real criticisms, though it would help if people had actually

given in their short bits so you could have them ready to go and cut back on prep time in between

Didn't dislike anything, really, but if I had to bitch, I guess it might be that some things, like the game show, didn't really have much participation for those who weren't on the teams -- though it was a hoot. In other words, maybe there were times when people wanted to be more interactive or participative, but they could not. Dunno...have I complained enough?

I didn’t hate anything, I think everything was great, and super organized!

I did not participate in the wii thing or poker , `cause I don`t know how to play.

We weren't there long enough to participate in enough stu�. That's what I disliked!

The game show rapidly degraded to frat-boy humor. Ok if that's what you like but notwhat you want if you have desires for corporate sponsorship down the road.

I'm just not really a horror-movie guy.

IF POSSIBLE/IF INVITEDYES

Other thoughts

The conference was awesome. If only we had the ability to �nd the time to do this more than once in a year.

BitNorth has the potential to be a small but very enlightening and in�uential conference. It makes me think of Couchiching in Ontario which has in�uenced Prime Ministers and smart people for decades. It may be that to have a better conference we need to compromise on some things, e.g.: 1) make it bigger to get more critical mass (100?) 2) have less speakers but give them more time 3) have more de�ned themes 4) consider other venues (you'll have to if you want to support more people).

Yes it's starting to look like a “regular” conference but for me three things will keep it unique: no Internet/cell access (will be a challenge!), the remote location, and the great core of people we already have.

The silly-serious balance is about right. Game Show will be hard to top, but we will have to try.

Bit of a di�erent vibe, which isn't a bad thing.

BTW, for those poor bastards who don't drink alcohol and do not go for energy drinks, how about some fruit juice or sodas? They're cheaper to supply.

I'm ok with a scholarship, but the person better be brilliant...

Alcohol was awesome but the bar prices are a rip-o� compared to the volume they see from us. They normally get a bunch of teetotallers and we don't even compare, at all. Also, the “union” mentallity was sometimes a turn o�, but I can deal with it; some of the workers were very nice and accompdating while others were cranky and should be �red - but you don't have any say in that.

Co�ee should be accessible during the whole event. Should be able to opt out of swag - I don't want any.

It would be fun to have one “main speaker” or a “panel”. Also, I loved the mix between fun and seriousness.

If people have to give you slides ahead of time, then they won't be working on the Friday night / during other peoples talks.

Technically, this year it was open to everyone, and it wasn't overrun with hateable people.

The year before Kim lead a yoga class. It was a good way to transition to the day. If a formal class is impossible to arrange in the future-- perhaps, just a self-study yoga/ stretch in one of the music rooms?

Friday night - karoke powerpoint was ok, but I think a more inclusive ice breaker would be a better way for people to get to know names, peoples backgrounds and what sort of stu� they're in to.

Short bits - the variety of talks and quality of speakers was very high and spot on. However, I found the format of just talks all day made it very di�cult to digest what was being said and there wasn;t really time to tink about a talk before having to switch to concentrating on the next one. And about 2/3 of the way through I found it a bit of information overload and I couldn't really take in any more new information. Maybe interspersing the talks with discussion time, or organsied practical workshops would make the quantity of talks more digestable. Also, you can gain di�erent knowledge and understanding from doing something, as opposed to just listening. Like Will's demonstration of the KiteAid.

Presentations - I agree that that idea of getting everyone to send in their presentations beforehand probably won't work because people are busy and used to being able to make last minute changes. However, I think the constant swapping of computers etc. distracted from the talks themselves and prevented the sessions from �owing. I heard mention of the idea of setting up a network that speakers can upload their presentation to ahead of time, then access from one computer connected to the projector. That sounds like a very good idea and perhaps the best of both worlds.

Birds of a Feather - this is a really good idea and when it eventu-ally got going, was very thought-provoking and interesting. However, I think it needed a bit more guidance and leaderhsip to get it started on the Sunday morning. I can understand the need for a balance between people who just want to chill out and those who want more knowledge based activities, but many people left early because there didn't seem to be anything going on. The people who had volunteered to lead a discussion/activity needed to be encouraged to �nd an area and make themselves visable, then other partcipitants noti�ed that those people were ready to begin their groups.

PPT karaoke - was clearly entertaining, but not the best icebreaker and perhaps not good enough to warrant the e�ort that was put into it.

Would like to see more icebreaking/introductions on Friday night, and more opportunities to talk/chat through the weekend - many people I didn't get to know and I would liked to have.

Short bits - I think we need to mix up the format. Aim for say 40% not standard presentations. Sean's and Christine's nicely broke up the �ow, but there should be more “learn something”, “try some-thing” or other interactive things besides just presentations.

It was really good to have a nice chunk of free time on Saturday and a chance to walk around the site outside. I would have hated to be in such a nice place and not had that chance.

We got lots of feedback from people. Much of it was thanks, which we really appreciate, but we’re not going to bother sharing here. Some of it was also intended in con�dence and we’ll take it to heart, but we don’t think it was supposed to be shared, so we’re not putting it in here. In other words, this is the only part of the results we’re editing.Several of you said you trust us to steward the Bitnorth vibe between party and serious, and to weed out douchebags and keep the content free of sales pitches. While we’re grateful for that con�dence, Bitnorth is all of us, which is why we’re trying to make sure we collect and share feedback in this way.

Other thoughts (cont.)

Some conclusions from reading all this...

And I nearly wet myself laughing so hard! Tell me there's a video of the gameshow!

I like it when people network naturally, not when it's forced or too salesy. At Bitnorth people connect naturally, I never feel like I'm solicited or soliciting others. Some events are swarming with used car sales-like people who make my skin crawl!

You could add ‘keynote’ speakers, but not at the expense of attendees. Find a sponsor and pay the ‘guest’ speakers out of that.

People were polarized by the gameshow(some loved it, some found it puerile.)

Make better use of the facilities(canoeing, outdoors, etc.)

WE EXPECTED PEOPLETO BE MORE SELF-ORGANIZING THAN THEYWERE WILLING TO BE.

THIS WILL TAKE A LOT MORE COORDINATION AND PARTICIPATIONOUTSIDE THE WEEKEND OF THE EVENT, AND FOLKS ARE BUSY.

Less booze, more soft drinks

Less party, more content

Less hang time, more structure

Less swag, more icebreakersThis

year’

s atte

ndee

swe

re m

ore se

rious

.

OTHER FORMATS FOR SHORT BITS WILL BREAK UP THE TEDIUM: TEACHING A SKILL, DEMONSTRATING SOMETHING.

THE GAMESHOW NEEDS MORE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION. SUNDAY HORROR MOVIE

BRUNCH: FAIL.

BRING BACK PANELS.

NEED BETTER COFFEE LOGISTICS.

More Friday structure (introductions, slide presentations, icebreakers) is needed up front; but this requires a lot of commit-ment to arrive earlier by attendee and start at a formal time, which may be tough to achieve.

Some of you want more organization and preparation of things like the Birds of a Feather sessions.

We can prep some stu� beforehand (BOF moderators, new attendees, which Short Bits become longer presentations.)

We have to balance democracy (folks liked the equality of the event) with celebrity (people liked special speakers and invited guests)

There’s some confusion about why we put on Bitnorth (mention of sponsorship, aspirations of becoming a “real” conference) so clarifying its goals and purpose may be useful.

The main room is good, but a bit large for the size of the group. False dividers to shrink the room would help make the meet more intimate and collegial.

If your intention is truly to keep the event gender balanced, you may want to consider curbing the frat-boy humor. It needn't become a PTA meeting, but there are limits beyond which you won't be able to attract guests of high repute. (Think TED)