Organize an Event
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Here we say it takes many hands to build something great. When you are organizing a BSides event it is helpful to assign roles and responsibilities to verify tasks are completed without overlap.
Roles and Responsibilities
The following are a proposed set of roles and responsibilities. For larger events you many have a different person for each role, while smaller events will have 2-3 people working multiple roles. We outline each of them because more important than the title are the tasks that (may) need to be completed.
:: Operations Manager ::
- Need minimum of 1 day, preferably 2 days of prep time to implement/setup any necessary A/V or networking gear.
- Coordinate Event Staff list with name/number/responsibility
- Formalize communication standards (Radios or cell phones)
- Aggregate lists from all other team members to create an overall task list for the event, manage and drive the resolution of all open issues
:: Venue Manager ::
- Works with Venue to ensure all basic requirements venue are met and the venue doesn't throw us out
- Coordinates insurance of venue
- Purchases Whiteboards/paper/pens/markers
- Cleaning products (Paper towels/rags/cleaning spray/etc)
- Creates Shopping lists for Cups/forks/spoons/plates and all required food and beverage for the event
- Registration Desk
- Needs table, chair, laptop, paper, pen, badges and other swag to hand out at the door.
- Minimum 2 shifts.
:: Schedule/Speaker Coordinator ::
- Obtain contact information (email and phone) for presenters
- Ensures all speakers are aware of when and where they are expected to present
- Ensures that any changes in the schedule will be communicated and rescheduled accordingly
- Obtain copies of all speaker presentations 48 hours prior to day of event
- Works with Technical Lead and team to determine speaker needs (Special recording instructions, special connectivity etc)
:: Marketing and Communications ::
- 2-3+ months of active planning/marketing/promo of event
- Sponsorships package creation and notification
- Swag (Stuff we all get, vendor or otherwise), Ordering event shirts or other gear to give away/sell, Printed schedules
- Determine Sponsor payment deadline before making any gear with sponsor names on it
- Continually reach out to the community and inform people of updates and changes
- Maintain the website, including determining when capacity has been reached and cutting off registration
- Badge creation
:: Treasurer ::
- Keep track of donations and sponsorships
- Keep track of all receipts and reimbursements
- Collect on sponsor payments
- Manage PayPal account
- Provide accounting for all funds post-event
- Need to be familiar with Venue layout and staff.
- Need to ensure no damage occurs to the facility
- Ensure that no member of the conference causes intentional destruction and notifies operations manager in the event of occurrence.
- Venue must be attended to 100% of the time
:: Technical Lead ::
- Coordinates and ensures ALL necessary hardware to pull off the event is available and transported to the venue
- Tape/cable management
- Ensures no cables or equipment will cause any danger to attendees or venues (No extension cables wrapped in plastic/cardboard please)
- Configure audio and video
- Train other staff in using all equipment
- Ensure all devices are functioning properly during event
- Familiar with and implement all networking/wireless hardware
- Ensure that all attendees know of the connectivity
- Monitor the network for intrusions/bandwidth hogs
:: Volunteer Coordinator ::
- Solicit and organize the list of volunteers for undocumented tasks (goons, volunteer labor, vendors, etc.)
- Maintain list of all contact information
- Coordinate volunteer shifts (event registration booth, goon duty, set-up & tear-down duty, on-call staff members, etc.)
- Provide more formally defined schedules and maintain a streamlined communication flow for any changes in transport
- Work with other Roles to identify necessary resources and assign volunteer staff to them
:: Sponsor/Vendor Manager ::
- Maintain contact list of all vendors (food, beverage, facilities)
- Solicit food and beverage sponsor
- Solicit venue sponsor
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.