1. Inception: Someone is inspired to run an event and becomes the event host.
2. Team assembly: The host assembles a team to help run the event.
3. Preparation: The team prepares the event.
4. Running the event: The team runs the event.
5. Networking: Organizers and attendees mingle after the event. It is a breeding ground for new event ideas.
6. Documentation: The event is documented in the wiki for future organizers to learn from.

Inception

Before an event can exist, someone has to be inspired to run it. This can happen in a few ways:

• An existing organizer has an idea for a new event, and decides to run it.
• During networking, someone comes up with an idea for an event and are encouraged by people around them to run it.

Team assembly

To assemble a team, the host creates a group chat for the event, and invite people who are interested in helping out. This is usually done in Facebook Messenger.

It is encouraged to recruit many people to join the team. This is so that people who are really interested in running this event has a chance to contribute. At the same time, recognize that not everyone will be able to contribute equally or provide commitment.

To recruit more people,

• Recruitment post. The host can post the event concept on social media to see if there are more people who are interested in helping organize the event. For examples, see Examples of recruitment posts (This may be easier when the event already has a set date.)
• Direct invitation. Organizers can also encourage each other to invite their friends to join the team.

As our events are run by volunteers and everyone has their own priorities, these principles can be helpful:

• Do-o-cracy: If you want to see something happen, you are encouraged to do it yourself.
• Lazy consensus: If you don’t object to something, it’s assumed that you agree with it.

The principles above mostly apply to most small-scale events. Sometimes, though, we may run bigger events that require more staff and commitment (e.g. our flagship Stupid Hackathon and camps). In these cases, we tend to use the MC/OD system. For more information, see Managing events with MC/OD.

Examples of recruitment posts

These examples are from both Creatorsgarten events and other events.

• React Bangkok 1.0.0
• Creative Coding Meetup #1
• Functional Programming Meetup
• React Meetup 06/23

Preparation

To prepare the event, the team discusses and prepares the event. This includes:

• Finding a date and venue. Discuss with others to increase the likelihood that the chosen date and venue are suitable for both the team and the attendees.
• Finding sponsors. Some events use a cashless model, i.e. sponsors don’t contribute cash, but contribute in-kind, such as providing a venue, food, or drinks. Some events accept monetary sponsorship, but the organizing team needs someone to handle the money.
• Publishing the event. This includes creating the event page on the wiki, updating Thai Tech Calendar with new event information, and setting up and publishing an event on Eventpop.
  • For tips on making the most of the ticketing system and reducing no-show rate, see our ticketing tips page.
  • To prepare image assets for the event, the details are in the event images page.
• Promoting the event. This includes posting to social media and Thai Tech Calendar.
• Finding on-site volunteers. Usually we announce in a central group chat.

Running the event

The team runs the event. How events are run can vary, but here are some common tips:

• Registration: Check-in staff uses the Eventpop Check-in app to check in attendees.
• Attendees’ resources page: To post links and other stuff, you can edit the CurrentEvent page attendees’ resources. We have a short link to this page, [grtn.org/c].

Networking

After the event, networking is encouraged. This is where many of us get inspired to run more events, and the cycle continues.

• Post-event after-party. We have Bingsu.js for this purpose, where we eat and talk with a few people who came to the event, regardless of whether they are an organizer or an attendee.
• We sometimes invite more people to our Messenger group chat so they can stay in touch with us when we run more events.

Documentation

We document the event in the wiki. This makes it easier for future organizers to learn from past events.

This may include:

• Organizers’ notes: Updating the organizer notes with the full timeline.
• Feedback: After receiving feedback from attendees, publish them on the event’s feedback page.
• Videos: If there are videos, we upload them to our YouTube channel. Then link to them on the event’s page.
• Coverage: If people create content about the event (e.g. blog posts, videos, photos, review and write-ups on social media), we link to them in our coverage pages.
• Venue: Update venue pages with the information that may be useful for future events. See Cleverse and KPlusBuilding for examples.