Highlight Midwest

An unconference has a lot to offer people and thanks to the web is relatively easy to “organize”, but it also holds the potential to throw people for a loop if they are expecting more of the same relative to traditional conferences in which they’ve participated.

So at the risk of driving this point past the point of usefulness, here’s a generic version of an email we’ve sent to a few people that emphasizes the approach:

So-and-so,

The tentative schedule has you on at blah blah but honestly due to the “dynamic” (read: “somewhat chaotic”) nature of th daytime portion of this event, time slots may very well need to be adjusted and thus change their start times on the day of. A lot of presentations, the awkward space limitations of what is of course primarily a music venue, and limited time in the day makes for an event that will likely have to change with the wind. Anyone who can only attend for a portion of the day, as a presenter, has to take the risk their slot might no longer be available when they arrive. Check out some earlier blogposts on the HM1 site for an even more long-winded explanation:

http://highlightmidwest.org/?p=231
http://highlightmidwest.org/?p=337

On the up side, if you do show up later in the day and your spot is no longer there, you can still hang out and attend the currently running presentations…We realize this isn’t the way a normal conference works but then of course that’s why it’s called an unconference.

Thanks,

Are you old enough to remember this commercial? reeeeelllllaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhx….