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Summary


Clark Sell discusses the origins and purpose of THAT Conference, a multi-day conference for software engineers and their families. He emphasizes the importance of human connection and the need for conferences to provide a space for engineers to learn, grow, and connect with others in the industry. Clark also addresses the challenges of balancing technical and soft skills in conference programming and the value of attending conferences for personal and professional development.


This conversation explores the challenges and complexities of organizing a large conference, focusing on the specific example of That Conference. The chapters cover topics such as the difficulties of booking venues and the long-term contracts and financial commitments involved.



Takeaways


  1. Finding your why and being clear about your motivations is essential when starting a conference.
  2. Conferences should prioritize the human side of tech, offering a balance of technical and soft skills talks to help engineers become better individuals and professionals.
  3. Attending conferences can have a significant impact on mental health and well-being, especially for remote workers who may feel isolated in their careers.
  4. Companies should recognize the value of conferences and allocate budget for employees to attend, as it contributes to their personal and professional development.
  5. Organizing a large conference involves challenges such as booking venues and dealing with long-term contracts and financial commitments.
  6. Sponsors play a crucial role in supporting conferences and their involvement can be both sought after and initiated by the organizers.
  7. Building a tribe of organizers and engaging with other conference organizers can provide valuable support and insights.



Chapters


00:00 Clark Sell

06:49 Starting That Conference

15:40 The Purpose of That Conference

28:53 The Importance of Human Connection

33:18 The Value of Attending Conferences

37:21 Agent Conf and the Importance of Tech

39:13 Organic Panel Discussion and Open Spaces

40:04 Exploring New Conference Formats

41:02 The Importance of Open Spaces

41:59 Blowing Up the Conference Format

44:03 The Challenge of Selling White Spaces

45:33 The Role of Hackathons

46:27 Building a Custom Conference Platform

48:07 Motivation Behind Building a Custom Platform

50:07 Using Google Sheets as the Front End

51:52 The Stack and Open Source Nature of the Platform

55:19 Refactoring and Rebuilding the Platform

59:05 The Challenges of Organizing a Conference

01:01:31 Encouraging Speakers to Put Effort into Submissions

01:05:40 The Financial Challenges of Organizing a Conference

01:09:52 Considering Dropping Food from the Conference

01:11:06 Exploring a Kickstarter-like Model for Ticket Sales

01:12:11 Challenges of Booking Venues

01:12:54 Long-Term Contracts and Financial Commitments

01:14:35 The Ugly Side of Contracts

01:17:03 The Entrapment of Venue Commitments

01:18:00 Financial Struggles and Commitments

01:18:56 The Role of Sponsors

01:20:27 Sales and Sponsorship Relationships

01:24:08 Starting a Conference: Find Your Why

01:25:39 Building a Tribe of Organizers

01:26:33 Engaging with Other Organizers

01:28:19 The Importance of Balance and Sustainability

01:32:44 Contributing and Getting Involved with the Conference

","author_name":"Tejas Kumar"}