Search for a site for hackathon. HackDay Experience

Successful logistics of the event will largely depend on which site you choose to hold your hackathon. When choosing, it is necessary to take into account the huge number of requirements, which is justified by the subsequent convenience for the teams, as well as to choose the premises taking into account the available budget. How to choose the best combination - read under the cut.

Budget for the site and partner site

Let's talk first about the budget. Most likely, you will pick up a platform for yourself on a free affiliate or conditionally - paid basis. In the first case, everything is clear - the platform is given to you for free use, and the company that provided it receives the status of a partner or sponsor. You will need to indicate its status in press releases and announcements.
Contingent payment means that you must cover the direct costs incurred by the owner - the cost of electricity, overtime for cleaners, guards and others, depending on the premises. And in this case, you give the site or its owner the status of a partner. Reasonable expenses for placement in this case are no more than 35,000 rubles. Sometimes you can negotiate a percentage of the sponsorship money raised.
If your budget allows you to rent a site for money, you only need to consider the technical requirements. But, to be honest, for several years I have never seen a platform for a hackathon being rented at full cost, even if the organizer is a large company.
The cost of rent depends on the city and your budget, but, according to your inner feelings, you do not need to pay more than one hundred thousand rubles.
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The most convenient options

To make your job easier, first try to negotiate with business incubators and co- working arrangements if they meet the technical requirements described below. Cooperation with them is useful to them, you and the city. Your members are their future customers, so they are easy to meet. As a rule, motivated people work there to help you with organization, informational support and can also become speakers and mentors.

In addition, their premises are built with similar technical requirements.

They will probably work with their contact base in order to attract serious speakers and outside mentors. They, like you, are interested in a more visible and successful event. They are interested in strong projects and - do not forget - good indicators for the report, because most of them are public institutions.

Local universities - a possible option in the absence of the two above. They have great opportunities for the premises, perhaps you will find a motivated employee on their side. But the university is a huge number of approvals with disloyal responsible ones, up to permission to connect a third-party laptop to the projector, lists for entry, running infrastructure (with rare exceptions).

HackDay has a negative experience of holding events on the territory of the university, with the exception of Voronezh. Perhaps in your city you will be able to find an excellent university by all standards, but I would recommend first of all to go through incubators / co-working arrangements.

All other options are the least convenient, and you need to carefully state the conditions and technical inquiries.

Space requirements

• the presence of one large hall for the opening and demofest for the expected number of people;
• availability of working space for the expected number of teams - one open or several rooms with the ability to set up tables and chairs for work;
• space for lunch and coffee breaks, at least for the issuance of hot \ cold dishes. Hot water, tea / coffee, cookies should be in constant access.
• 1-2 separate audiences for the educational program. One stream can be held in the main hall, if it does not interfere with the working teams.

Technical requirements and equipment

• all rooms must be equipped with sockets, sufficient to withstand the required number of participants' working machines;
• Internet available anywhere in the space. Preliminary testing is required to determine the channel thickness. When calculating the channel and speed, we assume that 300 people simultaneously load a page of medium gravity. The main load on the channel will be on the opening and closing;
• projectors in the opening \ closing room and in the classrooms;
• a sound mixer in the main hall; 3-4 wireless microphones that do not flash if they are turned on at the same time;
• 1 laptop connected to the main screen;
• 100 chairs and 30 tables in the pantry;
• 2-4 coolers.

"Other" requirements

• free access, opportunity to get without preliminary lists;
• the presence of fixed cleaners and garbage disposal;
• round-the-clock access or access to 23 hours (all the rest is not enough);
• security without a watchman's symptom;
• preferably the center of the city.

Separately focus on the centrality of the room. Being not in the center and even more so - in a place where you need to get two buses, cuts off up to 30% of potential participants in cities where the audience is spoiled by events and minimally affects the city, where the hackathons are new. This is a subjective opinion based on experience.

In the next article we will talk about the varieties of hackathon formats: hard and free, with and without mentors, programmers, business and cine.

Articles about hackathon organization:

1. Experience HackDay. Hackathon and business symbiosis. Format and major errors.
2. Work with information partners of the hackathon.
3. Motivation of hackathon members.
4. Educational program hakaton.