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New Event Resources
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If you would like to organize a SQL Saturday branded event (or co-branded event), we have two rules:

  • You must have a Code of Conduct and enforce it (you can use ours or your own.)
  • You must have a free option for attendees (you can charge for lunch, but people can opt out if they choose)

This page is designed to help you setup and request a new SQLSaturday event. There are a few simple steps to get your event set up on the site:

  • Gather information about the event (see our checklist below)
  • Submit this to this site
  • Sign the contract for using the SQLSaturday brand

That's it. Once you have the signed agreement and the information submitted, we will update this site with your event. We are happy to help submit your CFS and send emails/social messages marketing the event.

You can submit your informaiton as an issue on GitHubM, or through email.

Branding and Image are available

More details below:

Naming

We are flexible with naming. We will assign a number for tracking purposes, but feel free to name your event similar to the following names:

  • SQLSaturday Orlando 2021
  • SQLSaturday #1021 - Orlando
  • SQLSaturday Orlando 2021 - BI Edition
  • SQLSaturday Orlando Fall 2021
  • SQLSaturday Virtualization Edition 2021

Numbers for new events are assigned on a first come basis once the event is added to the system. Once an administrator adds a pull request for your event, the number is assigned and used for your event. Future events will get subsequent numbers.

You can even theme these events without a city or physical location, as the last example above.

Once you have the information for your event, please open an issue in the GitHub repository with the title of your event. Provide the information in your issue from the checklist below.

We have a checklist in an Excel file below of items you need as well as guidance to help you run your event. Please email this to our admin address

New Event Checklist

These items are kept in an Excel spreadsheet to make them easy for you to track. You can download the XLSX and fill it out before submitting as a part of your issue and email to us.

The basic information required to set up an event is:

  • Event Title (required) - We will prepend this with "SQLSaturday #xxx - ", based on the number assigned.
  • Event Date (required)
  • Event Time (optional) - In local time or UTC. Please specify which you use. We will publish the initial event without a time, but this needs to be updated at some point prior to the event.
  • Event description (required) - The text to be used on your event page.
  • Event Location (required) - Virtual or the address/city.
  • Event URL (optional) - If you wish to maintain your own event page. We can redirect to your page.
  • Logo URL (optional) - If you want something other than the default logo. Please include a small 200x100, and full size versions.
  • Speaker CFP URL (optional) - How do speakers submit sessions.
  • Speaker CFP End Date (optional) - If included, add the time and time zone.
  • Registration URL for attendees (optional) - Optional to start, but this is needed at some point.
  • Sponsor Plan URL (optional) - If you are selling sponsorships to raise money.
  • Organizer name(s) (required) - Can be an individual(s) or a group name.
  • Contact email (required) - Please feel free to message an admin if you do not with to post this.

Any other information you wish to include, please feel free. Once the event is live, if you need something changed, please update your issue. You can also submit a pull request (PR) if you want to make your own changes to the page.

If you are unsure of how or what to include for these items, we have some guidance below. You can also feel free to reach out to the foundation using the email link at the bottom of this page.

If there are any ommissions or corrections for this list, please the webmaster below.

Guidance for Running an Event

There are a number of items to consider when running your event. We have some recommendations and guidance here for you, but you are free to implement and run the event in any way that you choose. The one requirement is that you have a Code of Contact (CoC) and Anti Harassment Policy (AHP) that meets or exceeds the one on this site.

** Recommendations**

We have broken our recommendations into various sections that you can jump to. These are primarily focused on virtual events for the time being.

If you have any requests for help or questions, please contact the administrators using the link at the bottom of the page.

Call for Speakers

There are various ways to get speakers for your event. We have a few options below. If you know of others, please feel free to let us know.

  • Sessionize - This is the most popular option, and many events are using this. You can customize this, and there is no cost if you are running a free event. This service allows you to build a schedule and produce a script that can be used on this website to display your schedule.
  • SpeakerMatch - Have not used this, but it is a free service.
  • Invite Only - A few events have invited specific speakers and managed the session list themselves.
  • Email - You can have speakers submit sessions through email, but this might not be a good solution if you get more than 20-30 submissions.

If you know of any other services, please let us know.

In addition to the CFP, you might wish to market to speakers. There are a few ways you can do this, that are listed below:

Return to the list of recommendations.

Attendee Registration

There are a number of ways to register people for events, though this might not be that important for virtual events. However, you do want a way to contact people, so at a minimum, you want a mailing list of attendees. Below are a few options:

  • EventBrite - They offer free events, which do not cost you money to run. You can have people register for the event here and send our URLs.
  • MailChimp - You can have people register with a simple mailing list that you can use to contact them with session URLs.

Return to the list of recommendations.

Sponsorships

While the costs for a virtual event might be small, there may be some expenses. Raising money for events is a skill, and will be a necessity for most live, physical events.

The old SQLSaturday plans are gone, but a sample sponsorship plan from the Data.SQLSaturday.LA event is available.

You might consider using EventBrite to create an event for sponsors, with paid plans. This is an easy way to get started.

In order to receive money from many vendors, you need to have a bank account set up. While some may send to personal accounts or send a physical check, many want to get an invoice, so be prepared to produce one. Excel contains a number of templates for you.

Return to the list of recommendations.

Broadcasting

For virtual events, you have a number of options for broadcasting.

Some of these services are free, and some require a fee. Depending on your budget, you may choose to pay for certain features.

A few things that you may choose to consider as you look at platforms for your virtual event:

  • Number of tracks - Less is easier for virtual, especially with lots of events. We would recommend 2-3 tracks for 2021
  • Multiple speakers on one track with a single URL or different ones for each session (simpler is easier).
  • Moderators - If you have moderators to hold open meetings, as with Zoom, you can just have speakers join. Some platforms, like Streamyard, give you control over who appears when.
  • Recording - You may not want to keep recordings, but if you do, plan for the storage and a release from speakers.

Return to the list of recommendations.

Marketing

The best marketing you will have for your event will be word of mouth, so the more people you can reach and get excited about your event, the better.

Use your local user group mailing lists and meetings to announce your event, and contact other groups in your area that may be interested.

Return to the list of recommendations.