It’s a Community-powered AwesomeCon!
BarCampPhilly is an ‘Unconference’ – a day of programming collaboratively built by the people, for the people. The schedule board is cultivated the morning of the event, and is open to all attendees for contributions. Content is presented by programmers, creatives, suits, entrepreneurs and artists in workshop sessions, roundtables, talks, performances, audience participation sessions and everything in between. Still confused? Check out the the FAQs!
It does not take place in a bar… not until it’s time to party!
A typical day at BarCamp goes something like this…
From 8 to 10am, attendees plan the schedule on a large grid. We’ll have index cards at the ready. Write your session title on the card and choose a time slot. We will provide a blank form to enter in all of the sessions that you would like to attend for the day. After a brief welcome from the organizers, we’ll start the first session of the day.
Timelapse: BarCampPhilly 2009 Kickoff, Created by Barcamp 2009 attendees laan labs
Some of our sessions from 2010 attendees included:
- Swimming in the Real Time River
- Car Washing to Web Apps
- Geek Improv
- Parse, Don’t Sanitize
- Riot URLs: Gender Feminism and Tech
- Switching to VI (how I stopped worrying and learned to love the esc key)
View the full Schedule from 2010 »
Sessions will last throughout the day with a break for lunch. Don’t be surprised if you get into some great hallway conversations that take the place of a session. This is a day for learning and socializing, so have a good time and get to know your community!
After the last presentation of the day, we’ll celebrate with an after party at our favorite bar in town — National Mechanics!
What the what? FAQs
Is BarCamp for me?
Probably! If you have any interest in technology, art, design, entrepreneurship, community-building, development, hacking, making, creativity, innovation, and doing awesome things in Philadelphia, then there’s something for you at Barcamp.
We know your social calendar is rather full, but we do hope you’ll join us. You are quite handsome.
I’m a n00b, what should I expect?
New attendees are the heart of BarCamp! Your energy and enthusiasm are what keeps the ideas fresh and the recycled pick-up lines at the afterparty from going stale. Come prepared for a day of mind-expanding ideas, new people, amazing conversation and HIGH FIVES.
What to expect:
- You’ll arrive in the morning, register, collect swag and noms and java, and then dive right in.
- The first hour or two is dedicated to building the schedule for the day, which means that people who want to hold a session will be writing a description of that session down on a card and affixing it to the schedule board.
- As sessions get posted, your dauntless organizers and board curators will be hard at work allotting space and shuffling sessions and getting things set up for a full day of programming. (It’ll be more or less like this, but the precise logistics of the board creation process are subject to change as we explore new and improved ideas for this year! Stay tuned!)
- Once the program is assembled, we’ll have a big kickoff gathering where we orient you, make announcements, and release you into the wilds of community-generated idea sharing!
- You check out the schedule and decide where you want to be and when. You vote with your feet. You talk to strangers. You think out loud and absorb new concepts. You teach and learn and share, and you come away electrified by the community around you.
- We hold a wrap-up conversation in the auditorium at the end of the day.
- We PARTY. Aww yeah.
If you have an idea for a presentation don’t be shy! Everyone is encouraged to contribute to the event, seasoned veteran and first-timer alike. Get there early, come with an open mind, and bring business cards (or stickers, or balloon animals).
But what are sessions like?
Sessions vary as widely as the audience! Some are participation-intensive to discuss lessons learned within a particular discipline, some are to brainstorm together, explore code or best practices, roundtable about emerging concepts, hack together or create art together, or something else entirely! Some people bring full on slideshow presentations, some share code solutions on the projector, some come with nothing but their ideas-in-progress and then a fluid discussion evolves.
Sessions usually touch on one of these: technology, design, entrepreneurship, community-building, development, creativity, and all the intersections of those fields.
Love it. How do I sponsor?
It’s easy! Check out the levels on our sponsorship page, and make a donation using PayPal. As long as you’re in on time (deadline October 4th) your company will get mad props for helping to support this amazing community.
Can my brand sponsor a session?
Nope! Sessions are strictly community-generated, and are not up for sponsorship. However, you are encouraged to send reps from your brand to join the event, participate in sessions, and even hold one yourself! As long as the important “Sessions Are Not For Selling” rule is adhered to, we’re sure you have awesome things to share.
If you really want to sponsor something specific, though, we can work with you! In the past, companies have sponsored breakfast, coffee, afternoon snacks, rounds of drinks at the afterparty, and more. Let’s talk!