How to Hackathon...
with Purpose and People
Who Am I?
I like building stuff.
Software Engineer. Entrepreneur. Aspiring Hacker. Community Builder.
@sewell_jason
@sudokrew
@devleaguehawaii
(Jason Sewell)
Sudokrew / DevLeague
So You Wanna Hackathon?
- Uber Hackathon (First Statewide Hackathon)
- NASA Space Apps Challenge (Global Partnership)
- Hawaii Annual Code Challenge (Public/Private Partnership)
- AT&T Hackathon (Corporate Sponsorship)
- Startup Weekend (Entrepreneurship)
- Reboot The Commute (Sustainability Focus)
- Global Game Jam (Cuz games)
- Stupid Shit Hackathon (Just have fun)
- Node Knockout ( single technology community based)
Different Events and Models We've Experienced
10 Simple Things To Keep in Mind
Details can get overwhelming.
Start with the big picture.
Do This First and Communicate This To Everyone
1. Be Authentic.
Integrity is everything in building community.
2. Why Are You Doing It?
Define your guiding principles and drive all decisions back to those guiding principles.
Communicate your mission.
3. Why Should People Come?
People are giving you their time. Time is valuable.
Remember the event is for them.
4. What Defines Your Success?
Be very clear in what you consider a successful outcome and try to make it a single statement.
This is what you're working towards.
5. What is Your Long Term Vision?
Don't lose sight of the long term vision for short term distractions.
A strong community is built over time.
6. Who Do You Want to Attend?
It is better to have the right audience rather than the biggest audience.
Speak their language and be inclusive.
7. Who Owns Ideas?
Be very clear about ownership of ideas and follow on opportunities and expectations.
An idea is only as valuable as it's execution.
8. How To Incentivize People?
If you're building community, be careful about prizes.
Competition is a slippery slope.
9. Community is Nothing Without People.
Organizers always do and should have a goal in mind but caring for your community should always be a top priority.
Listen to them.
10. Make It Memorable
Make it an experience that you, your participants, and your team walk away with as a great experience.
A great experience is more valuable and long lasting than any prize.