(Draft 2015-02-02)
Context
The VIVO Implementation Fest (I-Fest) serves to engage community members who have recently implemented VIVO or are considering to install VIVO. Similar to annual VIVO Conferences and Hackathons, the I-Fest provides a forum to learn, share information and network with peers. The I-Fest is designed to engage new users as well as seasoned users in current topics that are important to the community. I-Fests have been held every year since 2011 and support the growth and development of the community and promotes the value of VIVO.
Objectives
is an annual event that provides an informal setting for new and prospective adopters of VIVO to mingle and work in an informal setting with long-term VIVO community members. Four annual I-Fests have been held to date, with the timing intentionally about 5-6 months ahead of the Conference to not compete for attendance. The I-Fest has a strong flavor of a community-driven event where vendors are allowed to attend but don’t sponsor or give demos except within the context of informal discussion.
The first two I-Fests were focused on communicating knowledge about VIVO through presentations, while more recently the mix has shifted to become more interactive, with open discussion and work sessions that allow community members with experience to help answer the questions of those new to the community. A major goal is to build the confidence and inter-personal networks of newcomers and to highlight the contributions in code, ontology, documentation, and effort by those attendees who come with experience to share.
Objectives
- Given the short time frame until the event, work together to address all the planning needs without over-burdening any single person -- especially not our hosts.
- Identify a facilitator to call meetings and be the point person for local arrangements -- Nicole Vasilevsky
- Update the VIVO wiki page(s) to reflect any changes to transportation/hotel/restaurant information
- Confirm that appropriate rooms, networking, any refreshments, A/V, etc. will be in place
- Transfer registrations from SurveyMonkey and update the registration spreadsheet nightly; send acknowledgement emails; prepare nametags
- Confirm that the 4 themes (ontology, integration, visualization, and end-to-end) have facilitators, descriptions, and a time frame/room assignment
- Delegate further organization of presentations/instruction and ideas of hands-on topics to each facilitator with instructions on how and when to report back
- Coordinate the opening plenary to provide suitable opening welcome and orientation
- Coordinate a closing event for the end of Tuesday
- Collect suggestions for working meetings scheduled for Wednesday and identify facilitators
- Develop and distribute
- Form a planning team, identify a lead, identify a facilitator
- Identify dates to hold the I-Fest
- Select a venue, provide travel details, identify local lodging choices and restaurants, identify local travel options and other services and logistics.
- Solicit participation from the community
- Identify timely topics and themes of interest to the community
- Identify facilitators for topics and themes
- Develop a meeting format that is substantive in content and provides an informal atmosphere that is conducive to knowledge sharing, networking, and hands on learning.
- Provide a mechanism for registration and tracking.
- Develop timely communications for prospective attendees and registrants.
Deliverables:
- Arrange for photos to be taken at the event; set up a Google Docs area for interactive multi-participant note taking; determine how these notes, photos, and other outcomes can be made available to people who could not attend
- Develop an event evaluation survey and circulate during the I-Fest
Deliverables:
Wiki documentation suitable for attendees leading up to the event and showing notes, photos, and outcomes afterwards
A successful I-Fest, documented via an attendee evaluation survey
- Lots of ideas about how to continue a higher level of community engagement
- Make local arrangements and reserve adequate space.
- Identify current topics and I-Fest themes and facilitators.
- Develop a program
- Develop a series of communications to announce the I-Fest, solicit participation from the community and distribute program details.
Suggested schedule:
Identify core planning team and leader | 2014-12 | |
Schedule and hold first planning meeting | 2014-12-12 | |
Hold second planning meeting | 2015-01-16 | |
Send out announcement of 2015 VIVO I-Fest | 2015-01-21 | |
Solicit members from the community | 1 week | 2015-01-29 |
Hold third planning meeting |
| 2015-02-03 |
Develop charter and open for review | 1 week | 2015-02-02 |
Develop action items, assign to team members. | 12 weeks | ongoing |
Hold fourth planning meeting | 2015-02-17 | |
Accomplish deliverables, preliminary review | 4 weeks | ongoing, content deliverables 2015-02-03 through 2015-02-19 |
Revise deliverables, final review | 1 week | 2015-02-20 - 2015-02-27 |
Hold final planning meeting | 2015-03-03 |
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