rebarcamp Atlanta... A Date and A Venue...

and a FaceBook Page... and a Twitter Hashtag...

That's right, yesterday on the FaceBook Page for rebcAtlanta, we announced the date and location for the first ever rebarcamp Atlanta. 

Friday, October 1st, 2010

CoolRay Field, Home of the Gwinnett Braves

#rebcatl

At the moment, we are putting together the team that will put on the event.  The search for sponsors is underway.  In the next few days we will roll out registration.  It is a busy and exciting time for those of us that have learned so much from rebarcamps and want to extend the reach of the experience. 

So, you don't know WHAT rebarcamp is...

Well, to sum it up quickly, it is the unconference.  Chaotic, diverse and flexible.  It is kind of like the balancing force to all of the seminars and workshops we normally attend.  The agenda is literally put together the morning of the event and is largely driven by the attendees. 

Rather than having a bunch of one-way presentations from mostly vendors or experts, rebarcamp seeks to have a more interactive experience for the participants.  Learning by discussion rather than PowerPoint. 

But I'm not a 'Tech Genius'...

That is perfectly ok.  There WILL be some bona-fide uber-geeks there.  There will also be a lot of folks that don't know Foursquare from Fortran.  And it doesn't have to ALL be about technology.  The participants will be the ones that will drive the agenda, so whether it is short sales or property marketing, mobile apps or personal branding, Tweet-ups or buyer seminars, it is on the table. 

In fact, we are pushing the envelope on the breadth of sessions we will be trying to set up...  More on that later. 

I saw on the FaceBook Page that you said you were going "Old Skool"...

I was at the original rebarcamp in San Francisco in 2008 (lo, these many years ago).  One of the amazing things at that camp was the way it went down.  There were no PowerPoint presentations on overhead screens.  There were no real 'Presenters'.  Rather, it was an amazing peer-to-peer learning experience.  It was largely group discussions and a few panel discussions. 

Lately, some of the rebarcamps have seemed to adopt the presentation format.  There isn't anything wrong with that... in fact, Atlanta's own REtechSouth is an amazing event in its own right, and is very much in the presentation model.  But, we are trying to offer something a little different... something more personal. 

What is the venue like?

It is a baseball field...  We'll be holding break-outs in the batting cages... 

Actually, we will be holding up to 10 break-out sessions at a time in the VIP Suites overlooking the ballpark.  We will also have the Suite Lounge and Bar as well as a couple of Patios... and if the weather cooperates, we'll be holding the Welcome and Closing sessions out in the stands... 

We have the capacity for about 250 people, and the break-outs are designed to be small (only about 20 people).  There will be a LOT going on. 

What about "Other Stuff"?

I haven't been to a rebarcamp event yet that didn't have a lot of 'social' wrapped up around it.  Pre-event mixers, post-event mixers...  We'll be working on that, too. 

And if you are coming in from out of town, CoolRay Field is only a few minutes from the Mall of Georgia, Lake Lanier and a lot of other entertainment facilities in Gwinnett County... and not that far from downtown Atlanta attractions like the World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center and the Atlanta Zoo... 

There are lots of nearby hotels, and we'll be checking into putting together deals for those that might be interested in those accomodations, too.  There is even camping ;^)

Stay tuned, there will be a LOT more info coming on #rebcatl.  We hope to see you there.  Feel free to re-blog this to spread the word!