Background
The Startup Weekend Organizer’s Guide is designed to be the ultimate resource for helping all Organizers plan their Startup Weekend event. From high-level to nitty-gritty details, we’ve tried to compile and consolidate all our event organizing experience into an easily-navigable and accessible resource. This page (below) serves as a chronological overview of what general things Organizers should be thinking about from 3+ months out up to the day of the event. The bulk of the Guide, however, is broken down in sections based on topic. We suggest new Organizer’s skim through each section, then dive into each section in detail as you tackle the topic.
In addition to this public-facing Organizer’s Guide, Startup Weekend has a private Organizer’s wiki. This space is designated for:
- Shared and collaborative content
- Non-English downloadable resources
- Past-event marketing materials and templates
- Not publicly-sharable documents (legal/admin, etc.)
Shortcomings
While we have tried to keep the information general enough so that it applies across many regions, many resources/suggestions will only apply to certain contexts. Currently nearly all of the sections and downloadable content are in English only – we’d love to have multilingual content but unfortunately this is currently beyond our capacity. Ultimately, this Guide is a work in progress: in the spirit of Lean Methodology, we’ve chosen to build the content in iterations. Expect continuous improvement, particularly on:
- The Organizer’s Toolkit: We’ll be adding more downloadable content, particular design-related templates, on a regular basis
- An “Over the Top” Section: We’re attempting to compile stories from past events to create a section focused on ‘over-the-top’ ways to make your event truly amazing.
How you can help
This Guide is for you, so tell us what you want. Please send any and all feedback to events@startupweekend.org. Did you try something new and different for your Startup Weekend event that really improved the event? Let us know.
Also, the best resources for Organizers come from previous Organizers themselves. Please make use of the private Organizer’s Wiki and upload any and all marketing materials!
