FOSS United Chennai April Meetup 2025

Community Event
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Discuss on FOSS United Chennai April Meetup 2025

  1. Feedback on the April meetup.
  2. What needs to be improved?
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Post-event report for the FOSS United Chennai April 2025 Meetup

Event details: April FOSS Meetup
Event photos: Ente Photos

The good

  • We got 50+ diverse participants despite other community events happening on the same day.
  • Participation of attendees in providing feedback and attending talks was impressive, with more demand towards workshops
  • The venue was highly ambient and they helped in coordinating throughout the event
  • The volunteers were able to engage participants and were able to coordinate efficiently
  • The event was completed in a timely manner and stayed on track despite a 30 minute delay since the next speaker was able to cover their talk during network troubleshooting.

The bad

  • The talk’s order had to be altered due to technical difficulties which led to confusion in the initial phase of meetup
  • Some of the participants left the meetup after the networking break
  • The workshops seemed rushed up and clarification in the term “workshop” for “talk with demo” should have been done earlier to avoid it, this caused issues with participation.
  • Participants who were seated backwards had difficulties in accessing the screen due to visibility issues and was amplified by dark theme

The ugly

  • There were issues with networking which caused delay in starting the first talk by around 35 minutes
  • Though there was an organizer in the venue, the event wasn’t started
  • The CFPs were finalized the day before the meetup which caused confusion among the speakers, leading to miscommunication of requirements for workshop to participants
  • The date of the meetup clashed with 12 other meetups at the same time

Takeaways

  • Meetup dates must be planned by discussion with other communities to avoid clashes
  • Different types of events with focus on workshops must be done with clear communication of pre-requisites and isntructions for smooth participation must be planned
  • Delegation of proper roles for volunteers and framing agenda to avoid last minute works
  • Provide more time for Q & A for workshops and hands-on events

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There are a few suggestions I’d like to share based on the recent event:

  1. CFP Approval Timeline
    It would be ideal if the CFPs are approved at least 10 days before the event. In general, shortlisting speakers at least two weeks in advance would help in better planning and coordination. To be transparent, one of the speakers backed out as their CFP was approved just a day before the event, leading to a loss of interest. This could have been avoided with more timely approvals.
  2. Venue Prerequisites
    When requesting a venue, it would be helpful to share a list of prerequisites to ensure smooth execution. For example:
    • Seating arrangements
    • Microphone and display setup
    • Internet access for both speakers and attendees
    • F&B
  3. Speaker Conduct
    A colleague who attended the event with me pointed out that one of the speakers was chewing gum during their talk. To maintain a professional atmosphere, such behavior should be discouraged in future meetups.
  4. Event Promotion
    To scale the reach of future events, please focus on consistent promotion. Regular updates (e.g., every two days) about the speakers, event schedule, and highlights on various social platforms would help drive engagement. Additionally, collaborating with other communities to promote FOSS events can expand visibility.
  5. Attendee Information
    While collecting attendee details, consider including their college or company affiliation. This can help venue hosts (especially if the event is held at a corporate office) understand how many of their own employees are participating.