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cascadiajs / 2015.cascadiajs.com

The official repo for the CascadiaJS 2015 conference
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Help Wanted: Significant Others Track #17

Closed crtr0 closed 9 years ago

crtr0 commented 9 years ago

CascadiaJS Fest is going to be a destination conference, which means that we will be encouraging people to bring their families up to Semiahmoo for the duration of their stay. The purpose of an SO track is to make sure that SOs (spouses, partners, children, etc) have things to do during the day and enjoy their CJS experience just as much as those who are inside listening to talks. JSConf has been a pioneer here and it's worth looking at what they did this past year as a guide for designing an SO experience for CJS.

Estimated time commitment:

ghost commented 9 years ago

Just providing minutes of some brainstorming:

Track organizer does not actually have to be the camp counselor who hands-on supervises all the activities. Part of it is just compiling the list of what's available, what it costs, and keeping people informed. Looking into group discounts/specials.

Polling attendees on whether they're bringing SO's, kids. Developing communication stream with them.

If there are enough kids, kid camps in the evening to allow parents/so's to attend the evening events. Does hotel have staff or there a local company that can provide a kid camp for a fee. Sort of like a day care's Parents Night Out... Cost $35 (or whatever)... Drop kids off at 6 pick kids up at 10. They get pizza dinner and a movie / activities.

Look into options for a "Club Cascadia" day camp for the kids so an SO can take a spa day. Possibly work with a company out of Bellingham that does kids parties? Maybe hotel has recommendation? What would be the min/max age, ratio of kids to care providers?

ghost commented 9 years ago

Summing up from hotel site: Water activities http://www.semiahmoo.com/water_sports.php

Family Stuff - http://www.semiahmoo.com/activities.php

ghost commented 9 years ago

Attraction for parents with kids: Water slides http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g58359-d1520744-Reviews-Birch_Bay_Waterslides-Blaine_Washington.html

RuthieB commented 9 years ago

Hi, Carter! I am considering volunteering for this job, but I am also considering submitting a talk. Is this a horrible idea?

Also, is the organizer expected to attend all of the SO track activities? My kids will have varying opinions on what they want to do, so I will need to be flexible.

ghost commented 9 years ago

Hi Ruthie, At least my first post (minutes of brainstorming) is a record of informal brainstorming with Carter yesterday as he asked me to look into coordinating this since I coordinate Seattle CoderDojo and put on coding events for families most Saturdays.

How hands-on and how elaborate the track will be is going to depend on the # of people bringing SO's, what the composition of the SO group is (# kids, # adults, general preferences), and what kind of activities are planned. Right now we're expecting a chunk will be curating a good list of DIY activities and maintaining good communication with the attendees, and working with the resort to plan activities that the resort will be in charge of.

KatieK2 commented 9 years ago

If there is interest, I know someone who could probably be cajoled into organizing some sort of brewery ( the beer kind) tour.

KatieK2 commented 9 years ago

Random thoughts:

Visitors might want to know whether it's feasible to do a Seattle day trip from the conf venue. And if so, how to travel.

Ideas for Seattle tourist activities:

ghost commented 9 years ago

Semiahmoo Resort to Tacoma Museum of Glass is a 5 hour round trip without traffic.

On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 3:58 PM, KatieK notifications@github.com wrote:

Random thoughts:

Visitors might want to know whether it's feasible to do a Seattle day trip from the conf venue. And if so, how to travel.

Ideas for Seattle tourist activities:

  • Seattle Underground Tour
  • Pike Public Market
  • Tacoma Museum of Glass (preferable to the Chihuly, trust me)

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69272600 .

KatieK2 commented 9 years ago

You do save an hour by going to Seattle instead of Tacoma, but you don't get to see any glassblowing in action at Chihuly's Garden. And you only get to see Chihuly's work. Sure, it's nice if you're already going to the Space Needle.

But if you want to see glass from multiple artists, and watch glassblowers work live, my advice is Tacoma MoG.

If you want to take a glassblowing lesson, I know some people. ;)

ghost commented 9 years ago

I'm sorry, but do we really want to recommend a "day trip" that involves 8-9 hours on the road? Remember that the S.O. track is happening at the same time as the con, so Tacoma MoG is not only almost 300 miles, but in weekday traffic.

Vancouver is WAY closer.

On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 4:56 PM, KatieK notifications@github.com wrote:

You do save an hour by going to Seattle instead of Tacoma, but you don't get to see any glassblowing in action at Chihuly's Garden. And you only get to see Chihuly's work. Sure, it's nice if you're already going to the Space Needle.

But if you want to see glass by a multiple artists, and watch glassblowers work live, my advice is Tacoma MoG.

If you want to take a glassblowing lesson, I know some people. ;)

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69277793 .

KatieK2 commented 9 years ago

I was just saying that folks might want to know whether a trip to Seattle was feasible. And that if they wanted to see glassblowing stuff, Tacoma is better than Seattle. If Vancouver CA is better, that's cool - they'll just want to know. ;)

(I have strong opinions on the Seattle glassblowing thing because it's one of my hobbies.)

hackygolucky commented 9 years ago

We may not have to resort to a daytrip that's far at all. We might want to explore adventures that are close to the gorgeous venue we've selected, as it seems like there's a ton without needing to venture on a long drive.

On Sun Jan 11 2015 at 8:31:47 PM KatieK notifications@github.com wrote:

I was just saying that folks might want to know whether a trip to Seattle was feasible. If Vancouver CA is better, that's cool - they'll just want to know. ;)

(I have strong opinions on the Seattle glassblowing thing because it's one of my hobbies.)

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69529229 .

ghost commented 9 years ago

I've been exploring options around Semiahmoo and Bellingham. When we've got the contract signed and can more easily tap the resort's resources, a coordinator can get some time with their staff and get a brain dump on the stuff that's not in Yelp, as well as custom options the resort can offer.

The main time area of this is going to be making sure we're collecting data on attendees/speakers who are bringing S.O.s (how many adults, how many kids, age ranges), then work with the resort to plan accordingly and provide a curated list of additional suggestions.

Personally, if I brought my wife and kids, I'd feel distracted during the day and drawn away from the evening events to be with them. That's why I don't want to bring them. I want to get my investment's worth from attending by making the most of the conference and all the networking opportunities.

Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by encouraging S.O. attendance? Do we end up encouraging con attendees to bring distractions with them that will make it harder to get the full value the event offers?

On Mon, Jan 12, 2015 at 10:39 AM, Tracy notifications@github.com wrote:

We may not have to resort to a daytrip that's far at all. We might want to explore adventures that are close to the gorgeous venue we've selected, as it seems like there's a ton without needing to venture on a long drive.

On Sun Jan 11 2015 at 8:31:47 PM KatieK notifications@github.com wrote:

I was just saying that folks might want to know whether a trip to Seattle was feasible. If Vancouver CA is better, that's cool - they'll just want to know. ;)

(I have strong opinions on the Seattle glassblowing thing because it's one of my hobbies.)

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub < https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69529229>

.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69620747 .

brycebaril commented 9 years ago

I've taken my family to a few conferences now, it is not a distraction. They are part of the community, and especially the kids really get a lot out of seeing what tech conferences are like and feeling included. I find missing them more distracting than having them around.

The best way to do the SO track appears to be SO track as an optional alternative to attending the talks, then the other (e.g. evening) events include the families.

As for how far afield to travel, I would suggest on-site or walking distance. Taking everyone to Vancouver, Tacoma, or Seattle is coordination and travel stress and lots of time.

ghost commented 9 years ago

Bryce,

This is a resort in the boonies. It has a pool, golf courses, spa, hiking...

There's not really much within walking distance. Unlike prior CascadiaJS events, this isn't smack dab in the middle of a vibrant city. It's a getaway destination.

The closest cities with a big enough population to support a decent shopping/activity district are Bellingham and Vancouver. Barring a HUGE S.O. contingent that warrants arranging bus tours, anything offsite will probably be BYO transportation / carpool coordination.

That said, I'd love to hear how you've involved your kids in conferences before and what more you believe could be done in the evenings: Family hours (between 6-8) with an adults-only afterparty? "Parents Night Out" where we get one of the conference rooms set up with pillows, pizza, a few adult supervisors and a movie? Drop kids off at 6, pick them up by 10?

One of the reasons Carter asked me to be on the S.O. track thread is because I run Seattle CoderDojo, a volunteer group that runs a free Saturday Morning coding club for kids. We regularly host 80-90 kids on a Saturday morning and our Hour of Code event had 185 kids.

I'm willing to run some coding camp activities for kids on CSS day, but I'll need volunteers.

On Mon, Jan 12, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Bryce Baril notifications@github.com wrote:

I've taken my family to a few conferences now, it is not a distraction. They are part of the community, and especially the kids really get a lot out of seeing what tech conferences are like and feeling included. I find missing them more distracting than having them around.

The best way to do the SO track appears to be SO track as an optional alternative to attending the talks, then the other (e.g. evening) events include the families.

As for how far afield to travel, I would suggest on-site or walking distance. Taking everyone to Vancouver, Tacoma, or Seattle is coordination and travel stress and lots of time.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69639692 .

hackygolucky commented 9 years ago

Carter has enlisted the help of Megan Christian, an amazing event planner, and along with the Semiahoo staff we'll probably be able to get some really quality info on what is reasonable to provide. The SO track is pretty important(even if it's casual) for this time of the year. There will certainly be a group of people not wanting to bring their family, and others who can't swing the trip if there isn't something in it for the fam too.

JSConf and NodeConf are two great examples of 'destination' conferences that are doing a fun job of making the SO track workable. These confs can be a priority for some developers explicitly because they offer this. We've tried to make the conference open to all types of developers but have frustrated ourselves in past years to not giving enough space for an SO track or daycare of any sort. We hope to put more energy into it now.

Events include arts and crafts, coding time aimed at non-coders and kids, adventure time without the coders, etc.

The SO track doesn't have to go off-campus at all. It's all up to the person organizing the track to get creative with the constraints provided and expand the ideas if it's reasonable to do so. Greg, happy to get on a call with you and Carter so that we're on the same page and you're not feeling overwhelmed. It certainly won't be done alone!

On Mon Jan 12 2015 at 1:36:54 PM Greg Bulmash notifications@github.com wrote:

Bryce,

This is a resort in the boonies. It has a pool, golf courses, spa, hiking...

There's not really much within walking distance. Unlike prior CascadiaJS events, this isn't smack dab in the middle of a vibrant city. It's a getaway destination.

The closest cities with a big enough population to support a decent shopping/activity district are Bellingham and Vancouver. Barring a HUGE S.O. contingent that warrants arranging bus tours, anything offsite will probably be BYO transportation / carpool coordination.

That said, I'd love to hear how you've involved your kids in conferences before and what more you believe could be done in the evenings: Family hours (between 6-8) with an adults-only afterparty? "Parents Night Out" where we get one of the conference rooms set up with pillows, pizza, a few adult supervisors and a movie? Drop kids off at 6, pick them up by 10?

One of the reasons Carter asked me to be on the S.O. track thread is because I run Seattle CoderDojo, a volunteer group that runs a free Saturday Morning coding club for kids. We regularly host 80-90 kids on a Saturday morning and our Hour of Code event had 185 kids.

I'm willing to run some coding camp activities for kids on CSS day, but I'll need volunteers.

  • Greg

On Mon, Jan 12, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Bryce Baril notifications@github.com wrote:

I've taken my family to a few conferences now, it is not a distraction. They are part of the community, and especially the kids really get a lot out of seeing what tech conferences are like and feeling included. I find missing them more distracting than having them around.

The best way to do the SO track appears to be SO track as an optional alternative to attending the talks, then the other (e.g. evening) events include the families.

As for how far afield to travel, I would suggest on-site or walking distance. Taking everyone to Vancouver, Tacoma, or Seattle is coordination and travel stress and lots of time.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub < https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69639692>

.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69650810 .

hackygolucky commented 9 years ago

Also, thanks for your input Bryce! I know you and Ruth have had a blast at some conferences thanks to an SO track. I'm excited to make room for this in Cascadia and knowing attendees that have good insight and willing to share makes it able for us to offer it, make it fun.

On Mon Jan 12 2015 at 2:19:44 PM Tracy Hinds tracyhinds@gmail.com wrote:

Carter has enlisted the help of Megan Christian, an amazing event planner, and along with the Semiahoo staff we'll probably be able to get some really quality info on what is reasonable to provide. The SO track is pretty important(even if it's casual) for this time of the year. There will certainly be a group of people not wanting to bring their family, and others who can't swing the trip if there isn't something in it for the fam too.

JSConf and NodeConf are two great examples of 'destination' conferences that are doing a fun job of making the SO track workable. These confs can be a priority for some developers explicitly because they offer this. We've tried to make the conference open to all types of developers but have frustrated ourselves in past years to not giving enough space for an SO track or daycare of any sort. We hope to put more energy into it now.

Events include arts and crafts, coding time aimed at non-coders and kids, adventure time without the coders, etc.

The SO track doesn't have to go off-campus at all. It's all up to the person organizing the track to get creative with the constraints provided and expand the ideas if it's reasonable to do so. Greg, happy to get on a call with you and Carter so that we're on the same page and you're not feeling overwhelmed. It certainly won't be done alone!

On Mon Jan 12 2015 at 1:36:54 PM Greg Bulmash notifications@github.com wrote:

Bryce,

This is a resort in the boonies. It has a pool, golf courses, spa, hiking...

There's not really much within walking distance. Unlike prior CascadiaJS events, this isn't smack dab in the middle of a vibrant city. It's a getaway destination.

The closest cities with a big enough population to support a decent shopping/activity district are Bellingham and Vancouver. Barring a HUGE S.O. contingent that warrants arranging bus tours, anything offsite will probably be BYO transportation / carpool coordination.

That said, I'd love to hear how you've involved your kids in conferences before and what more you believe could be done in the evenings: Family hours (between 6-8) with an adults-only afterparty? "Parents Night Out" where we get one of the conference rooms set up with pillows, pizza, a few adult supervisors and a movie? Drop kids off at 6, pick them up by 10?

One of the reasons Carter asked me to be on the S.O. track thread is because I run Seattle CoderDojo, a volunteer group that runs a free Saturday Morning coding club for kids. We regularly host 80-90 kids on a Saturday morning and our Hour of Code event had 185 kids.

I'm willing to run some coding camp activities for kids on CSS day, but I'll need volunteers.

  • Greg

On Mon, Jan 12, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Bryce Baril notifications@github.com wrote:

I've taken my family to a few conferences now, it is not a distraction. They are part of the community, and especially the kids really get a lot out of seeing what tech conferences are like and feeling included. I find missing them more distracting than having them around.

The best way to do the SO track appears to be SO track as an optional alternative to attending the talks, then the other (e.g. evening) events include the families.

As for how far afield to travel, I would suggest on-site or walking distance. Taking everyone to Vancouver, Tacoma, or Seattle is coordination and travel stress and lots of time.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs. com/issues/17#issuecomment-69639692 .

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-69650810 .

RuthieB commented 9 years ago

Bryce and I are happy to help, Tracy! I admit, our vision for an SO track matches what we have experienced at Nodeconf, which is very inclusive of the family. The purpose of the SO track there is to have fun (and maybe learn something) while the attendees are at the talks/sessions, and the families are just part of the gang the rest of the time!

I know that Carter has talked to Mikeal about the overwhelmingly positive response he gets from the families (and the singletons!) who attend this conference-- those who brought their kids vow to return every year, and those that did not bring their kids wish they had. Our 12-year-old was so deeply impacted by what she learned last year at Nodeconf that she is doing her 6th grade "Passion Project" on the experience.

The activities you mentioned-- crafts, exploration of the immediate area, and coding-- were more than enough to keep our three kids occupied and very happy for the three full days of the conference. Also, don't forget the fact that the kids will likely make friends with each other and provide their own sort of fun! I found myself wishing I had registered as an attendee because I had so much more free time than expected. We have been to Semiahmoo, and I trust we will have no problem finding ample opportunities for fun and education on-site.

KatieK2 commented 9 years ago

Here is a piece of prior art that may come in handy.

SassConf was held in New York City and they expected a lot of out-of-town visitors and that folks would combine a vacation with a trip for the conference. They put together this lovely visitor's guide: http://web.archive.org/web/20131123003251/http://sassconf.com/pages/nyc-primer/

hackygolucky commented 9 years ago

Suggestion from a friend at brooklyn.js http://www.birchbaywaterslides.net/

stacfabs commented 9 years ago

Hello all. I've not been to a tech conference as a significant other before and only attended as a local so I might be missing some assumptions, but in reading this above thread I had a couple thoughts and questions.

I might be getting ahead of the logistics you're thinking of right now, but as a mother of a 3.5 and 2 yr old, these are the thing that pop into my mind from the perspective of it I was the SO going with my kids in tow.

Thanks!

MylesBorins commented 9 years ago

@mikeal do you have any thoughts or anything you could add?

davethegr8 commented 9 years ago

Hi @stacfabs! We're still very early in the planning process for the SO track. I'm not sure that we have anything confirmed at this point, but we'll take your questions into account as we're putting it together. If you have anything in particular that you'd like to see (besides what you mentioned already) please let us know!

hackygolucky commented 9 years ago

For reference, @stacfabs wrote this great post http://zomigi.com/blog/we-need-more-moms-in-web-design-and-development/ and I thought it had some really great insight and perspective. Thanks for stepping into this planning and giving us questions we need to ask as we move forward!

On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 7:37 PM Dave Poole notifications@github.com wrote:

Hi @stacfabs https://github.com/stacfabs! We're still very early in the planning process for the SO track. I'm not sure that we have anything confirmed at this point, but we'll take your questions into account as we're putting it together. If you have anything in particular that you'd like to see (besides what you mentioned already) please let us know!

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/cascadiajs/2015.cascadiajs.com/issues/17#issuecomment-86253602 .

stacfabs commented 9 years ago

@hackygolucky , your words are very kind. I wish I could take credit for that well written and very poingent post, but it was actually by Zoe Mickley Gillenwater (http://zomigi.com/about/ @zomigi on Twitter). I do, however, very much agree with her point of view. I also have an event planning background and very current point of view on mothers in coding as I just finished the Full-Stack JavaScript Course at Portland Code School and now work as a Developer at WebMD Health Services, both here in Portland, OR. I will happily contribute/help in any way I can.

KatieK2 commented 9 years ago

Hi @RuthieB @brycebaril @stacfabs Are any or all of you still excited about (and able to) lead the SO Track ?

RuthieB commented 9 years ago

Hi @KatieK2 !! @brycebaril and I are so disappointed to be missing Cascadia this year (this will be Bryce's first year to miss it), because we will be visiting family that week. If you need any general advice/suggestions/opinions, we will be happy to help. :)

crtr0 commented 9 years ago

Thanks to Michael and Megan Saffitz for volunteering to lead the SO Track!

ivanoats commented 9 years ago

@KatieK2 thanks for chatting with me about SO track tonight at SeattleJS - happy to help

KatieK2 commented 9 years ago

Hi @ivanoats - it was good chatting with you! Let me introduce you to @GregBulmash who I think is running a kids+code event at Cascadia Fest. Greg - Ivan has volunteered to help with your workshop in case you need any extra hands!