Forwarded from another mailing list [Fwd: Re: [GoLugTech] Linux Presentation Day, timing.]

[Omer Zak]

A lot of advice.

-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: Hauke Laging via Tech <tech at golug.org>
Reply-to: Hauke Laging <hauke.laging at linux-presentation-day.org>,
tech at golug.org
To: tech at golug.org
Cc: SVLUG <svlug at lists.svlug.org>
Subject: Re: [GoLugTech] Linux Presentation Day, timing.
Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2016 08:07:17 +0100

Hello,

Am Donnerstag, 8. Dezember 2016, 15:54:28 CET schrieb Steve Litt:

> Here in Orlando, Enrique Gomez, Patrick Berry and I have set up
> a Linux Presentation Day for 1/7/2017.

that is great but you might reconsider the date; especially...

> Radios using Linux. Now we need to publicize.

...for this reason.


> I just read that you wanted these Linux Presentation Days to happen
> approximately all on the same day, but you didn't specify that day. A
> lot seem to happen in October.

We do not set international dates any more because that creates more problems 
than it solves. But there is an international time frame: The events shall be 
in April / May and October / November.

The interested organizations in the US should agree on an "official date" for 
the US. That is the date you tell the nationwide media. Those events which 
cannot be on that date should rather be after that date than before because 
only that way you can profit from nationwide media coverage (which is most 
probable in the IT media).

Based on the current responses I assume there will be 20 to 50 US locations 
for the first event. For comparison: We had 65 locations in Germany for our 
first nationwide event. Italy had 20 but they have a similar event in autumn 
with nearly 100 cities. The next-highest numbers are five cities in France and 
Poland. In order to have a really comprehensive event which is close to most 
of the population and has enough capacity for visitors in the large cities I 
assume we need about 1,000 locations in Germany. Due to the other level of 
distance problems that adds up to probably rather 5,000 than 3,000 in the US.

The local media seems not to care much about that a local event is part of 
something really big but the nationwide media needs to be impressed by the 
number of countries, national locations and what you are heading for with 
this. Doesn't work in Germany yet but the Italians are on TV and covered by 
nationwide newspapers.


> I imagine the Orlando Linux Presentation Day will be the first of 2017.
> Are there any special things we can do to make things easier for Linux
> Presentation Days that come later? Any suggestions for getting
> publicity, and who to try to attract as our audience?

If you want to stick with your January date then I would suggest to plan for a 
small event. That is less effort and stress and you make some experience wich 
allows you to have a bigger event in April / May with little effort. And you 
could consult the other US locations.

We have learnt that defining a target audience doesn't make tthem the majority 
of visitors... We don't know what the reason is but many German hosts were 
surprised that the majority of visitors were men from 40 to 60. I have heard 
similar from abroad. That may but need not turn out similar in the US. After 
all the LUG response to my mails differs incredibly from the rest of the 
world.

It's probably a matter of attitude whether you decide

a) to focus the "advertising" on men from 40 to 60 because you might get the 
most visitors this way

or

b) focus on all other groups because you would like the visitors be closer to 
the population average...

We have also leant that posters and flyers in the public have hardly any 
effect; same for online advertising. That may change when the event name is 
better known. Two things are known to work great:

a) media coverage (how surprising...)

b) Posters in a public location for the event (e.g. a public library).

It can help a lot to cooperate with organizations which have good access to 
the local media like adult education centers (the second-largest group of 
hosting organizations in Germany) or universities. A library may not have good 
access to the media  but if you have 50 visitors then it may not feel like a 
problem that most of them are regular library visitors. And for the next event 
you can tell the media that the former event had 50 visitors...

In Germany we prepare a press release template for the local media. Meanwhile 
we have learnt that the press release for local media should be very different 
from that for nationwide media because you have to explain to the nationwide 
media why the LPD is such a great event but the local media are scred off by 
too much text. If the national organizers manage to raise some sponsor money 
then it may be possible to have a press agency write (and spread) the press 
release. In April 2017 the support period for Windows Vista ends. My 
impression is that nobody here uses Vista any more but if the non-IT media 
cover that then it might be a good idea to spread a press release at that 
time.


CU

Hauke
-- 
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