Nitty Gritty Details for RE BarCamp St. Louis

June 11, 2010 by  
Filed under 2010 Event

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We’re only 3 days away from RE BarCampSTL and the registrations continue to come in every day.

Here is a rundown of what will be happening to help you get the most out of the event.

Registration:

Yes, Re BarCamp is a free event for attendees. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t cost money. We have sponsors covering breakfast, lunch, the venue and an open bar.

Since we get charged by the person for food and drink, we need to know if you plan to attend. We’re not saying that we won’t let you in if you show up at the door and haven’t pre-registered, but please be considerate and sign up so we can get an accurate head count.

The same goes for canceling your reservation if your plans change and you won’t be able to attend.

But I can only attend part of the day. Can I still come?

Of course.

My friend called me on Sunday and said she wanted to come too. Is it too late?

Absolutely not. We should have enough space to accommodate anyone who shows up at the door, though they may be on their own for food if we get an overwhelming number of surprise attendees.

Presentations:

As we’ve mentioned in prior posts, anyone is welcome to submit a request to do a presentation. In order to avoid having 5 people plan similar presentations, please leave a comment on this post with your topic.

If you can’t be there all day and need a specific time slot, let us know that too.

When you sign in on Monday morning, you will also be given an opportunity to submit a request to be a presenter.

Breakout sessions will be one hour long and will start at 9:30 am, 10:45 am, 1 pm and 2:15 pm. Since BarCamp’s are designed to be interactive, you should allow some time for discussion or questions.

We will have projectors and screens, so feel free to put something together on your laptop if you think visual aids will help. The plan is to have 3-4 breakout sessions during each time slot.

Depending on how popular your topic is, expect anywhere between 10-50 people attending. If you plan on bringing anything to hand out, you should arrive with copies already made.

Event Schedule:

Here’s an update on the day’s activities:

8:30 AM – Doors open

8:30-9:00 AM – Registration and breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 AM – Welcome and orientation

9:30 – 10:30 AM – Breakout session 1

10:45 – 11:45 AM – Breakout session 2

11:45 AM – 1:00 PM – Lunch and networking

1:00 – 2:00 PM – Breakout session 3

2:15 – 3:15 PM – Breakout session 4

3:30 – 4:00 PM – Social Media Mastermind discussions

4:00 – 6:00 PM – Open bar (beer, wine & soda) & networking

Evening – Tweetup after event to be announced

What to Expect:

BarCamp’s are relaxed events. Dress is casual or business casual.

The event is put together by a handful of volunteers who are trying to pull this together in between selling homes and running their own businesses, so while you can expect a fabulous learning event, don’t expect perfect event coordination.

If you don’t like how the chairs are set up for your presentation, move them.

If a breakout session is out of chairs when you come in, pull a chair off the stacks that will be around or grab one from another room. Or sit on the floor.

If you are in the middle of a great conversation that will offer more value then any of the breakout sessions, find a quiet corner and keep talking.

If you don’t like any of the topics during a breakout session period, find a few other people and start your own discussion.

A big part of the BarCamp experience is networking. Bring lots of business cards so you can keep in touch.

WiFi and Laptops:

The Stegton Banquet Center has free WiFi and we will have plenty of power strips available for you to recharge those batteries if needed. Bring your laptop, iPad or netbook so you can take notes and try out things during the sessions.

If you are on twitter, be sure to use the official hashtag #REBCSTL when tweeting about the event.

Still not sure you should bring your laptop with you?

If you are new to social media and are hoping to get started on twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or one of the many other social media options, you can probably even find someone who will help you download apps and get signed up.

Don’t have a laptop?

That’s ok. You can take notes the old fashioned way.

Questions:

If I left something out, just leave a comment below or send an email to Karen Goodman or Jessica Hickok.

We can also be reached on twitter (@karenstl or @sugarcube).

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What is a RE BarCamp?

May 21, 2010 by  
Filed under 2010 Event

Bar Camp events bring together anyone using technology who wants to share and learn. The Real Estate BarCamps are specifically geared toward technology and education for real estate professionals.

The RE BarCamp website explains it well:

RE BarCamp is a BarCamp for Real Estate (R.E. BarCamp). What that means- the event is not structured like a typical planned conference. Every session is not planned out in advance. Nobody is paid to deliver a session. Anybody can deliver a session and attendees are strongly encouraged to participate.

How does that happen?

When you arrive at the event, you will have the opportunity to put your name in a slot to facilitate a session. The number of sessions delivered at any given time depends on the venue and number of attendees. After registration is over, a board will be put up that details each session and what room they are located in throughout the day. The length of the sessions varies at each RE BarCamp event.

If anyone can deliver a session, won’t some of the presentations be terrible?
Possibly, but it it not typical. Some of the best and brightest minds attend these events. They lead sessions and they sit in on sessions. RE BarCamp sessions are group sessions. They are not meant to be presentations by a single individual. Because the audience participates, sessions that may start out a little rocky often adjust and get redirected by the participation and collaboration of the audience. Presentations promoting specific commercial products or companies are discouraged. If you feel like you’re being sold, or if a session is really bad and your participation can’t turn it around, practice the rule of two feet- get up and walk out.

That sounds like chaos. How is that productive?
It can be a little chaotic, but some of the best ideas and invention are derived out of chaos. If you go in looking for a very structured day, you will be disappointed. What you get out of an RE BarCamp event is what you put into it.

What topics are covered in the sessions?
This depends completely on who volunteers to lead a session. The sessions are frequently related to technology usage in real estate but cover any topic from mortgages, to photography to philanthropy. If you want to hear a specific session, facilitate it!

Check out this video of a San Francisco RE BarCamp. Keep in mind that every event will look a bit different depending on the venue. Come with an open mind, prepared to go with the flow and to meet new people, and you’ll have a great time.

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What the Heck is REBCSTL?

February 13, 2010 by  
Filed under 2010 Event

REBC class schedule RealEstate Bar Camp

REBC Class Schedule on a White Board

REBC is the Real Estate UN-Conference.

Real Estate BarCamp is a focused, one day ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open, casual environment.

A RE Bar Camp (REBC)  is like nothing you have ever experienced.   If you long to sit in an audience and watch a bland sales powerpoint from a paid corporate vendor – the REBC is not for you.

This is a fully engaged experience where each person is responsible for their own experience.  Interaction is the name of the game.  Listen, Ask and Discuss.

REBCPHX rebarcamp phx

REBC Phoenix - Out in the Sun

This is not a Sales Platform.  If someone starts pitching / selling anything, we encourage you to get up and WALK AWAY.

You will gain valuable knowledge, insight and understanding on just about any topic  for basic or advanced users.   Recent REBC discussions have included managing a social media marketing campaign, Facebook 101,  tips and tricks of advanced Facebook, WordPress Blogs, Twitter, Iphone help,  140 branding  etc.

Price: It’s Free. Yeah, that’s different too.

So how does the day work?

8am Volunteers work hard to make registration for participants easy first thing in the morning.

Free Coffee is served.

By 9am, As the group gathers  everyone fills out 1 or 2  Question cards.  Card One asks “What do you want to learn about” Card Two asks “Would you like to teach – if so what?”

Volunteers match up the requests, and teachers and fill a board with a class schedule.

Then the rest is up to you.  Pick a class, help as a discussion leader, ask questions, listen, learn.

Learn more and Register today, its free!

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