VSDC EVENTSA Guide for Event Coordinators

“Things get done only if the data we gather can inform and inspire those in a position to make a difference.”

–Mike Schmoker, educator and author

How To Use This GuideThis is your roadmap to organizing VSDC events. It contains the following:

• The purpose of VSDC events and their value proposition. Illustrates how VSDC events make a difference.

• Event rationale and objectives

• General considerations and principles applicable to all events followed by sample event-specific (hackathon) considerations in more detail, illustrating how to put these principles into action

• Note: Before you begin planning your event, please refer to the additional downloadable reference materials available on the VSDC website – www.vadatahub.org

• Style Guide for proper use of VSDC logos and other branding materials.• Additional copies of this event guide for distribution

• An additional resource is Virginia’s Open Data Cube – www.data4va.org

VSDC Events Advance Virginia’s Data-Driven Future

The Virginia Small Satellite Data Consortium (VSDC) creates and delivers accessible and collaborative tools to increase the value and impact of data-driven

problem solving. Our special events are designed to foster entrepreneurship, and inspire

communities to develop, sustain, and grow data-driven technologies for societal benefit.

The Future Is Already Here

VSDC Events Value PropositionTarget non-traditionaland under-served user

groups

Create and Connect

Communities

VSDC EVENTS

Grow userbase for Open Data Cube and

VSDC Data sharing

platform

That support

new business creation

That help build

Virginia’s Data

Future

Solve real world problems

Create awareness of datafor the public good

Promote VMASC/VSDC

Initiatives

Event Rationale - General

Outline the reasons or motivations for your specific event including:

• The event’s purpose: the challenge/problem to be solved, the community benefits, the technology to be developed etc.

• The backstory of the problem, topic, or area of enquiry • It may be helpful to utilize the 5 W’s model: who, what, when, where and why to

help formulate the motivations behind your event.

Event Foundational Objectives - General

• Grow: and sustain data-centric communities• Connect: data communities to solve real-world problems• Increase: awareness of data for societal benefit• Foster: entrepreneurship• Promote: “Inclusion by Design” principles

Close the circle: Designate person to follow up with VSDC post-eventShare surveys, photos, and collected demographic data

Resources for Event Preparation - General

• Timeline checklist• Budget tracking tool• Participant and Venue considerations• List of deliverables• Event documentation processes and materials• VSDC website - www.vadatahub.org• Virginia Open Data Cube - www.data4va.org

Participant Considerations - General

Legal Considerations - General• Ensure you have completed a risk assessment of the event premises• Determine if public liability insurance is needed for premises• Ensure that food and hygiene regulations are followed• Determine if minors, if allowed, require any extra supervision• Determine what will be considered products of the event• Determine if the event products will be open-source or closed-source• Determine if participants are responsible for liability and if participants

need to sign any waivers• Utilize the Documentation Checklist to track completed action items

Budget Considerations - General

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4

1

5

6

Sample Budget TableItem Cost

Venue Rental $

Equipment Rental $

Food/Catering $

Supplies/Hardware/ Extra Adapters

$

Advertising $

Staff/Security/Cleaning Crew $

Event Swag (T-shirts) $

Emergency Fund* $

Etc. $

Total $ *According to HackMIT: “No matter how well you plan, you will inevitably run into emergencies on the day of the event, and having money to burn on emergencies is a tremendous help.”

Venue Considerations - General

ExploreMake

AccessibleAsk

QuestionsMake SafeVisit

• Create invitation that can be easily shared to invitees• Determine if invitations will be targeted to a select audience that is event-

specific• Share awareness of event across all social media platforms• Determine pre-registration dates and how pricing will change, if at all, after

date passes • Utilize easiest method for participants to RSVP and maintain an invitee list as

well as RSVP yes/no list• Determine appropriate media outlets to share official pre-event and post-event

press release• Determine what knowledge you are seeking from Data Collection Instruments

and choose instruments to gain that information• Utilize the Documentation Checklist to track completed action items

Pre-Event Marketing and Publicity –General Considerations

Pre-Event Marketing and Publicity1. The InvitationIdentifies the date, time, location, and goal of TheEvent with a method to RSVP

2. The Press ReleaseWill notify and excite the media about The Event; will include event details and importance of goal outcomes

3. The Social MediaPostEvent details shared on

Facebook, Medium, Google, Twitter, and

website

4. The Data Collection PlanInstruments chosen to capture

stakeholder and industry information via The Event participants

5. The Documentation ChecklistThroughout the entire process steps

will be identified as completed

Pre-Event Timeline Considerations – General

• Determine how far in advance the event must be planned• Consider the event size, identifying a venue, and difficulty of attracting

participants• A large event may require 9 months minimum; a small event may require 2

months minimum• Work backwards from the event date to space out task deadlines• Utilize a “months prior to the event,” “a week of the event,” and a “day of the

event” timeline• Consider post-event activities/data collection requirements in pre-event

planning• Utilize the Documentation Checklist to track completed action items

Pre-Event Timeline Marketing Considerations SmallSat Hackathon

SpecificTASK 6 MONTHS 5 MONTHS 3 MONTHS 2 MONTHS MONTH OF4 MONTHS

The invitation is designed.The guest list is created.

Social media posts begin and continue weekly until event.

The press release is written and submitted.

The invitation is sent out.

The data collection instruments are identified.

Pre-Registration deadline.

The guest list is finalized, and participants confirmed.

Pre-Event Timeline - General

VSDCEventDay of the Event

Early ArrivalPrep the space

WelcomeIntroduce groups and thank attendees and sponsors

EventHost and enjoy!

Wrap-UpReview what was accomplished; team presentations; thank-you's; provide information on next event

BreakdownCollect data collection materials; clean up; ensure venue appears as it did pre-event

Following the event, share products captured during the event with your community and VSDC• Photos and video • Post-event press release

Conduct a “lessons learned” from the experience and share information with VSDC leadership, such as: • Successes with the event• Areas to improve in planning the event• Attendance and RSVP rate• Participant demographics• Considerations to include for future events

Post-Event: General

Now that you’ve seen how to launch a hypothetical general event, the following slides show a hackathon-specific sample event

• Hypothetical event of 50 people• Single day event• Single problem to solve

Sample Event

Event Rationale Example SmallSat Hackathon Specific

• The tasks of securing outer space and cyberspace are converging.• SmallSats used in scientific and commercial space operations will become

targets of hackers.• Hacked SmallSats can become portals to interfere with complex

communication networks or larger, multi-billion-dollar satellites.• Many SmallSats transmit data in the open with no precautions against hackers.• Problem: What if the data collected and transmitted by the SmallSat to the

ground station has been compromised?

Foundational Objectives ExampleSmallSat Hackathon Specific

GrowGrow the community

around SmallSat-related problems.

ConnectConnect the

cybersecurity and SmallSat communities

around space cybersecurity-related

challenges.

IncreaseIncrease awareness of

the impact of space cybersecurity on the integrity of SmallSat

data.

FosterFoster

entrepreneurship, and inspire communities to develop, sustain, and

grow data-driven technologies for societal benefit.

PromotePromote “Inclusion by

Design” principle

Challenge – Hackathon Specific

• Consider the problem to be solved• Consider what supplies and hardware will be needed• Consider how teams can be structured to support the challenge

Challenge - SpecificChallenge - Specific

Green Teams apply data science techniques to detect

compromised data

White Team ensures the efficient execution and

fairness of the hackathon

Red Teams launch attack to compromise data

Blue Team comprises data to be compromised or problem

to solve

Challenge - SpecificExplanation of Possible Team Structure

• Red Team (Optional)• Participants/Attendees aiming to compromise data stream

• Green• Participants/Attendees aiming to solve problem or protect data

stream• Blue (Optional)

• Participants/Attendees owning data stream or problem to be solved• White

• Organizers and referees aiming to provide support for participants and parameters of competition

Data Collection Resources for Event Preparation

Hackathon SpecificCreate data collection instruments for:

• Pre-event demographic information• Day of event feedback instruments• Post-event feedback documentation

Resources for Event Preparation Hackathon Specific

Sample resources include:• Online lectures, presentations, and coaching sessions specific to topic

(technical specs)• Topic specific• Entrepreneurial information• All materials should conform to industry-specific best practices

Make resources available prior to event• Download from website• Send to email address after registration• Available in hard copy by request• Virginia Open Data Cube - www.data4va.org

Participant ConsiderationsHackathon Specific

• The professions and skillset of the participants of the VSDC Hackathon are not constrained by any formal requirements.

• There are no prerequisites for level of expertise (professionals, amateurs, and students).

• The VSDC Hackathon welcomes participants who operate on a wide range of sensory, cognitive, and motor spectra.

Legal Considerations ExampleSmallSat Hackathon Specific

The products developed during the hackathon including software code, visualizations, algorithms, and methods will remain within the open-source domain and should

adhere to the following license (based on MIT Open-source license):

“Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this visualizations, models, methods, software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit

persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so.”

Sample Budget Hackathon Specific: 1 Day - 50 Participants

Item CostVenue Rental $ 500

Equipment Rental $ 300

Food/Catering $ 750

Supplies/Hardware/ Extra Adapters

$ 300

Advertising $ 150

Staff/Security/Cleaning Crew $ 400

Event Swag (T-shirts) $ 500

Emergency Fund* $ 200

Total $ 3,100*According to HackMIT: “No matter how well you plan, you will inevitably run into emergencies on the day of the event, and having money to burn on emergencies is a tremendous help.”

Venue Considerations – Hackathon Specific

Explore MakeAccessible

Ask Questions

Make SafeVenue

Pre-Event Timeline Marketing Considerations SmallSat Hackathon

SpecificTASK 6 MONTHS 5 MONTHS 3 MONTHS 2 MONTHS MONTH OF4 MONTHS

The invitation is designed.The guest list is created.

Social media posts begin and continue weekly until event.

The press release is written and submitted.

The invitation is sent out.

The data collection instruments are identified.

Pre-Registration deadline.

The guest list is finalized and participants confirmed.

Pre-Event TimelineSmallSat Hackathon Specific: Week Of

3 DAYS PRE-EVENT• Confirm supplies/materials + purchase as

necessary• Confirm refreshment order• Confirm with media for event coverage

1 DAY PRE-EVENT• Walk-through of venue• Email attendees with

contact information, schedule, and reminders of what to bring

• Print handouts with schedules, guidelines, event hashtag, and WiFi info

• Print Data Collection materials

5 DAYS PRE-EVENT• Email attendees with logistics• Set up communication method for attendees,

post-event• Confirm photographer + videographer

EVENT DAYSolve problems!

7 DAYS PRE-EVENT• Confirm order for

refreshments/ catering

• Confirm staff/volunteers and day-of duties

10 DAYS PRE-EVENT• Review participant

list + confirm teams• Share "the problem"

with all participants via email

Pre-Event TimelineSmallSat Hackathon Specific: Day Of

VSDCEventDay of the Event

Early ArrivalLay out printed materials; place restroom/welcome information; test that technology works; final review of Documentation Checklist

WelcomeSign-in participants; introduce organizers; thank sponsors; explain the goal of The Event; review schedule; share social media information

Problem SolvingBreak into groups; team introductions; work on “the problem,” staff + volunteers float and provide support as neededWrap-UpReview what was accomplished; team presentations; thank-you's; provide information on next event

BreakdownCollect data collection materials; clean up; ensure venue appears as it did pre-event

Post Event – Hackathon SpecificFollowing the event, share products captured during the event with your community and VSDC

• Photos and video • Solution of problem-solving• Post-event press release

Conduct a “lessons learned” from the experience and share information with VSDC leadership, such as:

• Successes with the event• Areas to improve in planning the event• Attendance and RSVP rate• Participant demographics• Considerations to include for future events

Decision Flow for Event Conversion

Announce event, specifying and justifying in-

person requirement

Provide guidance on social

distancing, helping

attendees make the attend vs. don't attend

decision

Decide on reduced/critical

pool of attendees

Decide on space arrangements conducive to

social distancing and sanitary conditions

Specify guidelines for

space prep pre event and

maintenance throughout the

event

Decide on event outcomes that can be shared

with those who could not attend

Continuing In-Person Activities

SELECT DIGITAL FORMAT

Consider what type of digital gathering would work best for

the event.

Example:teleconference,

podcast, webinar, etc.

IDENTIFY PLATFORM(S)

Select platform for interacting/sharing.

Preference to accessible solutions. Identify alternative systems in case of platform outages.

COMMUNICATE

Communicate information about

safety and platform access.

Provide resources and repository links

for pre- and post-event content.

PREPARE DIGITAL MATERIALS/

INFRASTRUCTURE

Release reference content as early as

possible, test all platforms and

configurations prior to event.

If users must prepare before the event send reminders at least 48

hours prior.

POST-DIGITAL EVENT

CONSIDERATIONS

Share post-event resources with those who could not attend.

Gather feedback from attendees and non-

attendees.

Transitioning to a Virtual Event