Time for some catch-up!
The Colorado Loco Ubuntu Team Release Party for Ubuntu 16.10 was larger than any release we've had in history! I had 50+ on the signup sheet and 60+ at the peak. I met dozens of new people and at least a dozen new-to-Ubuntu users! The Ubuntu Beginners pamphlet was a hit, proving there were people who wanted to know more and willing to take it home and give Ubuntu a try. A lot of people look at how many people attended, but the most important stat to me is how many people took the new user materials and found it useful. That's how you know it was successful.
Instead of a meetup at a local restaurant or bar, I decided to leverage our excellent corporate sponsorship by my fabulous employer, System76 and host an event. We set up stations to keep visitors engaged, had fancy catering to fill the tummies, activities for the kids, and kegs of beer to stir the conversation :)
All Things Open in Raleigh was a blast. Our booth was busy as can be, and the conference had 1,000 more attendees than last year, according to event organizers. It's starting to have that OSCON type feel for a conference. It was unbelievable how many more booths, sessions and people there were this year compared to last. For an open source conference, it's definitely one of the best ones we attend outside of Linux Fests. I met tons of customers and fans, and hopefully influenced a few hundred people to consider our products next time they need a computer!
The networking at All Things Open is one of the best features of the conference. The social events are comfortable, fun and full of smiling faces. There is nothing better than a sea of geeks in a barcade after a long day manning the booth at a conference.
We have more events to come in 2017. It's going to be an epic year!
The Colorado Loco Ubuntu Team Release Party for Ubuntu 16.10 was larger than any release we've had in history! I had 50+ on the signup sheet and 60+ at the peak. I met dozens of new people and at least a dozen new-to-Ubuntu users! The Ubuntu Beginners pamphlet was a hit, proving there were people who wanted to know more and willing to take it home and give Ubuntu a try. A lot of people look at how many people attended, but the most important stat to me is how many people took the new user materials and found it useful. That's how you know it was successful.
Instead of a meetup at a local restaurant or bar, I decided to leverage our excellent corporate sponsorship by my fabulous employer, System76 and host an event. We set up stations to keep visitors engaged, had fancy catering to fill the tummies, activities for the kids, and kegs of beer to stir the conversation :)
All Things Open in Raleigh was a blast. Our booth was busy as can be, and the conference had 1,000 more attendees than last year, according to event organizers. It's starting to have that OSCON type feel for a conference. It was unbelievable how many more booths, sessions and people there were this year compared to last. For an open source conference, it's definitely one of the best ones we attend outside of Linux Fests. I met tons of customers and fans, and hopefully influenced a few hundred people to consider our products next time they need a computer!
The networking at All Things Open is one of the best features of the conference. The social events are comfortable, fun and full of smiling faces. There is nothing better than a sea of geeks in a barcade after a long day manning the booth at a conference.
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| Ryan Sipes first time doing a booth with System76! Sam rocking it as always :) |
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| Jason stood ready for his talk about imaging System76 computers the night before |
We have more events to come in 2017. It's going to be an epic year!