InfoCamp Seattle Blog

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What’s the best size for an InfoCamp? If only we knew the magic number that would strike the perfect balance between access and intimacy. Rather than hazard a guess as to the best size, we’ve decided to go with the capacity of this year’s venue, which has an auditorium that seats 411 people:

Registration for InfoCamp Seattle 2010 will be open until 411 people have registered, or until 5:00 pm (PST) on Thursday, September 30 — whichever is first.*

Our ticketing page on Eventbrite will show how many tickets are left.

Though 411 is the max, we’ll be happy if anywhere from 200 to 400 people show up. A huge event is not the goal. The real goal is to bring together a diverse group that creates a fun, vibrant weekend of unconference interactions! Two of last year’s participants said it best:

“Just like last year, I loved the variety of information professionals who attended. The resulting cross-hybridization of knowledge is amazing, unparalleled, and incredibly important in the information field.”

“InfoCamp is the only conference I know of (nation-wide!) that captures the full spectrum of “information science.” Where else can I go to sessions on library catalogs, mobile technologies, copyright, and UX all in one day? Please keep encouraging people from all walks of Info-life to participate!”

Hope you’ll join us at InfoCamp Seattle 2010! Head to Eventbrite for more details and to reserve your seat!

* Why 5pm on Thursday? For a couple of really tedious logistical reasons.

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We are thrilled to announce that the InfoCamp Starter Kit has launched!

At InfoCamp Seattle 2009, Rachel and Aaron (two of InfoCamp’s founders) led a session about starting your own InfoCamp, and we promised a Starter Kit in a follow-up blog post.

Seattle, Berlin, and Berkeley have all hosted InfoCamps… be a part of the global movement by starting an InfoCamp in your area!

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This year, InfoCamp Seattle will be in the Capitol Hill/First Hill neighborhood! On October 2 & 3, we’ll gather in the Pigott Building on the beautiful Seattle University campus, near downtown Seattle and close to a hotel, several bus lines, and some great restaurants and bars.

Venue amenities

On our tours of the building, we appreciated the auditorium that seats about 400 people, the variety of high-tech classroom options for breakout sessions (see below), the gorgeous, light-filled atrium, the art, and the interesting smaller spaces for hanging out and chatting. The space around the building impressed us too – with a beautiful green space, fountain, and reflecting pool right outside the doors.

Two of the classrooms for InfoCamp breakout sessions

Not only do we love the feel of the building, but it meets our criteria, developed over the past three years, for a good InfoCamp venue:

• Big enough for 300-400 participants, with an auditorium & breakout rooms
• Located in Seattle
• Parking and/or public transportation options
• Wireless internet access
• Non-stuffy atmosphere
• Affordable – so ticket prices can be low

View of the hotel from an InfoCamp breakout room

A bonus for out-of-town participants — InfoCamp will be one block away from a hotel!

The Silver Cloud Hotel on Broadway is the same hotel we worked with last year. We’ve set up a block of discounted rooms there – get the details here.

Selecting the venue

During the selection process, we reviewed comments from last year’s post-InfoCamp survey. Of the 16 comments about last year’s venue (Cleveland High School), 12 were positive, 2 were positive but suggested we consider venues closer to downtown Seattle, and 2 requested a more central location.

One participant suggested, “It would be easier to have a ‘greener’ conference if you held it within downtown Seattle. I drove a bunch from hotel to conference and back again. I’d much prefer to walk more.”

A “greener” unconference is a great goal, and since InfoCamp’s low budget rules out the expensive downtown venues, we’ve done our best to find an affordable “green” venue — in fact, Seattle U was recently featured in The Seattle Times for its sustainable practices. We also prefer to avoid the typical corporate hotel & convention center locations, because their atmosphere tends to lack the friendly, community-oriented character that InfoCamp tries to cultivate. We look for venues run by nonprofits, schools, and community organizations, and we’re happy to have found one so close to downtown, next to lodging, and in one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Seattle!

We look forward to holding InfoCamp Seattle 2010 in Seattle University’s Pigott Building and hope it works well for everyone who wants to attend. More details about buses, parking, etc., will be on the wiki soon. Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about the venue.

View more photos of the venue, learn more on the InfoCamp wiki, or register now!