Idea Exploration Stage (IES)

At this stage, the event is just an idea. The idea is explored further to see if more investigation is warranted to perform a formal Feasibility Stage (FS), which comes next.

An overall goal and aim should crystallise by the end of the IES stage, but this is more formally detailed as part of the FS stage. Think about the target audience before deciding on the goals and aims of the event. An initial understanding of who the audience will be defined at this stage - i.e. which section of the a particular community are you targeting by running this event. This is paramount to develop the next stages of the event: what sessions to run, type of content for each session, publicity, and outputs.

This is also the stage at which the financial parameters should be agreed. For example, will the event make a profit, break even, run as a free event, or is it allowed to make a loss? If the event is allowed to make a financial loss (e.g. a pump-priming event), then the limits of that loss need to be agreed.

One should also agree on maximum number of attendees at the event as this impacts on venue choices and requirements in the Feasibility Stage.

Even at the Idea Exploration Stage, it should be possible to discuss the balance of the type or combination of types of sessions throughout the event in terms of:

  • Informing (e.g. speakers)
  • Exploring (e.g. discussion session)
  • Creating (e.g. Hackdays, Bring Your Own Data (BYOD))
  • Learning (e.g. Software Carpentry (SWC)/Data Carpentry (DC) or other instructive approaches)
  • Networking (e.g. lunch/coffee and other social sessions)

If this stage is approved, an Event Lead (EL) should be identified to manage the vision and delivery of the event, and effort from others should be assigned to form a co-ordinating group during the FS stage. For smaller events, only the EL may be required.

The EL should ideally have experience organising events. If they do not, then they should have a mentor assigned so they can learn as they go along. The mentor and the main stakeholder do not have to be the same person and often won’t be.

The EL is answerable to the stakeholders - if there is more than one stakeholder, there should be a Lead Stakeholder (LS) who can make the final decisions.