What is an Unconference?¶
The Unconference consists of attendee-driven sessions that provide the opportunity for anyone who is attending the conference to lead, contribute, share ideas, and discuss problems in an organized setting away from the main stage talks. Many attendees consider this one of their favorite aspects of the conference.
Who can lead an Unconference session?
Everyone! All attendees are invited to lead a session on a topic. Sessions can be organized around a presentation, group discussion or anything in between.
Who can attend an Unconference session?
Everyone!
Schedule¶
Date: All day, Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5
Each session is 35 minutes in length
Sessions will be scheduled in 4-6 time slots, with multiple sessions happening at the same time
Hosted in Martha’s, Library & Astoria room (1st floor)
See the Schedule page for exact times.
Sponsored by¶
The Unconference is sponsored by ReadMe.
Virtual Unconference¶
Virtual Attendees can join in a virtual unconference session! From the Venueless platform, look for the Virtual unconference channel and take a look at the sign-up sheet for the slots or sessions of the day.
Sponsor Sessions in Martha’s¶
Stop by Martha’s each morning from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM for free handcrafted espresso on Monday ☕ and free handcrafted matcha on Tuesday 🍵, plus sponsor-led discussions.
Monday ☕ — free espresso: Sponsor Session hosted by Promptless
10:00 AM — Context Engineering for Agents with Manny Silva
10:45 AM — Docs as Code: Starting from Scratch with Mike Jang
11:30 AM — Docs Observability: Measure Less, Learn More with Mano Toth
Tuesday 🍵 — free matcha: Sponsor Session hosted by Mintlify
10:00 AM — Working Session: Evaluate current documentation + map out improvements
10:40 AM — Open Discussion: Workflows with agents
11:20 AM — Casual Conversation: Joyful task we never want to automate
Martha’s will be open to attendee sessions in the afternoon, along with the Library and Astoria rooms.
Scheduling a Session¶
Sign up online one week prior to the conference (Monday morning sessions only).
Sign up for all sessions in-person anytime during the conference, Sunday through Tuesday.
During the conference, write the title and your name on a sticky note. Select a time slot and table number and place the note on the large schedule.
The online schedule will be updated regularly during the conference.
Leading a Session¶
In-person sessions take place at tables and focus on small group interaction. There is no stage at an Unconference session.
Virtual confereence attendees have a dedicated Virtual Unconference channel in the Venueless app.
Unconference sessions are not recorded or streamed.
How do I structure my Unconference session?
Group discussion: Pick a topic and facilitate a discussion
The semi-talk: Use a short presentation to lead into a group discussion on a topic
Show and tell: Share your latest project, a new tool, or anything else that excites you
Presentation: Sessions are meant to be small and inclusive, so a presentation can be a difficult format. You will not have access to a large screen, so you cannot rely on slides. You may present a longer talk, but expect more interaction from others joining the session, and break often for questions and discussion.
These ideas were borrowed from Scott Berkun. Read more of his post on Unconference sessions.
Tips to keep in mind:
Good sessions emphasize group participation. However, if you choose a format that includes a lot of your own ideas or material, be prepared to dial it back and use what you have as a starting point, not as the focal point.
Aim to keep your sessions manageably small. Most sessions are typically 5-12 people.
If your group is larger than this, split it into two groups if possible, reconfigure, or remove tables. Ask Unconference staff/volunteers for assistance.
If you’re leading a session on a popular topic (notably API docs in the past), consider scheduling an early time so there’s the possibility to schedule overflow sessions later in the day, or the following day.
Whoever attends are the right people. You can get great results with 5 or 30 people, and sometimes it’s better to have a smaller, but more engaged group.
People may come and go during the session and that’s okay!
Keep an open mind. Even though the session starts out with a topic, you may end up with a different outcome.
Ask Unconference staff/volunteers for support to wrangle logistics. The room can get crowded especially when a popular topic is scheduled.
When it’s over, it’s over. There are time slots to help organize the sessions but you can finish early or continue the discussion elsewhere.
Attending a Session¶
View the Session Schedule. This will be posted online and in the Unconference room during the conference.
Find the table and have a seat. You can also join mid-session!
Listen or contribute to the discussion.
You’re welcome to change sessions mid-slot! Please make sure you leave politely.
Enjoy the Unconference!
