This is the rough calendar to expect for an event.
- One year out: Confirm organizers
- One year out: Kick off venue search
- 9 months out: Kick off budget discussions
- 9 months out: Pick venue, if not already selected
- 6 months out: Start org meetings biweekly, if not already done
- 6 months out: Ensure sponsor prospectus goes out
- 6 months out: Ensure CFP goes out
- 4 months out: Ensure marketing is off and running
- 4 months out: Ensure registration opens
- 4 weeks past KubeCon CPF close: Close CFP, announce speakers
- 3 months out: Ensure swag is off and running
- 1 month out: Set up volunteers
- 1 month out: Set up a full run-of-show schedule.
- Event: Host
- The venues book up fast. Book quickly.
- Don't take too long or think too hard about the sponsor prospectus.
- Tickets usually start going after speakers are announced. Don't panic.
- Get those CFP acceptances out as quickly as possible, as some of your speakers may have early deadlines or long waits for getting corporate travel approval, visa approvals, and more.
- Never announce the speaker list until all speaker spots have been filled and all proposal authors have been notified about a decision. Keep that goodwill high.
- As a group, always set up a run-of-show schedule. This is your master schedule and the source of truth. Use it. Love it.