Documentation and learning

The aim of this page is to collect learnings, outcomes and experiences of the various parts that organizing a Wikimania entails. The learnings are based on the organization of Wikimania 2019 in Stockholm, where the local organizers secured additional funding for making sure that there is proper documentation on how to prepare for and successfully carry through a Wikimania. The text will be divided into two main parts: what is needed to be done for the conference to work, and what can be done, if the local organizers have the capacity. The texts are supposed to help the local team, not the staff of the WMF.

Parts of it will be based on the Wikimania Handbook, which at this point unfortunately is outdated – especially given the fact that there is now an events team at the Wikimedia Foundation helping the local hosts with the most time consuming parts of organizing a Wikimania.

Responsibilities of the WMF Events Team

See roles and responsibilities

• Budget (of which local hosts have no knowledge)
• Overall timeline (with input from local hosts)

What needs to be done

Early preparations

• Building a local core team
• Getting to understand the roles and responsibilities

Starting to build the conference

• Early communication – especially wiki and social media accounts
• Main components of the program
• Local scholarship responsibilities
• Carrying out a successful site visit
• Ensuring a sustainable conference

Developing the core conference

• Preparing the community village
• Working with the program committee
• Organizing related activities

Recruiting and coordinating volunteers

• Developing a volunteer strategy
• Launching an application process
• Training the volunteers
• Creating a good atmosphere within the volunteer community
• Managing the volunteers during the conference
• Working on the retainment of new volunteers
• Resources:
  • Volunteer tasks – complete list of tasks performed by volunteers at Wikimania 2019
  • Wikimania 2019 volunteer scheduling template (all volunteers) (link to Google Drive spreadsheet)
  • Template for resource calendar (link to Google Drive spreadsheet)
  • Template for individual schedules (link to Google Drive spreadsheet)
• Further reading:
  • Volunteer case study (Wikimania 2019)
  • Volunteer strategy of Wikimania 2019

Carrying out the conference

• Successfully managing the registration desk
• Internal communication: Communicating important information to the attendees, as for example via Telegram
• Ensuring the safety of attendees
• Find rooms for recurring meetings

What can be done

Early preparations

• Securing partnerships and sponsorships
• Recruiting local staff

Starting to build the conference

• Preparing video documentation and remote participation
• Developing an internal communications plan

Recruiting and coordinating volunteers

• Preparing a risk analysis and crisis management plan

Organizing social activities

• Arranging memorable Wikimania parties
• Organizing a culture crawl
• Making Wikimania a concept rather than a one-off event

Further information

Wikimedia Sverige debrief

• Debrief

Evaluation

• Wikimania 2019 Evaluation