Directing one of the best tech conferences in Australia
Table of Contents
Summary
CSSConf and JSConf Australia were a not-for-profit conferences providing a platform for learning and connection for the design and developer community. Both were a part of a worldwide-established, high-quality JSConf and CSSConf event family. As a Director, my job was determining how the events should feel, and putting that vision into action to create an unforgettable event.
Outcomes
1,000+
attendees each edition (selling out year-on-year)6-figure
budget raised through proactive sales52%
people identifying as women presenting (a result of an effective inclusion strategy)20%
of attendees identifying as women (well above industry averages)- Sponsored by Campaign Monitor, Zendesk, Mozilla, Adobe, GitHub, AirBnB, Envato, Real Estate, Westfield, and many more.
Designing an event
Running a conference is very much like establishing a brand—the experience is best when it’s cohesive, and echoing the values we set for how it should feel (welcoming, inclusive, fun, informative). Those themes ran through every aspect of event design, creating the standout “this is JSConf and CSSConf” feeling people love (echoed in testimonials below).
Throughout the years, I was in a player-coach role: combined directing with hands-on design work. I sought out, briefed, and managed artists (check the credits for details) to deliver fun signage, expressive photography, on-demand printed swag, and AV set-up.
Outside of management, I designed event badges, printed collateral, presentation slides, and websites. I also stepped out of the comfort zone of web and print to curate the interior design of Melbourne Meat Market space. All of these efforts coming together are portrayed below:
Creating a welcoming space
I used my past experiences in fostering diverse community spaces to create a comprehensive inclusion strategy. I started by ensuring the accessibility of the venue, as well as presented content, with a comprehensive Accessibility Statement as a north star. Participant safety was governed by an enforceable Code of Conduct and a response team.
I’ve set up a scholarship program that brought over 100 people from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to the events they couldn’t have attended otherwise. Being intentional about the space we curate extended to numerous other, smaller touches, such as nutritious food, lowering the prominence of alcohol, and quiet spaces. Learn more in the resources below:
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Programming inclusion
Published on CSSConf
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CSSConf & JSConf AU 2018: Diversity Report
Published on Medium
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CSSConf & JSConf AU 2016: Diversity Report
Published on Medium
Leading content and marketing
I strongly believe designers should be great writers and storytellers, as written word is inseparable from the interface that serves it. For that reason, I took charge of the content and marketing strategies, further cementing the cohesion of the event brand. I led multichannel communication campaigns serving attendees, speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and scholarship recipients.
Finally, with fellow co-organisers, I curated the most relevant talks from our Call for Proposals (which yielded above 2,000 submissions) to teach and inspire our audiences. But don’t take my word for it, and have a browse of reviews from our speakers and attendees on how it all landed below.
Testimonials
“They covered every little detail”
When they say it’s taken them 9 months to prepare the conference I don’t question it. One can see they had covered every little detail.
It’s also refreshing seeing speakers with very different background, and I love how the organisation has made diversity and inclusion the pillars of the events.
José M. Pérez ⋅ Speaker
“It’s no accident that these conferences felt the way that they did”
They were designed and facilitated purposefully and attentively, at great expense of time and effort. Good design is often invisible, so there are undoubtedly a million other things that were thought about and woven into the conference experience that I haven’t mentioned.
Jack Lo Russo ⋅ Attendee
“The entire experience from start to finish was inclusive, inspiring, encouraging”
As someone who doesn’t drink, I’ve never felt pressured to do so at conference after-parties. This provided a much-more inclusive social option to everyone who was there, and gave a chance to unwind after the long day.
Amy Kapernick ⋅ Attendee
“One thing that I found to be very practical and helpful was live captioning, which I had never seen in any other event”
The organization was phenomenal, with plenty of food and beverages in every format and colour you can imagine, indeed very Melbourne-hipster style.
One thing that I found to be very practical and helpful was live captioning, which I had never seen in any other event.
Eduardo García ⋅ Attendee
Resources & credits
Audio and visual
Photography
Signage and swag
Hospitality
Digging for Fire