It’s been awhile since I mentioned my desire to host a local BarCamp NewsInnovation in Miami, but it’s never been far from my mind.
It’s going to happen, for sure, and I’ve considered a number of options for when and where it should take place.
After much thought and discussion with a few people (special thanks to Alex de Carvalho), I see two good possibilities. I would greatly appreciate any feedback, particularly from locals who would like to attend.
Here’s the dilemma: To link with BarCamp Miami 2009 + WordCamp (RSVP) OR to link with Communication Week 2009 at the University of Miami’s School of Communication.
Pros of Feb. 21 (Comm Week)
- Three built-in cameras for Web streaming
- Mics in the ceiling so everyone in audience can be heard online
- Wireless lavs for session leaders
- Free Wi-Fi and outlets for everyone (~100 seats in the room I’ve tentatively reserved. We could go to a bigger room, but we’d lose outlets)
- Higher student and professor turnout likely*
- BCNI Portland will be on Feb. 21 and Daniel Bachhuber has proposed having the two hook up via the interwebs to discuss a topic
Pros of Feb. 22 (BarCamp Miami + WordCamp)
- People will already be there, including some news folks
- Non-journos will be there, allowing for different perspectives
- The Arsht Center is a bigger venue
- There’s already a ton of South Florida buzz about this, whereas Comm Week buzz is isolated to UM
Even though fewer pros are listed for Feb. 22, it seems to be a better option for BCNIM because of the type of people who already plan to attend and the fact that it’s already a well-known event. All that would be needed now is a push to get more news people to attend.
Also, I figure we could always do a follow-up version at UM if there’s enough interest.
*If it were at UM, there would be efforts to promote it local news organization and other schools.
WEIGH IN: What should we do? BCNI Miami during Comm Week or as part of BarCamp Miami?
For more info on BarCamp NewsInnovation, check out the wiki.
