FAQ
Q. What is ProductCamp?
A. If you have never heard of a ProductCamp before, it is a decade-old “un-conference” for product professionals. By un-conference, it means that ProductCamps are in many ways like traditional corporate conferences, except that:
Generally, ProductCamps are free
ProductCamps are put on “by-and-for” the people who go
At ProductCamp, there are no passive “attendees,” there are only active “participants,” meaning everyone is expected to contribute in some way (e.g. presenting, volunteering, setup/teardown)
One of the best things about ProductCamps is that they are put on locally, which means that you can help to to start it! Becoming a ProductCamp organizer is a wonderful opportunity to network, connect with other product managers around the world, and gain new skills.
Q. What is an unconference?
A. An ‘unconference’ is typically a user-driven, collaborative experience. It has no agenda, no keynote speakers; the participants get to decide on the topics on the day. Unconferences can generate community, foster deeper connections between participants, and unleash innovation by allowing attendees to decide on the topics that they will hear, and also by redefining who is an expert. Sessions are more likely to be interactive, discussion-oriented, and focused on solving problems.
The emphasis on participant choice extends to the sessions throughout the day in the form of the “two-foot rule,” also called the Law of Two Feet. The law was described by Harrison Owen at Open Space Technology, which advocates a model for meetings based on open participation. The rule is simply: “if at any time you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing – use your two feet and move to some place more to you liking. Such a place might be another group, or even outside into the sunshine. No matter what, don’t sit there feeling miserable.”
Q. What is it like to attend an unconference?
A. To find out what it is like to attend an unconference, we spoke to Athea Merredyth, who works in Library and Information Sciences. Her profession hosts lots of unconferences, and to date she has attended about fifteen. What she enjoys about the format is that it allows her to engage with the other attendees and have deeper conversations. “Listening to a presentation at a typical conference can be valuable, but you don’t get at the underbelly of everything that happened, and the learnings, and how they arrived at their conclusions,” she says.
She attended her first unconference while in graduate school at the University of Washington. The conference was open to the entire student body, which was great, because the attendees were from a variety of disciplines, from law to biology, computer science to art history, and library sciences to political science. Attendees broke into groups and chose a topic, and then spent the morning engaging with members of the group and preparing a presentation on that topic. In the afternoon, each group presented. She found the experience so much more valuable than a typical conference. “This format recognized the diversity and work experience of everyone. It was fun to mash-up our knowledge and see the results resonate with the audience.” The experience was so valuable that it led to a job opportunity for her.
Q. What makes an unconference special?
A. Athea says that one of the most rewarding aspects is getting to see and hear people with seemingly divergent experiences and points of view talk about approaches to common issues that her industry faces. One of her favorite ‘unconferences’ was one that she helped plan that brought together technologists, artists, and library scientists, in a ‘speed dating’ format. It was very rewarding to watch the attendees realize that they had a lot to learn from one another. “Seeing people in action and seeing them realize that they were doing similar things was really exciting. This type of cross-pollination, which can be really very insightful for the attendees, does not usually happen at a typical conference.”
Greg White was the organizer of ProductCamp SoCal in Orange County. He says, “one of the cool aspects of the unconference format is it allows things to develop organically.” He recalls that one of the most popular sessions at ProductCamp SoCal formed spontaneously. “Two presenters met on a break and thought they had good synergy. One of them had a time slot later in the day and used it to bring in the other presenter to co-present a topic from two different perspectives. People used the two foot rule to fill the room spilling out the door.
Q. Why join us?
A. We are a free user-organized community of product management & marketing professionals driving best practices through teaching, learning, and networking.
Stay connected with ProductCamp year-round. Our community gives you opportunities to share knowledge, learn from fellow product experts, and grow your career.
Q. Who owns ProductCamp?
A. ProductCamp is an open-source conference format that anyone can organize. Organizers in each city collaborate informally to share best practices and help new 'Camps get going. Thank you to organizers in Orange County, Austin, Atlanta, Twin Cities, Dallas, ST Louis, and Silicon Valley for their help in advising the ProductCamp San Diego team!
Q. Where are ProductCamps held?
A. ProductCamp is Global! ProductCamp was started in Silicon Valley by Rich Mironov, and followed up by Austin, Boston, and many other cities. Today, you can find thriving ProductCamps in almost every major city in the U.S., and many cities around the world.
Q. In the spirit of BarCamp, what is it?
A. BarCamp is an international network of user-generated conferences primarily focused around technology and the web. They are open, participatory workshop-events, the content of which is provided by participants.