Barcamp Nashville 2015

Barcamp has been a near and dear event to my heart since I helped set up the second Barcamp Miami back in 2007. So I was happy to hear that Nashville put on an annual Barcamp.

I woke up this past Saturday morning and got a late start so I only made it for the second half of the day. My first impression upon arrival was that the event was well run. There was lots of signage and materials available to pick up and read. When I walked in there was someone at a table ready to greet me. I found out the event last minute so I wasn't able to register online. This didn't seem to be a problem. The greeter gave me a blank name tag and I registered right then and there on the spot. I noticed a small unique alphanumeric key on my name tag which allowed me to sign in to the site and vote on sessions. I thought was a nice touch and provided a better experience then I've had in the past.

This year a free lunch was available for all attendees which I thought was great. It's always nice to be able to stay in the venue and not have to leave to find a place to have lunch. It's especially nice for people who have driven in to the conference or are new to the area and might not know where to go.

Mailchimp, Nashville Software School and Assurion all had a presence this year. Mailchimp had some great swag to give away. I was impressed with the Mailchimp branded playing card decks they were giving way.

I was only able to hit one session "Sharing Economy, On-Demand, and the Future of Work" by Angus Nelson. The session provided an interesting look at data and statistics about the collaborative economy. After the session we had a healthy discussion about where things are going.

This was my first Barcamp Nashville so it's hard to say how it compared to previous versions. My impression was that it was well organized and run and there seemed to be strong sponsor support. The quality of the sessions were high and the venue spacious. I would definitely go again next year.