Outline:

What is a Hackathon? (and how this guide will help you plan one)

So you’re interested in planning a hackathon at Iowa State. We built this guide to help you get through planning one without making the same mistakes we’ve made (and believe us we’ve made mistakes).

It might help to know what we’re talking about first. Hackathons are events lasting anywhere from a few hours to multiple days where people gather to build technical projects. At their base, hackathons can be a few people in a room programming, but they often grow to include hundreds of people. These larger events often include technical presentations, prizes, and lots of experimental hardware. Hackathons are great, but planning hackathons can be daunting and filled with a lot of important details.

We built this guide to help you focus on having a great event rather than figuring out the nitty gritty details and running into the same problems we’ve run into before. The rest of this guide is built to give you all the logistical details you’ll need to plan your hackathon at Iowa State as well as some tips, tricks, and best practices based on past experiences. We’ve left planning the specifics of your event (aka the fun part) to you.

The only thing you need to get started, is an existing Iowa State Student organization.

Don’t have a student organization? Here are some options:

Gathering a Team and Team Roles

Who should you have and what should they do? We recommend having plenty of people to help fulfill the roles listed below, but it’s only necessary for each responsibility covered in the roles to be accomplished (even if that means just two determined people are wearing all the hats).

President

The president will be responsible for organizing meetings and making sure each committee is staying on track with the timeline as well as finding a venue for the hackathon to take place at.

Vice President

The vice president will also be responsible for checking on the committees and helping the president with tasks. Additionally, the vice president handles recruitment of volunteers and future planning committee members.

Treasurer

The treasurer is responsible for allocating the money so the event does not go over the budget.

Secretary

The secretary is responsible for taking notes at the meetings and emailing them out so the people that were not able to make it are able to stay in the loop.

Public Relations Committee

The public relations is responsible for updating social media, recruiting participants, interviewing for the newspaper, and other ways the hackathon will need to use for getting the event to be known.

Sponsorship Committee

This committee is responsible for going out into the community and finding sponsors for the event.

Logistics Committee

The logistics committee is responsible for getting prizes, planning food, organizing transportation, making the event schedule, and event authorization.

Creating a Planning Timeline

This Gannt Chart shows a timeline of when tasks should be started and about how long they will take.

4-6 months in advance:

Finding a venue is the first task that should be accomplished by the President and the logistics committee will be responsible for getting the event authorized. Committees should be made.

4 months in advance:

A website should be made by the public relations committee. A budget should be formed by the treasurer. The search for sponsors should start by the sponsorship committee.

2 months in advance:

The logistics committee should start looking for prizes to give away. Updates to the website should be done by the public relations committee as well as starting to promote the event. Promoting the event should also be done by the secretary. Finding judges should be done by the logistics committee.

1 month in advance:

The public relations committee should finalize the number of participants based on applications and the current budget of your hackathon. The logistics committee should make the schedule and organize transportation to and from the event.

1 week in advance:

A run through of the event should be done ensuring that each committee knows what there job is for the rest of week and on the day of the hackathon.

The day of:

Set up your hackathon and enjoy!

Check out our sample timeline

We set up a sample timeline for a hackathon taking place on September 19th

Task Starting Date Duration (days) Ending Date
Find a venue 19-Mar 60 19-May
Make Committees 19-Mar 14 2-Apr
Make a Website 19-May 30 19-Jun
Find Sponsors 19-May 90 19-Aug
Make a Budget 26-May 81 19-Aug
Get Prizes 19-Jul 45 3-Sep
Find Judges 19-Jul 30 19-Aug
Update the Website 19-Jul 60 19-Sep
Start Promoting Event 19-Jul 90 19-Sep
Finalize Number of Participants 19-Aug 21 12-Sep
Create Event Schedule 19-Aug 14 2-Sep
Organize Transportation 19-Aug 14 2-Sep
Send Reminders 12-Sep 2 14-Sep
Do a Run Through 12-Sep 1 12-Sep
Set Up Event 19-Sep 1 19-Sep

Making a Hackathon Budget

Creating a budget is an especially critical part of planning a hackathon and really any sort of event. It’s in the numbers where your event translates from the vision in your head into reality and at first, because so much does hinge on them, they can be intimidating. With a little guidance and a great deal of determination, though, you’ll conquer this step as easily as any of the others. The major aspects of creating a budget that we will be discussing are:

What Goes into a Budget?

When beginning to construct a budget, we recommend describing and sorting every single individual cost you expect to incur into types and categories. For example, types will generally be defined as either fixed, or variable, while categories offer a little more creative freedom with titles such as venue expenses, food and beverage, audio and visual, or prizes. While sorting each component, we also advize including details or a description, predicted expense, and an actual expense (see figure below for clarity).

This method of individual or incremental budgeting helps not only ensure you’ve thought of all the components of your hackathon, but produces the most accurate prediction for the funds you’ll need to obtain while working directly and continuously with fundraising or sponsorship (the source of your funds and the basis for the budget’s capabilities). Another part of the budget to incorporate, while speaking on the interconnection with sponsorship and fundraising, is keeping track of how much money goes through you directly and how much is paid by sponsors. It is important to be aware of every cost, including tax, and how it was paid, even if you never see the money, that way you’ll have a complete understanding of the hackathon’s flow of funds.

Let’s Talk About Variable Costs

As the name implies, these costs are dependent on another part of the planning process, which is almost exclusively the number of people you suspect to have attend your hackathon. Now take a moment to calm your angst. Yes, a very large part of your budget and hackathon depends on the dependability of people to show up. That is indeed a frightening truth, but we’ve been there before and have come out with a few suggestions to minimize the impacts of ever-illusive party guests.

A good way to begin developing a guest estimation is to create a registration process for the guest. We recommend a method that is quickly and easily completable for the guest such as easy to use online registration software (RegOnline, Event Smart, etc.) or Iowa State’s Student Organization Marketplace. When utilized in the beginning of the planning process, a registration can help track those interested in attending and you’ll be able to better adjust to growth of the event than by simply estimating from past budgets. A particularly tricky aspect of planning for turnout, however, is the fact that a large percentage of those who register for the event will not attend. This is something to be estimated by a little research into your hackathon and other hackathons from the past. Generally, about half of those who register will not attend the event if the event is free for them to attend, but, as to be expected, this number drops substantially if there was some cost to register.

Although people are incredibly unpredictable, find ways to predict their behavior. What do we mean? Well, is travel necessary for them to attend the event and they bought a ticket to ride the bus? If so, they have a higher chance that they’ll attend. If not, there is a much better chance that they won’t be. Using aspects such as this, playing with the odds, is a difficult game to do exceptionally well at, and so we suggest you still plan on having fifty or so more or less people than your final prediction in order to estimate the costs of guest dependent components such as food, drinks, t-shirts, and gifts.

Alright, Now What’s the Deal with Fixed Costs?

Fixed costs are anything that isn’t dependent upon something else, such as your guests. These are generally far fewer than variable costs and an accurate prediction for their cost is usually much easier to find. Prime examples of fixed costs are the venue, security, custodial, and parking costs. Alright, I’ll admit the venue and parking may depend on the number of guests you have, but you normally have to book the venue much sooner than the hackathon’s date and from then on it does not change.

The Guests, the Hackathon is for the Guests

That’s right, you are putting together an event meant to entertain and bring joy, despite the feelings budget building has brought you. When budgeting for the hackathon, and any event, the vast majority of your funds should go toward what the guests attribute worth to. Getting the word out about the event and marketing your product on the big screens and top of search pages would no doubt bring people to your event, but word of mouth is better. A hackathon people enjoyed before means they’ll probably attend another. Constructing an environment and an experience that brings the most worth to the guests should always be the goal of any budget.

So, there was an unexpected surprise?

The final component of any budget is insurance. There are always unforeseen costs associated with any event, and hackathons are no exception. During the planning of the hackathon and soon afterward, there may be unexpected costs, fees, or fines that arise. One example of this is if rented decorations or a venue’s provided decor is damaged. These are costs that are unplanned, but may find their way into your budget. We recommend setting aside 10% of the total cost just for unwelcome surprises. If you make it through your hackathon without the need to tap into those funds, we recommend either using them for the next event, or putting it toward reimbursing travel expenses and similar costs to the guests.

Developing Your Sponsorship Plan

With a team dedicated to getting sponsors for the event, who work closely with those putting together the budget, it is time to learn how to get sponsors. In order to get sponsors, confidence and connections are key. The best sponsors are usually businesses related to tech in some way. Think of ways that you can help their business as well as how they can help you. They may donate money, food, drinks, and/or something from their business to be used as prizes for the event. In return, they may want their company logo to be included in the event. Think of these things before you contact the company so you have a plan.

Remember, the person you are trying to contact is probably very busy, so try to keep communication short and concise. Try to arrange a face-to-face meeting or talk over the phone and tell them about the numerous benefits and publicity they could receive from event and try to persuade them to get involved. Setting up a visual aid like this one is a great way to entice the company to give based on how involved they would like their company to be in the event.

Continue to be aggressive in seeking out potential sponsorships, as these will be the majority of your funds for your event, if not the only funds.

University Rules and Regulations

When throwing any large event at Iowa State, there’s a regulatory process you must follow to take advantage of the University’s resources and help both before and during the event. Though it might seem like a long, tedious process, correctly completing all of the steps will only serve to benefit you in both the short and long run, trust us.

Before getting started, here’s an overview of what we’ll be covering:

Steps to authorize your event

Going through this process is required for every event a Student Organization holds that isn’t a normal (monthly, weekly, etc.) meeting. In other words, your hackathon must be authorized through event authorization.

So, how do you get authorized to hold your hackathon?A good rule of thumb is to use the following 6 step process:

  1. Prepare the details of your event
  2. Reserve your location
  3. Fill out the event authorization form
  4. Gather required documentation
  5. Schedule and attend your event authorization meeting
  6. Receive authorization confirmation prior to event.

Step 1: Preparing the details of your event:

Prior to beginning the event authorization process, you should have a solid idea of how your event will look. This does NOT mean you and your roommate had a great idea for a hackathon at 2 am last night. Event authorization DOES mean that you have a tentative schedule of events, have reached out to sponsors, began contacting catering services, and have a list (at least 3) of viable location options.

Once you have those items in line, you should go through the list on the Student Activity Committee’s website and complete the Event Authorization Training available to members of student organizations. Now that you’ve completed the training, and know the details of your hackathon, we can start by reserving a location.

Step 2: Reserving your location

We mentioned your hackathon’s location when talking about your budget, but when you make your final list of locations there are a few pros and cons of different types of locations to consider. Iowa State has tons of awesome classrooms you can reserve for no cost. If reserved well in advance of your hackathon, there’s plenty of room space to cater to events of up to 250 people.

University classrooms are your best option if your hackathon involves less than 50 people. If you can fit all of your expected attendees into a few classrooms, they’re well equipped with presentation equipment, outlets and wifi. Remember though, that you cannot serve food or drink inside a university classroom, so you’ll have to obtain special permission from the building’s supervisor to utilize a hallway or atrium for serving food.

For events expecting more than 50 participants, University classrooms are still an option for hosting teams while they work throughout the event. Though, a lecture hall or auditorium would be highly recommended to accommodate such a large number of people all at one time. If you’re looking to reserve larger spaces or multiple classrooms throughout campus, you should also contact the building’s supervisor during this stage of the authorization process to ask for their permission to utilize specific rooms, hallways, and atriums throughout their building.

Each building has a detailed floor plan with a list of all available rooms for reservation. Once you’ve decided which rooms you’d like to reserve, request to reserve them through Iowa State’s Room Reservation Request form.

Protips:

If you are using an event space which is not a University Classroom or a departmental building, follow their reservation procedure.

After you begin the location reservation process, you are ready to submit your event authorization application.

Step 3: Filling out the Event Authorization Form

As soon as you begin reserving your selected location, you can fill out your event authorization application. This application is highly important to alert members of the Event Authorization Committee to your event. You can begin your authorization process on the event authorization home page.

Once there you can head on over to the application tab, and create an event for your desired student organization. They’ll mention room reservations (which you’ve already begun), and you can continue to the application screen.

From here, if you’ve gone through the event authorization training, most of the information is straightforward. Importantly, this is your opportunity as an organizer to let the University know all of the details of your event. On this form, it’s more beneficial to be over-descriptive, than to gloss over important details. The Event Authorization Committee reads this description to get an idea of where possible problem areas might lie in your event plan or where you could possibly be incurring increased liability. Remember, they’re looking to help you run a successful event. So, providing all the necessary information is critical to allowing the committee to help you.

Once you’re satisfied with the application, submit it (you can edit some details afterward).

Step 4: Gather Required Information

After submitting the application, you’ll receive an email confirming your application and eventually, you’ll schedule a meeting with the Event Authorization Committee. In the meantime, you should be making plans and gathering documentation which shows that your hackathon will be run safely and effectively. These documents include (but are by no means limited to):

Step 5: Scheduling and Attending the Event Authorization Meeting

After submitting your event authorization application, you’ll work on setting up a meeting with the Event Authorization Committee. These meetings are only 15 minutes and ensure that all the logistical details of your event are covered or in the process of being completed. In scheduling, ensure your adviser and at least the president of your organization can attend.

In preparation for the meeting, review the materials from step 4, have access to your event schedule, and prepare any questions you have about running you hackathon.

At the end of the meeting, the Committee will let you know if you need any additional materials before your event is authorized.

Step 6: Receiving Your Authorization Confirmation

This easiest part of the process; just get in the remaining materials the Event Authorization Committee asked for during the meeting, and wait for the authorization to come through before your event.

ISU Website Reference Links

There are more than a few links which are helpful to access when you’re working with the university, and here are the ones we use often:

Student Organization Officer Protips

So you’re an officer of an organization throwing your hackathon at Iowa State. There are a few more things know that will help the hackathon run smoothly with the university: