HowToBooth

PreShow

Get Help

• Email to -general, -advocacy for volunteers
• Email to local pug for Volunteers
• Check with pg.us|pg.eu or similar support groups for booth materials/swag

Advertise

• Update the pg wiki at http://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Events
• Send email to pgsql-announce
• Add your event to the PostgreSQL website
• Notify any local PUG groups
• Blogs / Twitter / Foursquare?

Booth Setup

Load-In

Most conferences provide an opportunity to "load in" and set up the booth the day or evening before the conference. This is highly recommended: you might need more setup time than you expect, you might have forgotten critical items, parking is often available during load-in (and not day of), and doing it the day before means that you might be able to recruit some volunteers who aren't available at other times.

Generally for load-in you're going to need a car or truck, at least two other volunteers, and a folding dolly is advisable. Try to consolidate all your stuff down to as few boxes and bags as possible; it's easier to carry one large box than 4 small ones.

You and another volunteer should drop off the gear, the vol should watch the gear while you park. Then the two of you and any other volunteers should shuttle gear to the show floor, leaving one vol to watch any gear on the curb until the last trip.

During load-in, you want to accomplish the following things:

• Set up the booth display, table, banners, literature, and swag display.
• Test your demo or any other A/V for the booth.
• Sort and arrange t-shirts.
• Do an inventory check to see if you forgot anything.
• Set up power (and internet, if possible)
• Sort and stash extra literature, swag and gear out of sight.
• Check on other projects near your booth you might want to team up with.

Booth Layout

• Usually the table will be draped from the front - this makes an excellent storage area for additional inventory of small items (buttons, etc)
• Make sure there's room for the booth staff to walk behind the booth: keep volunteer's packs/bags,

the boxes of t-shirts, etc. corralled.

Table Layout

• Leave space on the table for people to set papers etc if they need to take notes.
• Make sure you have price signs up for any items that are not free.

Running The Booth

Your Fellow Booth Staff

• Introduce yourself to your fellow booth volunteers if you don't know them.

Security

• Keep the cash box out of sight.

Lunch

• Make sure everyone gets lunch and a break to walk around the conference.
• It's better to avoid eating in the booth if you can.

Packing Up

• Basically, reverse the load-in procedure.