We all know the power of a hackathon. That’s why so many organisations are hosting virtual hackathons these days to bring their ideas to life. But there’s more to this kind of event than creativity, persistence, and getting people excited in an online forum. To create a successful virtual hackathon, you need basic knowledge of how these events work and what you should be doing to prepare for them. A virtual hackathon is a fun and creative gathering of people who work in the tech world. Whether your team is a group of friends or coworkers, or you’re just looking for some new fresh faces to hash out app ideas, it can be pretty challenging to find a venue and make it all happen. It doesn’t have to be a big ordeal. You can hold your event online with a virtual platform and local participants.
The following 9 Secrets Will Make Your Virtual Hackathon Look Amazing.
1. Find a Good Venue
If you’re organising your virtual hackathon from scratch, you’ll need to find a suitable venue for your event. For example, you can search for a co-working space in your area and see if they would be willing to host the event. Some places have comfortable desks and WiFi access, allowing you to use the space at no cost; however, they most likely won’t provide any food or drinks. However, some may offer the use of their meeting rooms. Another option is to hold it in an established start-up incubator or accelerator with an office downtown that’s big enough to accommodate all your participants and (potential) investors.
2. Choose Your Participants
It’s essential to choose a diverse group of participants; variety is the spice of life. The more diverse the participants, the brighter your virtual hackathon will become. So why not search for some like-minded people on meetup and connect with them over social media? However, this may be difficult since most people are hesitant to join one of these groups as it looks like you’re wasting your time when you already have an active presence on networked mediums.
3. Let People Know About It
Make sure you let the people know about it. Post on your social media channels, put up posters and flyers, send emails, whatever it takes to get the word out. Whatever you do, make sure you target a broad audience; that way, you can reach as many people as possible. Try to reach out to people involved in business development, marketing, and other related fields. Some may be able to offer networking opportunities, and some may be able to provide introductions or referrals for potential investors. Remember that a successful event will bring together a good mix of participants, so it’s essential to try and spread the word in all directions!
4. Include a suitable Theme
For a virtual hackathon to be successful and fun, you need to establish a theme, even if it is something as simple as “Just Play,” since, after all, everyone is itching to play (and are probably kinda bored with their current projects). Keep the theme in mind while brainstorming and get everyone on the same page. The best way to do this is by having an event announcement that will send out invites and make people aware of what’s happening in the event.
5. Include Prizes and Giveaways
A virtual hackathon does not have to be about working alone; it should also include an element of fun and entertainment. Try to think of some ideas to encourage people to get involved in your virtual hackathon, from free food and drinks to free office space at the end of the event. In addition, you could give away prizes like shirts, mugs, or stickers, even if they’re related to your app idea’s topic of interest.
6. Maintain Your Virtual Hackathon
Find a suitable venue and maintain it. After the event, clean up and put away your equipment and materials. Don’t forget to send your participants an email or a note to thank them for participating in the virtual hackathon. You may even try to set up some networking opportunities with people you met at the event, either for future business opportunities or for an introduction to others who may be interested in what you’re doing. These are just some ideas to get things going. Maybe there are other things you can do.
7. Get Smart with Your Marketing
If you want your event to look fabulous, you need to get clever with your marketing. You’ll need to ensure that people know about it and have their interests piqued. Without the proper funding, this can be difficult, but with some marketing magic, things will fall into place. Reach out to people with a more extensive reach, such as tech bloggers or other significant influencers in the IT industry, and they’ll spread the word for you. You should also set up a dedicated website for your hackathon where you can post some information about what your app will do. Ensure the website has a clean layout and looks good on all mobile devices and computer screens.
8. Prepare Your Virtual Hackathon
If you’re planning your event in Look Amazing and will be able to host the apparition in a co-working space, check out some of the venues ahead of time, take a tour and make sure that you have access to everything. Try to get a feel for how ample the space is, how much food you’ll need, if there are enough power outlets (and if they’re all grounded), and things like that. If you’re hosting at a local coffee shop or restaurant, then call and make sure they know who will be showing up with food orders. Having plenty of options is always good, so everyone is happy with what they eat.
9. Make a Nice, Comfortable Environment
I’m not sure if anyone has told you this, but your team will produce much better quality work in a good environment. So make that you provide a room with comfortable chairs, food,food, and drinks. Ideally, you’ll have plenty of food to please the vegetarians and vegans who attend your appointment, but don’t worry about offering meat to their carnivorous friends. You should also provide plenty of coffee or tea for all the meeting addicts. If you can provide snacks like fruit or nuts throughout the day, that’s even better.
What is hackathon planning?
Hackathon planning is the process of putting together a hackathon. This entails a large number of tasks, as well as keeping up with the time constraints. Remember that a hackathon usually spans; all the charges. This can be pretty hectic. You can outsource most of these tasks to specialised hackathon planning companies to make things easier.
Mercer Mettl is a terrific platform that aids firms in planning and carrying out various online recruitment activities. Additional Necessity to construct a network of developers and recovers that collaborate to place job seekers in their chosen professions is underlined. Mercer Mettl is the name of the marketplace for software developers. The most excellent component of this hackathon is, without question, the fact that it is not confined to any single platform or programming language.
