[Sketching18] Sketching in Hardware 2018, Detroit, July 27-30 Update #2

[Mike Kuniavsky]

Hi! We’re getting the details for Sketching in Hardware nailed down and 
we’re really excited. It looks like we’re going to be back inside the 
Henry Ford Museum for the July 30 charrette. They were our very first 
sponsors in 2006 and continue to be fantastic supporters, and an amazing 
museum. If you haven’t been, you’ll be surprised that it’s not just about 
cars, it’s about innovation, and that it’s probably the largest collection 
of technology in the US outside of the Smithsonian. Special thanks to Marc 
Greuther, Chief Curator, for setting us up.

CONTENTS
  - Discount code for The Aloft, Sketching’s official hotel
  - A participant survey reminder: please fill it out!
  - Do you want to be on/organize a panel? A discussion? An interview?
  - Would your company be interested in sponsoring Sketching?

HOTEL UPDATE: THE ALOFT DETROIT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sketching is in The David Whitney Building this year, which also happens 
to house the Aloft Detroit hotel, and we have negotiated an excellent rate 
with them. Please book using this link as soon as you know you’re 
confirmed to come to Sketching (you can of course cancel later):

https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/Sketching

We have a room block reserved and we’re on the hook for any unbooked 
rooms, so the sooner we know whether we’re going to fill that block, the 
easier it’ll be for us to manage our budget.

The special price expires June 25, 2018.

A REMINDER TO FILL OUT OUR PARTICIPANT SURVEY
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To help us plan the logistics of the event such as childcare and food we 
need to know some things from you. We have a short survey we’d like you to 
fill out. If you have already filled it out, thank you! If not, please 
follow this link:

https://goo.gl/forms/ZcABfYXCjKpHtprE3

DO YOU WANT TO ORGANIZE A PANEL? A DISCUSSION? AN INTERVIEW?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One of the core tenets of Sketching in Hardware is that everyone has to 
present what they’re working on or thinking. There are multiple goals for 
this approach, but I feel the most important one is that it erases the 
boundary between the audience and presenters so everyone knows something 
about everyone else by the end of the event.

However, this approach also limits the size that Sketching can be, since 
there are only so many speaking slots we can create in a 3-day event.

After many years of keeping the size the same because of this restriction, 
last year I decided to increase the number of people who attend Sketching, 
largely to force myself to come up with new ways people can learn about 
each other. Most of the time is still going to be spent on presentations, 
but I’m now planning a number of slots with different formats, and I’m 
looking for people who would like to participate in one of those new 
formats.

If you would like to do one of the following things, please contact me and 
we’ll work together on making it happen:

  - Organize a panel. Is there a topic that you’d like several people to 
discuss on stage? This can either be something that you think other people 
may want to know about, or something you’d like to know about yourself. 
Example: “how DO you grow a hardware business from a single Kickstarter to 
a self-sustaining business?”

  - Lead a discussion. The Sketching community is full of brilliant, 
experienced, opinionated people. Let’s recruit some and discuss a topic 
you feel needs more light shined on it.

  - An interview. Once again we’re going to be doing round robin 
interviews, where 4-5 people interview each other. Would you be interested 
in being interviewed and then interviewing someone else?

WOULD YOUR COMPANY LIKE TO SPONSOR SKETCHING?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Given the format of the event, we obviously don’t do Sketching for the 
money. We’re proud of having broken even nearly every year in Sketching’s 
12 year history. This year our budget is running pretty tight. If you work 
for a company that you think may be interested in sponsoring Sketching, 
please get in touch with me. We offer a list of specific activities your 
organization can sponsor in exchange for mention on our site, in all 
official material and our gratitude. Thank you!

-- 
Mike Kuniavsky
mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com