PCamp Season is back! (A 4-step primer to take action.)

Summer is flying by. Hard to believe it is already August. School is starting back in some places around the country with others following very quickly. In the business world, we are starting to look at event and training calendars and coordinating our fall schedules. Yep, summer is closing to a quick end.

The good news is that this means the start of product camp season! The start of the season means a few more blogs from yours truly on why you need to attend one of these sessions. Some info will be dusted off from past musings, some will be new. All of it should be read.

Let’s start with the basics (in case you have been under a rock the past three years and haven’t yet learned about these events.) Product Camp, or PCamp as the “kewl” kids call them, is an event that is an unevent. A local organizing committee raises money through sponsorships. The same group solicits a location (begging for a free venue) and then publicizes a date to people they know. There is no fee. Yes, that means it is free to attend. Zip, zilch, nada, nothing. That works in even my tight personal budget.

Your role?

1. Register (instructions are usually VERY easy to follow.)
2. Then, tell two or ten friends. You work with product, you DO know people.
3. After that, you are asked to volunteer at some level. The best way to volunteer is to offer to do a presentation on something you’ve learned, done well, or want to learn better. But, if you are testing the waters for the first time, you may want to simply offer to volunteer. Every pcamp needs volunteers to help with registration, setup, cleanup and other logistics. Remember, the day is free so no one is paying for services.
4. Finally, once you volunteer – attend.  The event only will work if people attend when they say they will. Yes, it is on a Saturday. But, it is free. (And, some bosses will actually give you a comp day since they recognize the value of the day.

Stated simply – if you are in product management or product marketing or if you work around a product that is sold to someone or some business – YOU are the right person to attend product camp. The sessions that your peers offer are great learning.  (More on session options in a future post.) And, the networking is amazing.

Imagine a whole group of people who actually understand what you do and why you are so passionate about it. That is what Product Camp is about.

Review Stewart Roger‘s event list for a pcamp near you. (If there isn’t one within driving, travel to a destination of your choice. The travel costs are probably within your budget and the networking is more fun!)

Looking in from the outside, this is a no-brainer to attend if you are a product professional. So, I ask again, why aren’t you going to one?

(If you want to look for me…I will be starting the camping season at the Atlanta Product Camp on Sat. 8/21 – find me!@)