Have you ever been in a crowd listening to a reactionary, pretentious or profoundly boring speaker? Maybe one who had to constantly refer to his text heavy, unreadable, PowerPoint slides presenting stats supporting an argument that interests no one?

By its very nature, the unconference will free you from this agony. The power of the conference is firmly placed in the hands of the attendees. An unconference is based on the principle that the sum of the expertise of the people in the audience is greater than the sum of expertise of the people on stage.

Here’s how the concept is interpreted in the case of a PodCamp :

Everyone is invited to present

If you dream of attending a conference on a specific subject that you’re passionate about, why not simply be the one to present it? You’re probably the best person to deliver a presentation on the subjects that interest you, so submit your workshop idea today.

Anyone can contribute to the discussion

An unconference speaker must be open to actively interacting with participants after an initial presentation. Traditionally, PodCamp sessions have a more rigid structure than at a BarCamp, the unconference model which inspired PodCamp. It is therefore appropriate to develop a theme or rely on visual support (ex : a projector) as needed.

Anyone can leave a workshop at anytime

Otherwise known as the “Law of Two Feet”, this principle gives total freedom to anyone who wishes to do so to leave a presentation if they lose interest or if it’s simply not for them.

Everyone is equal

Another fundamental rule of PodCamp is that “Everyone is a rockstar”. Since everyone is invited to speak at PodCamp, there is no special VIP treatment given to any speaker.

Nothing is carved in stone

PodCamp Montreal organizers try to make space available for impromptu sessions. Sometimes inspired by a workshop that has just been held, or simply a meeting of people with a shared interest, PodCamp participants tend to improvise workshops at the last minute. This practice is encouraged.

Conclusion

Even if the principle of an unconference could lead one to believe they are about to experience event anarchy, everything always unfolds in a manner that is respectful of the person having proposed and presented the subject. Since power is left in the hands of participants, the line “You Are PodCamp” is rich in meaning.