[ONLINE] MautiCon Working Group Meeting (12:15 p.m. UK time)

The team discussed ticket sales strategy for MautiCon 2026, deciding to launch a private sale on March 2nd for 2 weeks at $129 before moving to early bird pricing of $149 on March 16th. They agreed to set up DNS changes and email notifications through Amazon SES, with Sven handling the technical implementation. The group also planned the speaker announcement timeline, aiming to open the call for speakers by February 27th or March 2nd, with Sven working on both the ticketing and speaker submission systems. Margareth requested access to previous design templates in Canva, and Ruth agreed to provide HubSpot access, while the team discussed potential speakers, including Rory Sutherland, whom Sven had previously contacted through Sea Containers.

Next steps

• Sven: Update DNS settings for ticketing and CFP subdomains (tickets.mautic.org, cfp.mautic.org) and provide IP address information to Ruth

• Sven: Set up Pretix event and styling for ticket sales

• Ruth: Set up SMTP credentials in Amazon SES for tickets and cfp email addresses and share with Sven

• Sven: Set up email sending configuration in Pretix and Pretalx using Amazon SES credentials

• Ekkehard: Prepare email blast containing private sale announcement and send to previous MautiCon attendees once Pretix is set up

• Sven: Set up private sale ticket pricing at $129 in Pretix, running from March 2-13

• Sven: Set up call for speakers form and system by end of February, coordinating with Ekkehard on required form fields

• Ruth: Invite Margareth to HubSpot

• Margareth: Create social media designs for early bird ticket announcement using previous templates

• Sven: Reach out to Rory Sutherland about speaking at MautiCon

• Ruth: Share access to Canva/Sphere designs with Margareth

• Sven: Work with Ekkehard to review and QA call for speakers form before launch

• Ruth: Share Sessionize access link with Sven for reference

Summary

VML Sponsorship and Website Updates

The team discussed a 15-minute meeting with Sea Containers scheduled for later that day, which would confirm VML's sponsorship and internal support. They reviewed the status of website updates, where Ekehard had shared email blast drafts last week, though the website embedding was still pending. The team clarified that for sponsors, they would maintain the "get in touch" email link rather than changing it to a form, as originally discussed.

Website Updates and Sponsorships

The team discussed website updates, including moving download buttons to the hero section and setting up DNS changes for ticketing and CFP systems. Ruth has reached out to previous sponsors and secured interest from new sponsors like n8n.io, though responses are expected in March. The team agreed to push the website to GitHub and discussed creating subdomains for tickets and CFP under mautic.org.

MautiCon Fundraising Strategy Discussion

The team discussed fundraising strategies for MautiCon, focusing on balancing donations and sponsorships. They agreed to offer a 10% discount for early sponsors and to upsell existing donors to sponsorships. Margareth suggested running ticket sales for community partners between February and March, with full ticket sales beginning in April. The group also discussed the need to carefully coordinate messaging between the fundraising campaign and event promotion.

MautiCon 2026 Ticket Sales Strategy

The team discussed ticket sales strategy for MautiCon 2026, agreeing to start with a private sale for previous attendees and sponsors, followed by an early bird period before announcing the schedule. They decided to combine the email blast for previous attendees with speaker recommendations, with Ekkehard preparing the email once Sven confirms the Pretix setup. The team also agreed to define dates for the call for speakers to better coordinate the general ticket sales launch, though Margareth needed to check job descriptions first.

Ticket Sales and Speaker Timeline

The team discussed the timeline for launching ticket sales and speaker calls. They decided to start private sales on March 2nd, with public announcements to follow. Sven confirmed he had DNS information ready and would adjust email settings to work with Amazon SES. Ruth agreed to provide the necessary SMTP login information. The group also noted they needed to finalize the job description for the program lead position.

Private Sale and Early Bird Timeline

The team discussed the timeline for a private sale and early bird tickets. They agreed that the private sale would run from March 2nd to March 13th, 2026, with the last day being a Friday. After the private sale ends, early bird tickets will go live on March 16th. Ruth mentioned she needed her two-factor key to proceed with the setup.

Event Ticket Pricing Strategy

The team agreed on ticket pricing: $129 for private sale, $149 for early bird, $179 for general admission, and $229 for community tickets. They decided to implement a private sale with a limited-time link, starting March 16th, after which prices will increase. The group also acknowledged the need to discuss speakers for the event, but no specific names were mentioned.

Event Speaker Options Explored

The team discussed potential speakers for an upcoming event, with Sven proposing Rory Sutherland as a top candidate. Sven explained he had previously established contact with Rory's manager and would reach out once the event date is confirmed. Ruth and Ekkehard confirmed they didn't have any other speakers in mind, though Ruth suggested exploring a VP of Marketing from a client company as a backup option. The team agreed to pursue both options, with Sven taking the lead on Rory while keeping other speaker possibilities open.

Speaker Announcement and Project Planning

The team discussed the timing for announcing the call for speakers, agreeing to aim for February 27th as a soft launch, with March 2nd as a backup date if Sven's schedule doesn't allow for the earlier date. Ekkehard emphasised the importance of thorough QA for the speaker submission form, referencing past issues with form fields and explanations. Ruth agreed to send Margareth an invite to HubSpot for project management, and Margareth requested access to Canva for previous designs to reduce workload while they search for a graphic designer.