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

The team held their weekly meeting to discuss updates on the Mautic World Conference planning, focusing on marketing materials, event sponsorship, and the Call for Papers (CFP) process.

Margareth shared Barsha's marketing plan and early bird ticket announcements, while the team provided feedback on design elements and logo alignment issues. Ruth provided updates on sponsorship conversations, noting that some potential sponsors like Kumo were interested in non-present sponsorship options, and the team discussed creating tiered packages for virtual sponsors.

Sven demonstrated the new Pretalx system he had set up, though some technical issues with screen sharing and internet connectivity affected the discussion. The team debated the effectiveness of early bird pricing versus offering special swag for the first 25 attendees, ultimately deciding to close the CFP in June rather than May to allow more time for speaker review and scheduling.

Next steps

• Barsha: Update the marketing plan/designs, especially for early bird tickets, and share the updated version with the group once edits are complete.

• Ruth: Continue discussions with Kumo and other potential sponsors to determine their needs and budget, and develop a tailored sponsorship package for non-presenting sponsors; offer similar options to other interested organizations.

• Ruth: Follow up with sponsors who have not yet responded (including Made Contact, Second Touch, Ritarus, Enable, etc.) and update the team on progress.

• Sven: Invite specified team members to the Pretalx/CFP platform using their email addresses (once received) and set them up as organizers so they can test the CFP process.

• All team members: Test the CFP process on the live platform and provide detailed feedback (text, fields, field names, design) to Sven via Slack.

• Sven: Finalize and upload the custom design/CSS for the CFP platform after testing and feedback.

• Team (Ruth, Margareth, Barsha, Sven, Ekkehard): Brainstorm and decide on special swag and/or recognition (e.g., special t-shirt, stickers, colored ID badge) for the first 20-25 full-price ticket buyers, and coordinate with Barsha for design as needed.

• Ruth/Team: Ensure only the first 20-25 full-price ticket buyers receive the special swag/recognition by tracking purchases and coordinating distribution at the event.

• Sven: Keep the CFP close date as end of June and ensure all necessary fields from the old CFP are included in the new platform; update based on team feedback.

• All team members: Review the CFP platform fields and text, and notify Sven of any missing or incorrect information.

• Sven: Work on the CFP platform design based on the current Mauticon landing page after feedback is received.

• Ruth: Check and update sponsor setup for latest sponsors as needed.

Summary

Event Marketing and Ticket Launch

The team discussed marketing plans and ticket announcements for an upcoming event, with early bird tickets scheduled to go live today and a final deadline of March 31st.

Barsha presented marketing templates that needed design adjustments, particularly regarding logo alignment and image updates. The team provided feedback on the current designs, with Ruth suggesting potential logo adjustments and Sven sharing examples of how the branding was implemented last year.

Barsha agreed to update the designs based on the feedback and share the revised versions with the team.

Event Sponsorship Package Customisation

Ruth provided an update on event sponsorship efforts, noting that payment is pending from one sponsor, while some sponsors, like n8n.io, are expected to confirm by the month's end. Kumo expressed interest in sponsoring without having a booth due to scheduling conflicts, and Ruth is working on creating a tailored package for them. The team discussed the possibility of offering different tiers for non-present sponsors, with Ruth suggesting that the current lowest option at $250 provides a reasonable entry point. They agreed to focus on creating a customised package for Kumo once their specific needs and budget are clarified.

CFP Process Launch and Feedback

Sven announced that the CFP process is now live at cfp.mautic.org/mwc26/cfp, though the custom design is still being finalised and the event logo is missing. The team discussed providing feedback asynchronously through Slack rather than reviewing the interface details in real-time, with Sven suggesting this would be more efficient for collecting and addressing feedback. Margareth raised questions about CFP closing dates and language requirements, though technical difficulties with audio connection made it challenging to fully discuss these points.

Early Bird Ticket Incentive Strategies

The team discussed strategies for promoting early bird ticket sales and increasing engagement. They explored ideas like offering special swag, such as exclusive stickers or t-shirts, to early buyers or the first 20 full-price ticket purchasers to create a sense of exclusivity and trigger purchases. The group considered practical ways to implement these incentives, including using name tags or different-colored ID badges to identify and reward early buyers. They also debated whether the early bird pricing should remain or be replaced with other incentives, ultimately leaving the decision open for further discussion.

Lanyard and Ticket Tier Discussion

The team discussed lanyard options for future events, with Ekkehard suggesting purchasing a larger batch of unbranded lanyards at a lower cost. Sven proposed a new ticket tier concept where companies could purchase supporting tickets at twice the regular price, which would include special recognition and benefits. Ruth noted that previous community support tickets had limited uptake, with only one or two people purchasing them in the past. The discussion also touched on last year's lanyard sponsors, with Ruth explaining they had moved away from branded lanyards to generic ones that could be used for multiple events.

Early Bird Registration and CFP

The team discussed changes to the early bird registration system, agreeing to offer full price with special swag to the first 25 attendees using visually different ID badges rather than special lanyards. They debated the timeline for the Call for Papers (CFP), ultimately deciding to maintain the current end of June deadline after considering that speakers typically confirm closer to the event date. Sven was tasked with reviewing the CFP fields and design based on the current Mauticon landing page.