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

The team held a status update meeting to discuss preparations for MautiCon, with Ruth confirming she would be going on a sabbatical on April 3rd.

The group reviewed ticket sales progress, noting that early bird tickets had not sold yet and decided against extending the early bird period to maintain its incentive value.

Barsha confirmed the call for speakers would launch in April after early bird tickets end, and Margareth provided updates on potential program and marketing leads, including a conversation with Sarah about a program lead role.

The team discussed the need to focus on securing keynote speakers and promoting the call for proposals within the London ecosystem to control costs, while Ruth agreed to prepare a package for Kumo and review sponsorship tiers.

Next steps

• Sven: Provide an update on ticket sales when available

• Margareth: Check the HubSpot inbox for the program manager role application and review

• Margareth: Forward the marketing lead candidate's CV and portfolio to Ruth

• Ruth: Review marketing lead candidate materials

• Ruth: Put together Kumo sponsorship package and share in channel for discussion

• Ruth: Review and potentially update sponsorship tiers

• Barsha: Update marketing plans

• Ruth: Continue conversations with Kumo regarding sponsorship

• Ruth: Follow up with sponsors who haven't responded

• Sven: Invite specified team members to test the CFP process in pretix (if not already done)

• Team: Focus on closing keynote speakers starting in April, particularly within the London ecosystem

• Team: Actively promote the call for proposals from April 1st

Summary

Speaker Launch Timeline Discussion

The team met to discuss updates, with Margareth noting that Sven was unavailable and Eka would not be able to attend the following week's call. Barsha announced plans to launch the call for speakers in April after the early bird ticket period ends. The meeting began with casual greetings and ended mid-discussion about the speaker launch timeline.

Event Ticket Sales and Planning

Ruth confirmed that no tickets have been sold yet for the event, and she expressed that early sales were not expected at this stage. Barsha suggested extending the early bird ticket period, but Ruth explained that extending it would diminish the incentive of the early bird discount. The team discussed upcoming announcements, including the Call for Speakers, which is set for April 1st, and Margareth emphasised the importance of focusing on securing quality speakers to drive attendance and improve the event's ROI.

Sponsorship and Program Lead Updates

Margareth provided updates on sponsorship efforts, noting that Ruth had no new updates beyond the previous week. Margareth shared that she spoke with Sarah, who expressed interest in being a program lead for MautiConto but has limited availability of 3-5 hours per week due to her full-time job. Ruth requested to see the CV and portfolio of a candidate applying for the marketing lead role, and Margareth agreed to forward the information for review. The discussion concluded with Margareth mentioning that speaker hunting efforts were ongoing, with Ruth and EK currently handling this task until a program lead is appointed.

Action Items Review Meeting

The team reviewed action items from the previous meeting, with Margareth confirming that Barsha was tasked with updating marketing plans, Ruth needed to continue conversations with Kumo and follow up with unresponsive sponsors, and Sven was supposed to invite team members to test the CFP process in pretix. Ruth confirmed she had already tested pretix and pre-talks, while Margareth noted that speaker-related next steps were not discussed in the previous meeting. Ruth mentioned that their hoped-for keynote speaker had moved companies, requiring them to make new contact attempts, and committed to preparing and sharing a Kumo package for discussion.

Remote Participation and Event Planning

Margareth and Ruth discussed including remote participants in the MautiC hands-on session as an alternative to attending the event in person. They agreed to review pricing tiers and make adjustments to the perks offered. Margareth highlighted the need to focus on closing keynote speakers and promoting the call for proposals within the London ecosystem starting from April, with a suggestion to seek sponsorships from companies to help cover event costs.

Ruth's Departure and Transition Plans

Ruth announced her last working day as April 3rd, with the team planning a mini send-off meeting next Friday before her departure. Margareth outlined that further communications with Sven and Ekke would continue asynchronously, with team members using Slack to tag relevant people for support items that require attention.