Find answers to common questions that may arise during the effort to prepare and submit a Birds of a Feather (BoF) to the SC Conference. If your question is not addressed here, please contact us.

 

• What is a BoF?
• What isn’t a BoF?
• How should a BoF be organized?
• When are BoFs held?
• Can my BoF be scheduled outside of these times?
• Can I request special equipment for my BoF?
• Who can attend BoFs?
• Do BoF speakers, moderators, or organizers receive an honorarium?
• Do BoF speakers, moderators, or organizers receive any registration waivers or discounts?

 

Q. What is a BoF?

A. A BoF is a forum for audience-driven discussion, developing grass-roots participation, and professional networking. BoFs are non-commercial and focus on community building through highly interactive discussions covering a wide variety of topics.

 

Q. What isn’t a BoF?

A. There are a few things for which BoFs are not the appropriate venue:

• Vendors advertising their latest product release or feature (for this, consider the Exhibitor Forum);
• A session consisting solely or mainly of presentations or discussion between a small group of experts (for this, submit a proposal for a Panel);
• A project team meeting that is not focused on building community (e.g., by not allowing non-project team members in the discussion).

 

Q. How should a BoF be organized?

A. While we do not prescribe how a BoF should be organized, BoFs should have a format that ensures high levels of audience interaction and engagement. They are explicitly not to be dominated by unidirectional talks or presentations.

 

Q. When are BoFs held?

A. BoFs are generally held in parallel tracks at approximately the following times:

• Tuesday, November 13, Noon–1:30 pm and 5–6:30 pm
• Wednesday, November 14, Noon–1:30 pm and 5–6:30 pm
• Thursday, November 15, Noon–1:30 pm

 

Q. Can my BoF be scheduled outside of these times?

A. We will try to accommodate scheduling constraints as best we can, but we will not be able to accommodate all requests. It is best to make any potential scheduling conflicts known to us as early as possible.

 

Q. Can I request special equipment for my BoF?

A. In general, no. BoF rooms will be equipped with standard A/V equipment such as projectors and microphones, including portable microphones for brief presentations and audience participation. We do not anticipate being able to accommodate any requests for additional equipment or reconfiguration of the provided equipment and furniture.

 

Q. Who can attend BoFs?

A. All badges valid Tuesday–Thursday grant BoF access; Workshops-only and Tutorials-only registrants do not get access.

 

Q. Do BoF speakers, moderators, or organizers receive an honorarium?

A. No.

 

Q. Do BoF speakers, moderators, or organizers receive any registration waivers or discounts?

A. No.