FOSS4G 2013 Lessons Learned
NOTE: During a wrap up meeting in November after the event, the local committee members compiled many thoughts and recommendations: Please see FOSS4G2013 Reflections by the LOC
Workshop Booking
Workshops are limited by the size specified by the author, and also the size of the rooms available in the venue. It might be a good idea to make the importance of size more clear when asking for workshop submissions (SF). There's a juggling act to do when assigning workshops to rooms (and hence knowing the maximum number of people who can book onto it), and it's also important to consider the expected popularity of each workshop. Expect to have to move some around when bookings come in.
Dates
Ensure the program is out before the end of the early bird deadline as people may wish to choose which day(s) they attend on the basis of the program.
Communications
You cannot please the whole community all of the time! so don't try. The mailing lists can be pretty critical and trying to patiently explain each decision may sometimes just stir up more criticism, avoid getting into public mail disputes on the list. It would be good to have more Board participation on some of the contentious topics.