September 2, 2009

Innovative, Collaborative Summit Coming To North Charleston

Andy Owens  /  Charleston Regional Business Journal

A nonconference conference called BarCampCHS will be held at the Lowcountry Innovation Center in North Charleston in October.

The event is an ad hoc gathering of people with a desire to share what they know and learn from others in an open, collaborative environment. BarCamp events include discussions, demonstrations and interaction from participants who are the main actors of the event.

Anyone is invited to attend, and topics for presentations, workshops and other content are guided and led by the attendees rather than invited speakers.

BarCamp topics often are tech-related, as the idea and name for BarCamp emerged from the technology culture, but topics are completely unrestricted. Attendees can sign up for and propose topics they'd like to teach or see taught.

"Considering the wide variety of talents and interests in the Charleston area, particularly in the arts, there's a good probability that BarCampCHS will have a broad range of topics," said the volunteers who are organizing the event. "We're looking for talks, presentations, workshops, demonstrations on pretty much anything you want to do."

As of early September, proposed topics people would like to see include sessions on:

  • Google Apps for small businesses.
  • Developing your first iPhone app.
  • Food photography.
  • The game of cricket.
  • Ruby on Rails.

Sessions people are willing to lead include:

  • BaconCamp.
  • Bellydance 101 and 102.
  • What happens next? Health insurance after a layoff.
  • Cracks in the foundation of nonprofit business processes.
  • Wild edibles of the Lowcountry.
  • Building a community-powered Web site with Drupal.

BarCampCHS will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Lowcountry Innovation Center, at 1535 Hobby St. in North Charleston. There is no charge to attend, and attendees need only bring what they might need for any demonstrations or presentations. Attendees are asked to register online because there is a 200-person limit.

This is the first BarCamp to be held in the Charleston area. Organizers are looking for sponsoring businesses and organizations to help with BarCampCHS