Last summer, I attended my first in-person hackathon, Hack Midwest, with an amazing, all female developer team! I wasn't sure what to expect going into the experience but, I learned a lot and had a great time!
Did I pack things to bring I ended stuff using at all? YES.
Did I not pack things I should have? Also, YES.
Could I have prepared more? Heck yes.
A Bit About Hack Midwest
Hack Midwest is a yearly hackathon located in downtown Kansas City. It takes place over the course of a weekend, starting Saturday morning and ending on Sunday afternoon/early evening. You are more than welcome to stay overnight in the building to work on your projects if you'd like. I'd say about one-fourth of the attendees did this, maybe a bit more!
You cannot work on your projects away from the hackathon or prep much beforehand. We had some meetings settling on what tech stack we wanted to use, assigning roles, and getting things organized but the coding, designing, etc needed to be done while at the event itself.
Note: Scope out the surroundings of the event space. There was a TON of comfy couches and booths upstairs that were taken early on at our event.
What Should I Bring?
Besides the obvious, laptop, chargers, etc. - these things would really help your efficiency, hunger, and comfort while you code to your heart's content. Did I bring all of these things? -No but, I definitely will next time!
- Small cooler - Snacks, energy drinks, fruit, cold water.
- Blanket or a sweater - It was pretty chilly in the building. Also, if you want to take a li'l nap, this will be extremely helpful!
- Notebook
- Change of clothes, if you're staying overnight.
- Yoga mat - Definitely bringing one next year. If you'd like a change of scenery or.... for naps, this would be great! Can't work too long on a cement floor!
- A camping chair or chair cushion - If you decide to stay overnight or even stay pretty late in the evening, bringing your own chair or cushion would help a TON.
Event Timeline + Notes Along the Way
Including some Hack Midwest specific timelines and structure but, this may be pretty similar across the board.
Saturday
10:00 AM - Sign-in starts! Great time to get there early, check in, get settled (find a good spot) and tour the sponsor booths!
10:30 AM - Event starts roughly around this time - Create your repo and get started!
Sponsor Workshops
Sponsor workshops are presented throughout the day. These workshops are definitely optional but, may give you some extra knowledge on how to implement sponsorship technologies.
Sunday
10:00 AM - Hackathon ends! Judging begins after a short break.
Judging
Judges walk around to each team for short app demos. Your demo should be 3-5 minutes long. Plan ahead of time for what you want to say and plan out the user scenarios you'd like to show off during the demo. After the judges view demos from all teams - There will be a handful of finalists chosen to demo their apps in front of everyone.
There are several prizes! There's a grand prize but, also sponsorship prizes. I highly recommend adding one or more of the sponsors' technologies to your project, if you can.
If you have any other questions, let me know! Also, I really hope ya'll think about attending Hack Midwest (if you're in Kansas City) or, a hackathon in your area!
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