Preparing for the unconference

What do you want to get out of the 13th HbbTV Symposium? A little preparation will help you make the most of our unconference day.

You will have choices to make! With up to six sessions running in parallel, you’ll decide which one to attend – and you are always free (encouraged, even!) to move between sessions or take time out to explore the exhibition area if your first choice isn’t the right fit.

We’ve updated the format for this year’s event: four 45-minute session blocks with at least a 30-minute break in between each. This gives more time to prepare, network, and talk with exhibitors and sponsors.

Have an idea already?

Share your proposed session topic in advance:

Submit an unconference session idea →

See ideas already submitted here.

Hosting a session

All Symposium attendees are welcome to propose and host unconference sessions topics relevant to the HbbTV community.

A few tips when planning and hosting:

• Start with an outcome in mind. What do you hope to achieve?
• Plan a structure to support discussion. It will help keep the conversation focused if you start by creating a high-level agenda – put it on a flipchart or whiteboard so everyone can see it.
• Encourage broad participation. Sessions work best when everyone is heard, not just one or two voices, and not when dominated by slides or formal presentations.
• Capture key points visibly. Use a flipchart or whiteboard to keep the group aligned and make reporting easier.

You can find more guidance in this blog post from our unconference facilitator, Eoghan O’Sullivan. If you’d like to dig deeper into unconference formats, this is an excellent resource.