Barcamp events are becoming increasingly popular among Amazon sellers as a platform to network, share ideas and best practices, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the e-commerce industry.
These events bring together a diverse community of sellers, all looking for the answers to their current business challenges. Whether you are a seasoned seller or just starting out, attending a barcamp event can provide valuable insights and opportunities to grow your business.
In this blog post, we will explain how this event format is different from other events in the industry and why is it getting so popular among sellers by answering the most common questions.
By the way, the upcoming Orange Klik Barcamp is coming up on February 23-24, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.
And now, let’s get into it!
What is a barcamp?
A barcamp is a type of user-generated event where attendees both present and attend sessions. It is an informal, participant-driven gathering where attendees are encouraged to share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas with others.
Where did the concept come from?
The concept of the barcamp was born out of the necessity for people to share ideas with each other in an open environment. It originated in 2005 in Silicon Valley, California, when a group of tech enthusiasts organized an “unconference” as an alternative to more traditional technology events.
The idea was to create a space where attendees could drive the content and direction of the event, rather than having a pre-determined agenda set by a select group of speakers. Since then, the concept of barcamp has spread globally, with events being organized in many countries, covering a wide range of topics and industries.
Does this concept fit Amazon sellers?
The first barcamps for Amazon sellers started with the name Seller Barcamp in 2018, organized by Dragonflip for the seller community in Germany. It became a regular event, taking place a few times per year.
Orange Klik team partnered with Dragonflip in June 2022 when we brought the barcamp format to the international Amazon seller audience. The event took place in Lisbon, Portugal and attracted more than 100 participants from all over Europe and beyond.
It got plenty of positive feedback – here’s what attendees said about the event:
“So you pick the most valuable things from a wide array of topics and you also not only listen, you can contribute, so it’s really valuable exchange” – Bogdan Karpovič, attendee
“The Seller Barcamp has been the best event for me” – Kamal Singh, AMZ One Step
“You can learn a lot, you can meet the best people, you can meet the best tools” – Nadine Schöpper, BidX
“The sole and core part of this event is networking and meeting other like-minded individuals. And not feeling that you’re alone as an Amazon seller” – Krystel Abi Assi, Amazon Sellers Society
“I wanted to come because I was intrigued by the concept of what everyone’s trying to do here. I’m impressed with how it’s worked out” – Danny McMillan, Seller Sessions
How a barcamp event is different?
Same as the original barcamp, the barcamp for Amazon sellers has no pre-determined scheduled nor booked speakers as well. It is an “unconference” type of event where the content is generated by attendees. At the beginning of the event, every attendee can pitch their own topic on stage while others are voting for the ones they want to learn about.
During the first hour of the event, everyone has the opportunity to propose their topic or presentation. This may include Amazon sellers facing difficulties with taxes, product reviews or any other topic who want to connect with others facing similar challenges and seek expert advice.
The event also features influencers and industry leaders who share valuable information in their sessions.
All the sessions take place in 3-4 different breakout rooms, making it necessary to have a venue with multiple spaces. Unlike typical Amazon conferences, the format of this event is unique and therefore requires a distinctive venue to enhance the experience.
Is pitching an idea necessary?
Definitely not! If you don’t have a pitch of your own, you can simply vote for pitches proposed by other attendees. Usually, out of 100 attendees, only 20-30 propose their session ideas.
So, even if you have a very specific interest, for example, taxes in a certain country, there may be a presentation about taxes for Amazon sellers in general, making it a great opportunity for you to seek answers and contribute to the discussion.
If you are struggling with some kind of problem, we encourage you to pitch this topic/struggle on the stage and get more sellers to discuss it with you. It can be scary to do so, but if you’ve been struggling with a problem for a while, take a chance to pitch it!
You don’t have to present any solutions – if you pitch an idea, you will be able to gather together 10 other sellers who are searching for the same answers. During the 45-minute brainstorming session, you may end up discussing the issue with others.
There are also many other sessions for discussing specific topics, so there’s no obligation or expectation to present anything. Just bring up your questions and try to find answers with others!
Do I need to prepare beforehand?
Before the event, we recommend planning what topics you are interested to learn about the most. Then it would be easier for you to decide which sessions to attend.
In case you know for sure that you are going to pitch an idea, it’s better to prepare beforehand and put together a short presentation slide deck for your session.
How does pitching an idea work?
At the event, attendees can write down the title of their idea on a piece of paper and then have 30-60 seconds to present it on stage. After pitching, the audience vote to show interest in the topic, and the size of the breakout room will be determined based on the number of votes.
To increase visibility and attract more people to your session, make sure to clearly articulate your pitch. There will be many other pitches, so write your topic clearly on the card, as it will be displayed on a board for attendees to refer to and choose which sessions to attend.
For example, if the topic is “How to Get Reviews,” make sure that this is stated in the title. This way, even if attendees missed your pitch, they will still be able to understand the topic and join your session.
Why do sellers like barcamps?
There’s a lot of networking happening at the barcamp and lots of knowledge sharing between sellers. During regular conferences, you just sit down and listen to one person presenting on the stage and in the barcamp, you have more options about what topics you want to listen about and move around.
You can freely choose which discussion session you want to attend and these discussions can lead to unexpected value bombs being shared!
Since there are usually 25-30 topics discussed throughout the day, we recommend bringing a team member to the event as having more people will allow you to attend different sessions simultaneously. It maximizes the value for your business, as you are able to get multiple insights on various topics.
Are there any other activities at the event?
Before the actual barcamp event, we also organize a networking day a day before. Although it comes at an extra cost, it offers additional activities and opportunities to meet other Amazon sellers and experts.
On the networking day, we usually have a 2-hour boat trip with views of Lisbon and traditional Portuguese lunch. At the first barcamp that we organized in June 2022, we also went to the escape room and in February 2023 event, we are going to try an axe throwing activity.
Although attendance at the networking day is not mandatory for those participating in the barcamp, we highly recommend joining for an expanded experience.
Upcoming barcamp event in Lisbon, Portugal
At Orange Klik, we started organizing barcamp events in 2022, called Orange Klik Barcamp. The 2nd edition of this event is coming up February 23-24, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.
More information and tickets you can find on the event’s website.
