Sponsorship Prospectus¶
Concept¶
Write the Docs (https://www.writethedocs.org/) is a three day conference focusing on documentation systems, tech writing theory, and information delivery.
Writing and maintaining documentation involves a multidisciplinary community of technical writers, designers, librarians, typesetters, developers, support teams, marketers and many others. This group of people can be collectively referred to as “documentarians”.
Write the Docs creates a time and a place for this community to share information, discuss ideas, and work together to improve the art and science of documentation.
For too long, people who care about documentation have felt alone in the world, not able to connect with their community. Write the Docs is a magical experience for many of our attendees, allowing them to feel like they have found their place. We believe this is the most important thing that our event can do, and we aim to provide that experience again this year, and make it better than ever.
Demographics¶
We hold multiple conferences yearly:
- One in the United States in the spring
- One in Europe in the fall
- One in Australia in the winter
Our audience is made up of:
- Technical Writers (50%)
- Developers (15%)
- Support Staff (15%)
- Managers (10%)
- Community Contributors, Enthusiasts & Other Folks (10%)
Over 75% of our attendees represent their company at the event. Almost all attendees are from tech companies, such as Google or Microsoft.
Why Sponsor¶
By supporting a Write the Docs event, your company will gain not only visibility and credibility with front-line documentarians, but also valuable insights that will help you get the most out of your own documentation efforts. If you’re hiring for docs positions, Write the Docs is also an excellent opportunity to meet top-notch talent.
Our conferences are run by teams of volunteers, and we work hard to keep ticket prices affordable for a broad range of attendees. Your sponsorship makes it possible for all sorts of documentarians to attend our events, whether they’re a freelancer, a student or out of work. Becoming a sponsor demonstrates your commitment to and support of good documentation, and the people who build it.
Sponsorship Packages¶
The following options are suggested sponsorship levels. We are happy to discuss adjustments and custom packages.
First Draft¶
The First Draft package is only available to startups (under 15 employees), non-profits, and open source organizations.
- One (1) ticket
- Small logo & link on the Write the Docs website
- Name included in welcome announcement in email newsletters and social media
- Display 1 promotional (“Swag”) item on the conference swag table (provided by sponsor)
The First Draft package costs $800. You can buy it directly on our ticket website.
Second Draft¶
The Second Draft package is great for companies looking to hire or promote a product.
- Two (2) tickets
- Medium logo & link on the Write the Docs website
- Name included in welcome announcement in email newsletters and social media
- Display 1 promotional (“Swag”) item on the conference swag table (provided by sponsor)
- One featured job posting in our Newsletter (4,000 subscribers)
- A table at the job fair
The Second Draft package costs $2,000.
Publisher¶
The Publisher package is great for sending a team and getting to know the community.
- Five (5) tickets
- Large logo & link on the Write the Docs website
- Name included in welcome announcement in email newsletters and social media
- Display 2 promotional (“Swag”) item on the conference swag table (provided by sponsor)
- Two featured job postings in our Newsletter (4,000 subscribers)
- A table at the job fair
The Publisher package costs $4,500.
Patron¶
Limit 3 - 1 remaining
The Patron package highlights your company as a force in the industry and community:
- Ten (10) tickets
- Small table in the main conference hall
- Small logo included on videos
- Full size logo & link on the Write the Docs website
- Name included in welcome announcement in email newsletters and social media
- Display 3 promotional (“Swag”) item on the conference swag table (provided by sponsor)
- Three featured job postings in our Newsletter (4,000 subscribers)
- A featured table at the job fair
The Patron package costs $8,500.
Keystone¶
Limit 1 - Sold Out
The Keystone package highlights you as our main community partner:
- Fifteen (15) tickets
- Large table in the main conference hall
- Dedicated table for staff
- Large logo included on videos
- Full size logo & link on the Write the Docs website
- Name included in welcome announcement in email newsletters and social media
- Display unlimited promotional (“Swag”) item on the conference swag table (provided by sponsor)
- Five featured job postings in our Newsletter (4,000 subscribers)
- A featured table at the job fair
The Keystone package costs $15,000.
Other Sponsorship Opportunities¶
The following a la carte offerings are available either independently or combined with one of the previous packages to increase visibility at the event.
Lanyard¶
Provide your branded lanyards for our badges. This makes your company name visible to each and every attendee at the conference!
$2,000
- Logistics: Sponsor is responsible for shipping lanyards to organizers at least two weeks before the event starts.
Writing Day¶
Sponsor the Writing Day on Sunday, where we get together to help improve the documentation of many projects. This is great for any company that is looking for contributors to their open source projects.
$2,000
- Logistics: The Writing Day runs 9-5 on Sunday.
Run of Show¶
This Run of Show provides more context about the event and answers some common questions you may have. Please let us know if there is any information missing that would be useful for you.
Sponsorship schedule¶
- SUNDAY: The swag tables are available during the Writing Day, if you want to put out swag items early. Sponsor booths are available for setup on Sunday from 10am-4pm, but don’t need people staffing them. You’re also welcome to lead a Writing Day project if your documentation is open source.
- MONDAY: Doors open at 8am, so we recommend arriving around this time to get the most interaction with attendees. This is the official start of the main conference talks, when sponsors tables will need to be staffed. The conference will run until around 5pm.
- TUESDAY: The Job Fair will be from 9:30-11:30am, set starts at 8:30am. Sponsor tear down in the main hall will be 4pm on Tuesday. That will be the end of the conference, so feel free to book travel home that evening.
See the full schedule for exact timing details.
Sponsorship recommendations¶
We highly recommend having some kind of pre-recorded video content for your job fair session and expo booth. You can pin the link to the videos or a landing page on your site to the top of the chat. Being on online format, it’s really easy for attendees to watch a quick 2-4 minute video before they come and ask additional questions. We can load these videos in your booth when your staff isn’t around, and we are also happy to put them up on our website under the sponsorship section if you’d like.
Sponsorship spaces¶
A quick overview of the spaces in the venue that are important:
- The main ballroom is where talks and most sponsorship activity happens. We will have booths & swag tables set up at the back of the main ballroom. Here is a picture before the attendees showed up.
- Lola’s Room is downstairs from the main ballroom. This is where the Unconference & Job Fair will happen. Another picture shows the idea.
Sponsorship events¶
Job Fair¶
On Tuesday morning we hold our Job Fair, which is a wonderful place to connect with our over 500 attendees. Many of them are looking for jobs now or will be in the near future, so it’s a great chance to talk more about your company culture and open positions.
The room will be setup in a large circle with booths around the outside, allowing for movement of attendees. We recommend not having more than 3-4 people at your booth, as it can be intimidating for attendees. There are 8 booth areas where you can sit and hold longer conversations.
Logistics: You will have a six-foot table and two chairs reserved for your company. Each company that confirms their attendance will have a table reserved for them with their logo on it. Giveaways/flyers are welcome, but please make sure everything fits on your allotted table.
Sponsor booths¶
Sponsor booths are only available for our larger sponsors due to space limitations. You will be given a booth that is in the back of the Ballroom, which is the primary conference venue. Most of the attendee focus will come during breaks (10 minutes between each talk, two longer snack breaks) and at the beginning and end of the day.
Logistics: Booth setup is available Sunday, but they only need to be staffed on Monday and Tuesday. Power and Wifi are available.
- The large sponsorship booth is 12 feet
- The small sponsorship booth is 6 feet
Writing day¶
On Sunday we hold our Writing Day. This is a place where the community gathers to get actual work done. This generally involved companies hosting a documentation sprint on some piece of documentation that is open source and needs improvements.
If you want to participate in the Writing Day, it helps to do a bit of work up front. The best way to prepare is to have a set of issues that you’ve already picked as “easy for beginners”. Starting with these issues will make it much easier for people to start, and feel productive. Make sure you also have good installation instructions and other helpful beginners content as well.
Logistics: You can email us before the conference, and we will add your project to the website as a project that attendees can work on. You can also introduce your project to attendees at 9:30 on Sunday during the Writing Day Introduction.
How do I get the most out of my sponsorship?¶
Come prepared to engage with our community, and to learn just as much as you teach. Engage with our event as attendees as well as sponsors. Send technical staff who can chat with people on the interesting things your company is doing, and get value from the vast amount of insight in the room. We do have some decision makers in the room, but soft sells will work better than hard sales in the environment we strive for.
Who is my primary contact?¶
Eric Holscher will be your primary contact, but our team is available at sponsorship@writethedocs.org. If you have a time sensitive inquiry, please email the entire team to ensure a timely response.
What happens with my “swag” items?¶
We will have a few “swag” tables that are placed around the back of the main ballroom. This will be where sponsor and community stickers & swag will be located, so that attendees are free to pick it up. If you have a booth, you are also welcome to place swag on the booth.
How do I use my sponsorship tickets?¶
You should have received a unique URL with a discount code for your sponsorship tickets. We are happy to send it over again, just ask!
How do I use my job postings?¶
You can post your jobs to our job board. You will be given a discount code that will let you post them for free, please ask us for this if you don’t have it! They will be published in our Newsletter every month, and displayed on our website as well.
What do I need for the job fair?¶
The job fair will be a low key event. Every participant will have a six-foot table and two chairs, in a separate room from the primary conference. Giveaways/flyers are welcome, but please keep your setup requirements simple.
What are the table sizes? What is included?¶
The small sponsorship table is a 6’ table, and the large is two 6’ tables. These are not standard conference expo halls, but in the main conference venue, so please don’t bring anything that will need to be hung or expand more than 2 feet beyond the edge of your area. Wifi & Power will be provided.
How do I ship items?¶
Prior to the event, if you’d like to ship swag, we will send you the mailing address 3 weeks prior to the event. We can’t receive packages before that. Anything sent to us will be available at the venue on the day of the event.
Please ship no more than 5 boxes. We can’t inventory large numbers of boxes before the conference.
