Friday Q & A: J.P. Toto and Roz Duffy of BarCamp Philly

Last November, 180 people awoke on a Saturday afternoon and gathered at the University of the Arts to attend a conference. Except not one person had the slightest clue about how the day was to transpire. There was no plan, there was no agenda. Just a blank bulletin board and a stack of index cards.

By the end of the day, BarCamp’s schedule board was filled with subjects ranging from “How to make your own business cards” to “Rethinking the EDU.”
Since last year’s BarCamp Philly, HealthCamp, HigherEdCamp and our own BarCamp NewsInnovation have since popped up, and the monthly Refresh Philly event even has roots in BarCamp.
This year, organizers J.P. Toto, co-founder of Collegeville-based Cognis IT, and Roz Duffy, Web developer at Comcast Interactive Media, are back for round two, this time with Kelani Nichole, a Web designer at M. They hope to beat last year’s attendance while attracting attendees from other cities.
“I want it to be a bigger draw and to be well-established. I would love BarCamp Philly to be an industry standard,” says Duffy.
We spoke with Toto and Duffy about what will be different at this year’s BarCamp, what first-time presenters should know and the story behind BeerCamp.

Interview edited for length and clarity.
Edit: Removed erroneous information about BeerCamp

What is different about this year’s BarCamp?
Duffy: One of the big things is the space [at the University of the Arts]. We’ve really tried to get it more consolidated. Last year we were spread out among a number of floors. For this year, we want rooms that are a little more open-format. There should be some openness, where you can slide in late. We want there to be room to sneak in and sit on the floor. If [the presentation] is not for you, you can go somewhere else. We’re trying to get away from any room that has desks in it.
We also got a lot of feedback about the [schedule] board. It was in the hallway last year, so we are trying to get it into a more open space.
Toto: And U of Arts has been really great about that. They actually contacted us this year, instead of us reaching out to them, and asked “When can we do this again?” It really illustrates the difference in this year. Last year we had to beg, borrow and steal.
If I’m a first time BarCamp attendee and I want to present, what should I know?
Duffy: You could have something prepared or you could have a roundtable discussion on something, you could have a brainstorming session or you could talk about an experience.
I would recommend that someone come with a few ideas. Last year, for one of our speakers (Whitney Hess), it was the first time she had ever publicly spoken. Now she’s on all sort of conference panels and she didn’t plan any of it. She just came to BarCamp and said “I feel really passionate about this, so I’m going to talk about it” and it was a huge hit.
Toto: Even if you are not an expert and you want to learn more about something, create that topic and something will coalesce when you get those people together.
What is the story behind BeerCamp, the pre-party?
Duffy: BeerCamp is still coming together but it’s a combination of wanting to involve our friends at Two Guys on Beer and it’s something that involves the community. It’s social and its fun … We also reached out to local homebrewers and its a chance for other people in the [beer] community to show off what they do.
Don’t you think that if you do a BeerCamp you open yourself up to people wanting all other topics?
Toto: We’re always open to new ideas.
Duffy: If anyone wants to self-organize they are more then welcome to.
Toto: The most rewarding thing to come out of BarCamp last year was the empowerment. It was people saying “screw it” I want to have a BarCamp in my industry. And so in 2009 we had BarCamp NewsInnovation, HealthCamp and HigherEdCamp.
What needs to happen for you both to walk away and call BarCamp Philly 2009 a success?
Toto: For me, it will be if it continues to push the momentum of the forward thinking. If BarCamp has more attendees this year and helps keeps that momentum going, then I’m happy.
Duffy: After the last one, my whole life completely changed on all fronts. BarCamp Philly opened the doors for a new job for me, because of the people I met doing BarCamp. Then I got involved in Refresh Philly and doing so many other community events.
And what happened with all those other BarCamps [BarCamp NewsInnovation, HealthCamp and HigherEdCamp] … I didn’t know any of that was going to happen when we went into BarCamp last year, so I don’t know what going to happen this year.
Disclosure: Both Duffy and Toto gave advice in planning BCNI.
Every Friday, Technically Philly brings an interview with a leader or innovator in Philadelphia’s technology community. See others here.