Welcome to Garage48 Arts & Hardware 2019 hackathon! This time we are changing things around! The regular Hardware & Arts is going very creative - You have a wild installation idea? Been thinking about a digital symphony? A larger than life theatrical piece? Come and make it happen - we are focusing on the creative side!
When Hardware & Arts was first introduced, we were just dreaming of bringing the hardware, software and design communities to work together tightly in joint teams. It has been a happy reality for the last five years and we are ready to take it a step further: we want to go wild! And artsy! With this in mind we have opened a brand new participant category called “creative” for artists, musicians, writers and all other creative people.
Join us in our new chapter from creative to creation! Together with the legendary co-operation of Garage48, University of Tartu, Estonian Academy of Arts and Estonian National Defence College we will give you tools, equipment and mentors to make your wildest creative ideas happen!
Product designers, UI / UX designers, electronics engineers, mechanics engineers, server programmers, mobile and web apps developers, chief marketers, defence experts and rising students are welcome to participate at our hackathon! And a new participant category called “creative” for artists, musicians, writers and all other creative people. Get your early bird access until 30th of January 2019 for 15 euro, after that the registration fee is 25 euro.
We welcome you also on our Facebook event page and our closed group, where we share all the up-to-date info with you and give you tips for better performance! ;)
First time at Garage48 Arts & Hardware? Have a look at our small guide on the “GET READY” page to help you out. :)
Join our pre-events happening in Tallinn, Riga and Tartu, 4th, 5th and 6th February. Pre-events are meant for (potential) hackathon participants to get to know each other, find inspiration, share ideas and develop them further. Attending the pre-event is free. Just register here.
BUSES
Hackathon ticket also includes transportation to the event with buses from Tallinn and Riga.
Register HERE.
Buses leave back from the hackathon ca 20.30 on Sunday, Feb 10th.
ACCOMMODATION
Our official accommodation partner is Hektor Design Hostel. All participants get a discount code after registering.
We will also provide floor space at the class rooms of the venue for accommodation - so take your mattress and sleeping bag with you.
Garage48 has a flexible schedule, but we do have some key activities that need to be planned ahead. Here is our tentative schedule, at least you know when to show up. :)
Friday, February 8th
17:30 - Check-in, networking & snacks
18:00 - Opening remarks
18:30 - Pitching ideas in 90"
19:30 - Refreshment Break
19:50 - Pitching ideas in 90"
20:45 - Team formation
22:00 - Team work begins!
Saturday, February 9th
09:00 - Breakfast. Development continues
10:00 - Checkpoint #1
11:00 - Mentoring round starts
13:00 - Lunch
14.00 - Pitch drill introduction
18:00 - Checkpoint #2. Development continues...
19:00 - Dinner
20:00 - Development continues
Sunday, February 10th
09:00 - Breakfast. Development continues
10:00 - Checkpoint #3
11:00 - Pitch drill session #1
13:00 - Lunch
14:00 - Pitch drill session #2
15:30 - CLEAN-UP
16:00 - Refreshment break
17:30 - Finale. Pitching session.
18:30 - Refreshment break and the Jury takes the time to select winners
19:00 - Award ceremony, networking & clean-up
20:30 - Buses leave for Tallinn and Riga
NB! Schedule is tentative, changes are possible and likely to happen.
Doors open on Friday at 17:30. Please come on time, as the registration process might take some time - use it to get to know the crowd and to network.
See the agenda for further information.
For this event the preferred prototypes will be physical products implementing design or art-based creative software.
WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU?
Positive attitude, open mind and lots of energy! Everything you need for a rapid product development. We will have equipment and materials on site, but to be sure, we recommend you to bring your own stuff as well. You never know when you need something yourself or if you could help out another team. Sharing is caring :)
The fact is that if you build something which really works on Sunday evening, then we will not ask the bits and pieces back - you don't have to break your prototype, the team can take the prototype home and continue working on it. This does not apply, though, for more expensive things - you can not take an oscilloscope with you or set of tweezers etc.
Please take your:
laptop
3-5m power extension cord (as power might be at a distance),
mobile phone
all chargers
Optional:
In case you registered for sleepover at the venue, bring a mattress, sleeping bag and towel.
PITCHING IDEAS
Ideas are presented based on "elevator-pitch" method within 90 seconds. Event host and audience can ask 1 to 3 short questions.
You can prepare 1 (one) PDF slide to support your pitch. You should send the slide by Friday, Feb 8th by 13.00, at the e-mail hardware@garage48.org (Subject: name of your project).
Consider the following key points:
- Describe briefly your background (10 sec)
- What is the name of the idea (5 sec)
- What's the idea all about? What is the problem your idea solves? To which issues it draws attention? Target user count and description if applicable. (30 sec)
- Technical solution and if there is a revenue model (in case of non-profit idea, how the maintenance and further development costs will be covered?) (30 sec)
- Minimum viable product and plan for 48 hours. Who do you need for the team? (20 sec)
NB! Practice your pitch to your friends or family before you present! 90 seconds goes really fast!
FORMING TEAMS
After pitching is over, we will put all the ideas on the wall. Every participant will choose their favourite idea and this is how teams will be formed. Usually 16 to 18 best ideas will get enough interested people to get the "green light" for the implementation.
Average team has about 5 to 7 people and the team should be "balanced" - covering all required roles like necessary engineers, designer and marketer in order to get the product/service ready in 48 hours! Minimum size for a team is 5 people and max is 9 people.
If some ideas get too few people or not a balanced team (probably unable to build the service), the idea will be dumped. But don’t worry, just choose another idea/team to join.
WORKING IN TEAMS
After forming the teams, organizers will give a room/space for every team for the weekend. You should start by dividing roles, setting the product vision, customer journey and start working right away.
It is very important that you have a project manager (team lead) in the team - one of the tasks is to keep the focus of the team, one eye on the clock and the other on the team progress. 48 hours is really a short time.
MEALS AND DRINKS
We provide breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. So, you could focus on work and building your product.
MENTORS
We have arranged mentors to work with the teams throughout the weekend. Some of them are more technical, some more business savvy. Be open and ask for their advice and contacts.
Please wear your name badge during the whole event, except when working with power tools and machines, this will help to encourage networking and gets you past the security guards. Otherwise be open, get to know new people, share your ideas and give ideas/feedback to other teams.
MOST IMPORTANT - have fun!
