Planning Devopsdays Austin 2025

We decided to kick off planning much earlier this year compared to previous years; we had the website up, CFP and sponsor prospectus up and online by mid October. Our goal was to try and go after end-of-year marketing dollars and get ahead of the game.

Even though we launched early, we didn’t really see any traction with sponsors. We did get a ton of submissions to our CFP, which is great, but the lack of sponsor movement late in the year was a bti disappointing. So far, in the new year, we have managed to land two Gold Sponsors and have invoices out to a few more, so we are still on track to be fully funded again this year.

As the newest member of the core team, sponsor handling has fallen on my shoulders. I must admit: I suck at asking people for money. It’s not something I’ve ever done in my life and learning the art of marketing and sales has been a challenge for me. I think I’m getting better, time will tell.