There are several things that are important to remember when organizing a Django Girls event. We won't try to explain everything in the smallest detail, but we will elaborate on some of most important things:
General rule about the venue: very often, you can get a space for free. Your targets are: big coworking spaces, hackerspaces, makerspaces, univerisities, local companies, and startups. These are the places that may be willing to offer you space for free (especially during weekends).
The setup should allow you to sit everyone comfortably in small groups (teams of 3 + 1 coach). The best setup is just square tables (or two tables put together) with 4 chairs around them.
Remember that everyone will need power! Often the venue can offer you this, but if they can't, just ask attendees and coaches to bring one power cord each -- this way you will have more than enough.
Internet is crucial, so ask your venue provider if they have tested the WiFi before. Be prepared for some problems, so have all the material (tutorial, bootstrap, csses) downloaded and saved on a couple of pendrives.
It is possible that the venue will claim they can handle Internet traffic, but during the workshop it turns out they can't. It's a good idea to ask if they have previously hosted programming workshops for 100+ people.
It's also a good idea to have some backup mobile internet and to create a hotspot for attendees if internet is not working properly. Make sure to check - especially during the installation part - if there are problems with the Internet.
Good atmosphere and a friendly experience is extremely important, so if your budget is big enough, don't think twice about printing some posters, buying fresh flowers or bringing nice tablecloths. These small little things can go a long way toward making a better experience for everyone. We all like nice things, right?
If your budget doesn't allow for this, don't worry too much. It's a free event, and people will be grateful to you anyway. Lunch is the most important meal, because you'll want to keep people energized and don't want to provide too much distraction.
But if you can, it's awesome to do this:
Usually buying some pastries or donuts on the way to the venue is enough. Order coffee/tea from a catering company or buy some in the store.
Order something fresh and tasty. Plan for ~25% of vegetarian option (some people just prefer veggies even if they are not vegetarians). If you don't have a lot of money, buying bread and a tray of lunch meats and cheeses, plus some peanut butter, at a store so people can make themselves sandwiches is a good option. If your budget allows, remember to ask attendees about dietary restrictions so you can be inclusive in your catering choices!
Buy some water, juice and lemons with paper or plastic cups before the event so you don't have to overpay the catering company for these items. Usually 1 liter per person per day is sufficient. If you don't have a car, transporting that much water might be a problem. You can ask some of you coaches or other helpers to meet you at a store the morning of the workshop and help you carry the water to the venue. In case you run out of water or food, it's good to have a helper available who can go to the store for you during the workshop.
Have some fresh fruit or healthy snacks (energy bars!) laying around the venue. You can buy these in the store before the event. We recommend fruit that you don't have to cut - apples, grapes, bananas, strawberries, etc.
This is only if you have the budget.
This is so far the most fun and most affordable way to do something nice at your event. You only need to buy Temporary Tattoo Paper, print our ready-to-go designs on your home printer, cut them out and you're good to go! You can get a lot of tattoos for just a couple of bucks.
Order t-shirts for your coaches as a thank-you gift, but wearing the t-shirts also makes your coaches more visible in the venue. You can find t-shirt designs on our resources page.
We like tote bags, right? They are pretty cheap to print and it's a nice gift for your attendees that will remind them about the event later on.
Pssst, Stickermule likes to sponsor events with sticker credit! You can find our ready-to-print designs here.
This is really nice to have, and sometimes you can get this kind of service for free if you have friends/friendly local people who want to support your initiative. Your venue might have a marketing department that could donate the time of their in-house photographer, so be sure to ask! It's a great memory to have some nice, professional photos or a video from the event. It also helps to use it as marketing material for your next event, plus you have something to show to the sponsors!
If you have resources (money/people), then totally do it. It's worth it!
You can also add your event's photos to our Django Girls albums. Make sure to provide us information about a licence of the photo - will anyone else be able to use them? For example, other Django Girls organizers? If the photos/video can be used - on what terms?