LauzHack's Hackathon How-To

Full guides can be found on Google Docs: Large Hackathons and Mini-Hackathons.

The first guide is summarized below (with apologies for formatting errors)

This is a list of all necessary tasks to organize an edition of LauzHack, forming a solid base on which to innovate, not a constraint.

Less time spent on reinventing the wheel and remembering what needs to be done means more time spent on innovating and having fun.

Keep in mind that LauzHack's greatest asset is trust, not money. EPFL trusts that we know what we're doing and won't mess things up.

Do not piss off anyone, it's better to make small adjustments or spend a little extra money than to annoy someone who will then no longer want to help us.

If you're coming to this document from outside LauzHack, the first question should be why a whole hackathon by yourself, and who is your audience?

Since the first LauzHack in 2016, our goal has been to organize a weekend-long event for students that is beginner-friendly, focused on tech, and not tied to a particular theme. Since then we've done themed hackathons (Covid-19, Sustainability, LLM) and helped others organize their own hackathons.

A suggestion that often makes everyone happy is for you to sponsor the annual LauzHack so you can propose your topic as a challenge. Organizing a hackathon from scratch can be overwhelming, and we are happy to provide sponsors/associations with a space to reach motivated participants. You can focus on your own challenge, rather than event logistics, and benefit from the engaging and lively environment of a LauzHack weekend. Don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected]!

A single person can do XS tasks in ~5min, S tasks in ~15min, and M tasks in ~1h.
Multiple people should share L and especially XL tasks as these can require days of work, typically divided into small chunks.

Tasks marked URGENT must be done as early as possible.

For organizing other types of events:

Mini-hackathons (up to 70 participants): Mini-hackathon How-To

Continuous tasks

Planning meetings and following up on tasks
This is for the main organizer.
Make sure urgent tasks are started within 2-3 days, reassign them to someone else if the original assignee cannot find the time.
Reimbursements and payments
Make sure each payment has a proof and is entered in the finance spreadsheet before approving it in e-banking.
Ideally do this as expenses happen to reimburse people quickly, keeping in mind cash flow from sponsors, rather than at once at the end.
Invoices
See templates here.
Keep track of who hasn't paid and remind them if necessary.
Social media posts
Post frequent photos, news, recap after the event, etc.
Answer participant questions
By email, Discord, social media... people will have questions, and they need to be answered in reasonable time.
See the Public communication guide.
Website updates
Add sponsor logos, update the FAQ if needed, show the link to apply when it's ready, etc.

Early planning

XS Copy this list
Create a new folder for the event and copy this list, so that you can assign people and remove tasks that are done.
XS Make sure the association has members with the necessary certifications
For LauzHack, that's EPFL's food hygiene certification.
Try to always have one member with it who will still be there next year, if there is no such person, get someone to do the course.
XS Create an interest form
Create a form to gather emails and majors so people can be the first to know when applications open.
This also yields rough numbers of who is interested in what that can be communicated to potential sponsors.
IMPORTANT: Do not use terms such as "registration", and never ever terms such as "approval", it needs to be crystal clear this is only to show interest.
S Refresh the website
Update the website: remove past sponsors, update the committee list, put "TBD" as the date
M Make a budget
Make a rough budget: sponsoring, food, logistics, marketing, swag, prizes, travel reimbursement.
Use a copy of the spreadsheet, next to a folder with the proofs, each with a name starting with its number.LauzHack accounting example
M List existing inventory
Check what's in the storage area to know what tasks can be skipped if any, especially what doesn't have to be bought again (e.g. cups, lanyards).

------ Once the above tasks are done ------

M Declare the event to EPFL
Using the form: https://www.epfl.ch/campus/services/events/fr/evenements-associations-reconnues/
Fill using RITM form.pdf as a base, and for the attached dossier use Dossier LauzHack as a base.
As of 2023, hackathons are no longer "évènement majeurs" and thus not subject to the restricted quotas / deadlines.

Main planning

XL Design and plan swag
See Swag Information.
XL Contact tech sponsors
Update the sponsorship prospectus: LauzHack Sponsorship Prospectus
Use the contract templates here.
See Sponsorship guide for tips and experience.
Contact as many potential sponsors as possible, see Tech sponsoring and Tech sponsorship email template.
This must be done ASAP while companies still have budget for the year.
L Contact food sponsors
Contact as many food sponsors as possible, see Food sponsoring and Food sponsoring email template.
This must be done ASAP while companies still have budget for the year.
L Establish contacts in other schools
You will need to send emails to advertise the event, and this is much easier if you already know who to email and if these contacts appear okay with this.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you get contacts in many countries across Europe, not just the usual Western European suspects.
M Get quotes for meals
Two balanced lunches and one dinner with burgers/pizza/unhealthy food works well.
For breakfast, take 1.3 pastry items per attendee.
Think in terms of sustainability and logistical ease of service as well.
Think of a backup plan if there's too much food, e.g. if working with EPFL cafeterias, ensure they have reusable containers available to package leftovers.
See Food providers.
M 2025: Lighter big banner
We have the old banner but it's so heavy it's hard to set up to the point it's dangerous.
Get a better one made of lightweight fabric.
Old one is 3m wide and 10m long, but it could easily be 2 more meters wide and 1 more meter tall if needed.
M 2025: Decide which sponsor contract modifications we're OK with
In particular, around different jurisdictions (may be worth asking EPFL) and unilateral cancellation delays.
M Prepare the web app for participant applications
We have one on GitHub (currently private, hopefully will be public for the 2025 edition)
M Recruit new organizers
Put up posters with a QR code + link to a form, ask friends and other associations.
S Update GDrive/Telegram/... permissions
In particular, remove old organizers' rights.
S Update FAQ, policies and rules on the website
If needed, replace numbers or sentences by "TBA" while you decide.
The rules doc can be edited and exported to PDF: LauzHack Rules
XS Friday-Saturday hosting form
Assuming you have some way to host people who arrive on Friday...
Create a form asking people for their email address, full name, and expected arrival time on campus.
This form should then be sent along with acceptance emails.

Once the event has a date

L URGENT Contact potential jury members
Professors, professionals with an interest in this that the committee knows, past jury members...
Think diversity of backgrounds for the jury.
Ideally we need >=9, that way we can do 4 rooms with 2 or 3 members per room (even if one is sick, not available, etc).
L URGENT Order swag
Must be done ASAP to make sure it'll arrive on time and lower shipping costs.
Any money spent on faster shipping is money not spent on more useful purposes.
S URGENT Plan a meeting at the start of the semester
As early in the semester as possible, plan a meeting in which you go through the next section and start all tasks in that section.
They are all of the promotional kind, which takes time and requires waiting on external people.
If applications cannot open at the start of the semester for any reason, promote the interest form instead.
XS URGENT Organizers should block their calendar
Not just the event dates, but also the day before so there are as many people as possible for setup.
XS URGENT Open applications
Include a link to the application website on the main website.

Start of the EPFL fall semester

L Emails to other schools
See Other school contacts and Other schools & hackathons email.
For the poster, use Poster for other unis.svg as a base, it's the same as the EPFL one but with the reimbursement amount.
L Promotional breakfast at EPFL
Plan a breakfast in INM, at a date/time that works given the big classes of IC Bachelors.
Alternatively, get Mediacom's approval for a breakfast somewhere else for other sections' big classes.
See Breakfast guide
M Social media announcements
Announce that applications are open!
Make it very clear this is about applying, not just "registering" since we can't guarantee everybody a spot due to space constraints.
Post in the Discord and add to events.
M Promotional workshop at EPFL
Plan a "what's a hackathon?" workshop, reusing the slides of previous such workshops.
If it's close to the breakfast, it can be advertised there.
M Posters at EPFL
Use Poster for EPFL.svg as a base.
Print them at Repro on 120g A3 paper, 60 should be more than enough. You can ask for a bill to be sent by email.
Put them up, it's much easier if you're 2 people. Note that EPFL removes all posters around the 1st of each month.
(Note: in French, this is called "une affiche", not "un poster", the latter is for A0 stuff)
M Polynex screens at EPFL
Use EPFL Polynex screens.svg as a base.
M Email to EPFL
Use the semestrial all-EPFL email to promote the event, and tell folks about the breakfast and workshop. See past emails.
M Start participant acceptance
Accept the first ~50 EPFL and ~50 non-EPFL participants, then every 5-7 days, accept a batch of participants at random.
Also give each organizer a chance to accept 1 team so they can ensure their friends/SO/siblings/... can come.
Targeting 250 participants who actually come, accept ~175 EPFL and ~175 non-EPFL based on past numbers.
Note that visas for those who need one are often granted for Europe (= Portugal to Ukraine) and not granted for others such as North Africa.
In 2024 we accepted 385 people and 275 came, which was 25 more than we expected
S Contact IC faculty for support (financial and advertising)
Example email: IC faculty support

At least two months before the event

S URGENT Order event insurance
Generali provides one with a fully online process ("responsabilité civile manifestations") for <100chf covering 5M CHF
S URGENT Order ISS cleaning & tables + chairs
See ISS request email; for a standard edition of LauzHack this should cost <=1000chf.
S URGENT Loan power strips
Do this by contacting the electrician Mediacom tells you about, with the ID of the "demande d'intervention" Mediacom also gives you.
See LauzHack Electrical Needs.
S URGENT Book BC 09
Not handled by Mediacom, but by the INM admin and the CLIC association directly.
Since it is in use as a "student space", we do not use it during the event, but we do not want anyone else to use it either.
Having non-participants right next to the rooms we use can cause lots of confusion.
L Plan workshops and other entertainment
Video game corner? Dance Dance Revolution? Bad UX workshop? Slide karaoke? Werewolves? Other workshops? You decide!
However, these should make sense given their schedule: no point in hour-long workshops right before project submission, for instance.
In general anything over 30min is probably too much.
M Plan judging
Have a clear plan for what the main ranking and organizers' favorite criteria are.
Write this down in a one page document that can be given to the jury and the participants.
"We'll figure out the details during the event" is not a plan.
M Shortlist prizes
Make a list of potential prizes, ask everyone for ideas.
Plan on using Swiss suppliers if possible, typically Galaxus, to minimize uncertainty in shipping.
See the Prizes guide.
XS Double-check a POCAMA form isn't needed
As of 2023 we no longer need to fill a "POCAMA" form with the police, see POCAMA Requirements.pdf for why in case Mediacom asks.
If for some reason this were to change, the form must be filled ASAP, see POCAMA form example.pdf for an example.
XS Ask for BC parking access
Get access to the car entrance of the parking by asking the INM admin so that deliveries can be much smoother.

At least a month before the event

XS URGENT Reject all non-accepted participants
Send a very clear rejection email to anyone not selected, with a link to an EPFL-only waiting list in case too few people come on the day itself.
M URGENT Give details to the jury
Where and when exactly they have to show up, what our criteria are, when it'll finish; also ask them for a picture for slides.
Tip: send a calendar invite with details and a link to the judging criteria.
M URGENT Give details to tech sponsors
Where and when they have to show up, how long their talk will be, who will come, what they need to provide for the opening ceremony, link to Discord, etc.
M URGENT Confirm meals
Confirm with the suppliers, including what allergens there are.
IMPORTANT: Have one or two "backup" organizers who attend any meetings with food suppliers and are copied in emails, and who come with the main food organizer on the day itself to talk to the cooks, so that more than one person can ask the cooks later for requests like whether to start a 2nd round of lunch.
M URGENT Plan grocery shopping
See LauzHack Shopping List.
M URGENT Get staff volunteers
Create a form for people's email, name, what they prefer doing, when they're available, and whether they have dietary restrictions.
Ask CLIC, EPIC, friends, put posters, ... get as many people as you can, there should be at the very least 20 people total including the committee.
S URGENT Create Discord channels and invite participants and sponsors
See the Discord guide.
S URGENT Remove access to BC 07-08, 129, 229, 329, 133, 233, 333 during the event
Ask the INM admin to request it, so we get special CAMIPROs to open these during the event.
(Asking security/Mediacom directly has not produced results in the past)
Double-check that this is really done, before the day of the event itself!
M Plan photo taking
Professional photographer? Dedicated staff member with a camera? Either way, we need lots of pictures, way more than a reasonable staff member would think.
Sponsors want them, especially food sponsors, and we need them to showcase the event to EPFL and for social media.
"One staff member has a camera so we'll occasionally go around taking pictures" is not a plan.
M Print badges
Create a badge design + an example one and ask EPFL Repro what else they need beyond the list of people.
Use one color for participants and another for everyone else (staff, sponsors, jury, ...), see Swag Information.
Include 30 blank badges for participants, 20 blank badges for sponsors, 5 blank badges for jury members.
Use extra-thick paper with a hole in it for the lanyards, no need for plastic badge holders.
IMPORTANT: Sort the badges before having them printed, this will save you time.
S Order prizes
Make sure the shipping won't take too much time!
S Order photo booth
"Corporate Pack" from https://www.photoboothsystem.com/ (690chf + 100chf for installation), for the whole weekend. You need a logo and a motto for the booth.
Schedule a specific time for the guy to show up and install the booth.
S Loan a pallet jack
CLIC has one in the basement, ask them; alternatively, Balélec has some, and the INM concierge even has one.
S Loan fridges
CLIC has a couple, the INM admin has a couple, Balélec has some... need one for "public" drinks and 2 to store yogurts, drinks, etc in the staff room.
Make sure you have access to where you have to pick up the fridges, or you have the direct contact of someone who does (e.g., the CLIC office).
XS Loan bean bags for the chill room
Use Agepoly's website truffe2.epfl.ch, get both boxes (3 and 6 bags). We do not need the carpet for them since we'll keep them inside.
XS Loan Poseidon laptops
The form is on Poséidon's website, specifically as loaning for events.
Get a case (5 laptops) in case someone's laptop breaks during the event. Double-check when you get it that they put the sheet with the password in the case.
XS Loan audiovisual equipment
From SAVE; 1 set of 2 loudspeakers, 1 beamer, 1 projector screen (biggest available), 2 mics. Get help from someone else to transport all of this.
XS Double-check with Mediacom if there are other events that need moving
Typically, "code pour les filles" might happen on Saturday, and some dance stuff might use the BC Atrium on Sunday.
S Organize a post-event staff dinner
Nice reward for the staff, and way to try and convert new volunteers to association members; a reasonable budget is 50.-/person.
Organize this early to maximize the chances of finding a date that works for everyone.

A week before the event

M URGENT Hold a staff meeting for everyone to know about safety and other expectations
The main organizer should read the entirety of the Main Organizer's Guide to Setup and go through its safety section with everyone.
Then go through the Staff info email with everyone, and send it to everyone as a reminder.
M URGENT Prepare the feedback forms
One each for participants, judges, sponsors, and staff.
There should also be few questions as is reasonable, to maximize response rates.
S URGENT Set up an "état des lieux" with the concierge
You can set this up by email, typically it'll be Friday morning in BC directly.
Tell him you need (1) the key for the BC lights, (2) the key for the EcoPoints trash, and (3) at least five rolls of EPFL trash bags.
XS URGENT Send an all-IC email about the building use
Explain that the BC building will be in use for LauzHack. Encourage people to come to the closing ceremony if they want to.
Use the BC building use warning email template.
XS URGENT 2 days before the event, send a short reminder email to participants
Include the exact location, the check-in time, and a Discord invite.
M Plan the detailed schedule
Four tabs: per-person schedules, overall schedule, ceremonies, and emergency contacts. See LauzHack Schedule Example.
General guidelines:
The helpdesk must always be staffed by >=2 people until the closing ceremony
Anything that uses N rooms must be staffed by >=N+1 people
Anything food needs >=3 people
Night shifts need a good chunk of rest before or after
Account for the fact that people can be late or sick
M Create the opening and closing ceremony presentations
With placeholders as needed for winning teams, last-minute jury members and sponsors, etc.
IMPORTANT FOR 2024: Shorten the opening ceremony, it was way too long.
M Create a list of resources for participants
Which hosting providers currently offer free credits and for what kinds of apps? Where can participants do quantum simulations, or other fun things?
M Plan meal logistics
How will participants get food? How do we ensure everyone has had one round before opening a second round?
Trivial for the BC cafeteria, not so easy for others.
M Confirm allergens / special diets
For each participant who marked "other" as their dietary restrictions, confirm by email with them whether they'll be able to eat meals or whether we'll give them money instead (50 CHF is what we've done in the past, per participant for the entire event, they get it right after check-in).
M Get chocolate for the jury
We always gift a nice box of chocolate for each jury member since they volunteer their time, ~50chf/box.
M Plan the project submission and judging
A website, which can be DevPost if you have nothing else, and a clear plan on when do companies judge, when does the jury judge, etc.
Ideally, have a 10min break in the middle of the first round of judging so jury members can recap what they've seen.

Day before the event

S "État des lieux" with the concierge
IMPORTANT 1: Make sure BC 05-06 and 07-08 have the partition removed.
IMPORTANT 2: Go through rooms yourself before this, checking if the doors close properly, the light and ventilation buttons aren't caved in, and so on.
S Fetch cards/keys at the info desk
Mediacom is at the info desk on Esplanade.
Come prepared with the list of cards/keys you need, instead of forcing them to waste time looking that up.
M Withdraw cash for special diets and travel reimbursement
No need for a ton of coins, in practice we can round up to the nearest 5 or 10.
But we may need a lot of cash, depending on the maximal number of travel reimbursements + special diets.
L Set up the setup
Put as many things on pallets, trolleys, and so on as possible, so that moving things during setup is quick.
The more time one or two people can put into this during the day, the earlier in the evening setup will finish.
Try to avoid blocking any path in the storage room, or let people whose path you block know so they're not surprised.
XL Set up the event
See LauzHack Main Event Setup Checklist.
Don't forget the Main Organizer's Guide to Setup.
Also remember the LauzHack Main Event Cleanup Checklist.
For the big banner, see Notes on big banner setup (French).pdf

Shortly after the event

L URGENT Bring back borrowed stuff
This is straightforward but must be done, sometimes at specific times of the day.
S URGENT Send feedback forms
This should be done as soon as possible after the event, ideally on the day it ends, to maximize response rates.
S Delete participant data
Keep it for a month or so for various needs, i.e., lost&found + attendance/winning certificates if anyone asks, then delete it.
S Archive the website
Archive the website so there is a record of it, e.g., LauzHack 2019 is at 2019.lauzhack.com.
This is done by cloning the GitHub repo and configuring DNS to point to that new repo for the corresponding subdomain.
S Back up this knowledge base
Download the entire folder from Google Drive, and add it to the archived website repository, as a precaution.

Later

M Ensure the Drive contains up-to-date info
Swag designs, sponsor contacts, and so on must all be online for everyone to access for future events.
This includes updating this task list if something has changed.
M Organize a BBQ to recruit
See the BBQ guide
L Inventory and organize the storage area
Make a list of swag, leftover food that will still be good for the next events, etc.
Make sure our space is well maintained so we don't bother the other users.
L Organize a General Assembly The exact timing is based on the fiscal year, see LauzHack - Legalese.
Form a committee, there needs to be a President, one or more Vice-Presidents, and one or more Treasurers, as well as two Auditors
Organize the GA itself, it's really a meeting with a few formal tasks
Take minutes during the GA and clean them up afterward, ensuring the results of all votes and elections are very clearly stated
Get an appointment with the bank to transfer rights if necessary
Add to the website a PDF of the minutes without the accounting details
Add to the website all new members
Transfer the ownership of the "lauzhack" group on groups.epfl.ch to the new president, add the new VP as admin, and add/remove members
Send to <associations@>:
the minutes
an activity report summarizing the previous year
the committee as well as all members who should be also accredited so they can have access to the storage area (include SCIPERs)
a translation of the accounts to the EPFL model
a sentence stating you have updated the association's mailing list
a sentence linking to the "legal" page on the website stating the minutes have been made publicly available

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