So, you’ve arrived at HackUPC, ready for thirty-six hours of hacking; but that’s not everything you’re going to do, surely. Maybe, before getting down to business, you’ll attend a workshop about how to use a certain API, or about learning to design an Android app. Or, late at night, you’ll want to unwind and have fun taking part in a nerf gun battle.
When you’re not working, eating or sleeping, it’s possible that, whatever you’re doing, the HackerXperience department is involved in it. This team is in charge of preparing all the activities that take place during the event and making sure that everyone feels comfortable there. They also recruit the mentors who’ll help any hacker that needs it, and specify the criteria and methods that will be used to judge the projects during the demo fair. Alvaro and Andrea have just started to work on it, and Andreu, who was in this department before moving to Sponsorship, is helping them with his expertise.
Why did you want to be organisers of HackUPC?
Alvaro: I participated in the first edition as a hacker with Marce and I liked the experience a lot. (Marce is a prior organiser of HackUPC.) In the second edition, he was an organiser and I was a volunteer. When the third edition was being worked on, Marce told me that people were needed at Webdev, and I decided to enter to contribute to an event that showed me what hackathons are and that improves our university and the students.
Andrea: In my first year studying I was a volunteer of the two editions celebrated, and I liked the atmosphere and the experience so much that when applications to be an organiser opened I didn’t hesitate to apply. Thanks to HackUPC I discovered the hackathon world, and being an organiser I can give something back, contributing to it so that more people can discover it.
How long have you been organisers?
Alvaro: This will be my third edition.
Andrea: Since this past edition.
Which have been your favourite moments here?
Andrea: The check-in. Although it is stressful, it’s very fulfilling to see how hackers, mentors and sponsors arrive, knowing that this is the final sprint so that all the work done yields results. Also, the nerf gun battle; that’s a very good moment that must be in the favourites.
What differences have you seen between attending a hackathon as a hacker and organising it?
Alvaro: Attitude and sense of responsibility. As a hacker, my attitude is “learn things and enjoy”, I don’t feel pressured unless everything stops working just before the deadline. Instead, as an organiser, I have a sense of responsibility and my attitude is “guarantee that everything goes well and that hackers don’t have any problems”. It’s also a long-term job, as you have to improve things between editions, and there’s a bit of pressure to ensure everything works, as the experience of most people depends on a well done job when it matters.
Andrea: As a hacker I only have to worry about the project and not wanting to smash my laptop on the ground. Instead, as an organiser there’s all the work needed for the event to go well. As organisers, we have the responsibility to ensure that seven hundred hackers enjoy their stay, and it all depends on us.
You are in the HackerXperience department. What is exactly your job?
Andreu: Our job is ensuring that the hackers feel as good as possible during the event and that, in addition to developing their project, they have talks and workshops where they can learn new things and activities to unwind and have fun beyond coding.
Andrea: We also are in charge of recruiting the mentors and maintaining the related webapp, so that hackers have help whenever they need it. Another important thing we do is organising the judging, making sure that is transparent and explaining to the volunteers the criteria they need to apply. Finally, we manage the teambuilding at the start of the event, where people who don’t have a team (or want to add more people on theirs) can find one.
What do you like about working in HackerXperience?
Alvaro: I’ve just entered the department, but I like making things easy for other people, so I feel comfortable here. I also think that I will have more contact with other departments than before and I’ll learn more.
Andrea: I like when everybody is at ease and that’s the main task in this department, thinking about what can we do so that the hackers can fully enjoy HackUPC and remember it not only because of their project.
Andreu: The interaction with the hackers! Getting to know the projects, what are they interested in, and making HackUPC an event that goes beyond coding.
What do you understand by “the hacker’s experience”?
Alvaro: The sensation (either positive or negative) that a hacker has during and after the event.
Andrea: The experience beyond the project; a hackathon isn’t only your project, but also the other activities and the people you may get to know.
Andreu: The experience and feelings that the hackers have with all the interactions with the event; those can be the meals, the talks, the sleeping zone, the activities, the judging, the interaction with the sponsors…
Which are your main tasks during the event?
Andrea: Making sure that the activities and the talks go well, that the mentors are helping and that the judging is good.
Andreu: We are in charge of coordinating all the activities as they are planned, and that all the hackers feel as good as possible in their interactions with the event.
What activity do you enjoy preparing the most? What do you think hackers enjoy the most?
Andrea: Until now, the nerf gun battle, without a doubt. Everybody enjoys it: the volunteers and organisers preparing the room (some test matches must be played) and the hackers playing. It’s a good way to energize yourself and have a good time.
Andreu: It’s hard to say, but the nerf gun battle has won my heart. In my opinion, I think this one and the slideshare karaoke are well liked by the hackers.
How do you choose the mentors? Is there a selection process?
Alvaro: We’re still talking about it, but it’s mainly by personal recommendations and applications.
Andrea: The most important thing is that they are ready to help, but there’s indeed a selection process to ensure the hackers receive quality help.
Will there be new activities in this year’s edition?
Alvaro: We have some ideas but we haven’t gone into detail yet.
Andrea: We’re preparing new things and more activities than in other editions, I’m very excited with our ideas and I hope that the hackers like them… quack!
Finally, tell us a funny moment in the hackathons you have already organised.
Alvaro: People shouting “les pizzes seran sempre nostres”, pizzas will always be ours, in the queue for dinner. (“Els carrers seran sempre nostres”, the streets will always be ours, is a slogan used in Catalan demonstrations.) Also, the moment when we published some geographical coordinates (inside the venue) in the The Game web and we found people waiting before we could get there.
Andrea: Two editions ago, I was a volunteer in the activities group. We had to prepare a room for the nerf gun battle and we had to place the matresses and tables tactically. To test if everything worked, or changes were needed, we had to play some matches. The things that must be done for the hacker… (laughs)
Andreu: Three editions ago, as a volunteer, we were blowing up the air matresses while we drank sodas and ate waffles. We ended up having a sugar high and laughing non-stop!
If you leave HackUPC thinking “man, what a wonderful weekend, I really enjoyed it”, it’s certainly because of the work done by HackerXperience. It may look easy, but without them, HackUPC wouldn’t be as memorable as it is!
Meet the team is a series of posts that tries to show the kind of people who are behind a big event like HackUPC and the work that’s required to bring it to life. You can read the rest here: Logistics, Sponsorship and Finance, New faces, Staff, Webdev, Design and Photography, Directors, Marketing
