This is a Draft Amnesty Week draft. It may not be polished, up to my usual standards or fully thought through. This is a Forum post that I wouldn’t have posted without the nudge of Draft Amnesty Week. If it were more than a draft, I would go deeper into making a case for small events and make an actual comparison with EAG(x) events.
With EA Belgium, we’ve organized two summer retreats, both at the same location. Since the location was a volunteer’s house and garden, and they also had a large tent available, our only expense was food.
The 2023 edition ran from Saturday noon until Sunday noon, meaning 4 meals.
The 2024 edition ran from Friday evening until Sunday noon, so 6 meals.
Below, you’ll find the cost breakdown and survey results from both events:
2023
2024
Costs
€190.00
€307.00
Income
€271.00
€310.00
Profit
€81.00
€3.00
# Participants who contributed money
13
12
Average contribution
€20.85
€25.83
# Meals
4
6
Average cost per meal
€47.50
€51.17
Cost per participant/​organizer
€10.56
€18.06
# Participants who filled out survey
12
11
# Organizers
4
4
Total # participants, including organizers
18
17
# Participants who didn’t fill out survey
2
2
# Participants & organizers who also went the year before
N/​A
5
How would you rate your experience?
8
9
(Average number)
How many new connections did you make?
4.41
5.27
(Average number)
I learned something new and important
83.33%
81.82%
I changed my mind about something
33.33%
54.55%
I have changed my career plans
8.33%
0.00%
Would you go to a similar event like this next year?
Yes
75.00%
81.82%
Maybe
25.00%
18.18%
No
0.00%
0.00%
Please note that we aren’t exactly sure of some 2023 figures marked in italics, those are my best guess.
With a cost of just €11–18 per participant, these retreats were significantly more cost-effective than an EAG(x) at face value. But of course, if we want to organize a bigger event, costs would rise quickly due to venue costs. While this format isn’t easily scalable, I hope it inspires other local groups to organize similar small-scale events! I (Jeroen) personally think the EA Summits are exciting for this reason.
Our retreats were somewhere between an unconference and a traditional conference: there was only one activity at a time, and the schedule was mostly set in advance, but participants played a key role in selecting and giving workshops and talks.
A small case for small events: EA Belgium Summer Retreat 2023 & 2024 analysis
With EA Belgium, we’ve organized two summer retreats, both at the same location. Since the location was a volunteer’s house and garden, and they also had a large tent available, our only expense was food.
The 2023 edition ran from Saturday noon until Sunday noon, meaning 4 meals.
The 2024 edition ran from Friday evening until Sunday noon, so 6 meals.
Below, you’ll find the cost breakdown and survey results from both events:
Please note that we aren’t exactly sure of some 2023 figures marked in italics, those are my best guess.
With a cost of just €11–18 per participant, these retreats were significantly more cost-effective than an EAG(x) at face value. But of course, if we want to organize a bigger event, costs would rise quickly due to venue costs. While this format isn’t easily scalable, I hope it inspires other local groups to organize similar small-scale events! I (Jeroen) personally think the EA Summits are exciting for this reason.
Our retreats were somewhere between an unconference and a traditional conference: there was only one activity at a time, and the schedule was mostly set in advance, but participants played a key role in selecting and giving workshops and talks.