Eclipse DemoCamp Triple-Header

I am so filled with the joy of Eclipse DemoCamps '08 that I cannot contain it.

Poland 2 - Romania 1

First, it was the Poznan camp with its Eclipse enthusiasts and famous goats.

Like that's not enough, I then got a generous invitation from Jacek Laskowski, leader of the Warsaw Java User Group, to attend their all-day extravaganza.

Then on a dare to set a record for attending the most demo camps in a single month, I decided to organize the first-ever demo camp in my adopted home city of Iasi, Romania.

I am not aware of companies, other than Embarcadero, that are building Eclipse-based products in Iasi. However, there is a strong Eclipse presence as a Java IDE in Iasi universities and companies. The last time we hosted an Eclipse-centric event, it was attended by 100 people (a full house) on a rainy Saturday morning. So that's a good sign.


3 Simple Rules

I have six dining room chairs in my house, so I have no experience organizing events for more than 5 people. But, who better to advise me on how to organize a demo camp than the Eclipse Foundation's Marketing Events Manager/Genius Lynn Gayowski?

Here are Lynn's simple rules on how to organize a successful demo camp:

1. Create an organizing committee made up of four reliable, happening people who can carry stuff and have good planning skills.
   
2. At least one person on the committee must have a car.
3. Wear comfortable shoes.
   

The Committee on Eclipse DemoCamps Affairs

So we sent the committee on a faux-planning session, where they were supposed to look busy in a photo-op against a leafy backdrop.


From left to right: Simona Gavrilescu, Ioana Alecsandrescu, Andrei Spitelnicu, Daniel Taroboanta



They were supposed to pretend to be working, but Daniel, who is a workaholic, was clearly coding.



Five minutes later, even though they seemed to have been wearing comfortable shoes, they got tired and sat down to rest.

The date and venue will be finalized this week. Stay tuned!