Privacy Lab Process

Privacy Lab was was an idea that came out of MozFest in 2014. It has been led by Mozilla volunteers in San Francisco, CA for about 16 months as a series of monthly events that combine speaker presentations with networking opportunities and small group work. The target audience is professionals in the privacy field across both policy and technical interests. More info here. Quick Reference checklist here.

As with any event, Privacy Lab takes a fair amount of organization. This document is designed to walk through the process of running a Privacy Lab program, so that anyone can start and run a Privacy Lab in any location. We'd love to see Privacy Lab expand around the world.

Getting Started

To get started, you'll need at least one person to organize (we have 2-3 primary organizers), a place to host it, people to invite and a plan.

Target Audience and Purpose

• Our target audience is privacy professionals and those interested in privacy at non-profits, for-profits, and NGOs. For consumers who do not have much privacy knowledge and are seeking to learn more, we use teaching kits and teaching task forces, rather than Privacy Lab.
• The purpose of Privacy Lab is to bring together privacy professionals and those interested in privacy at non-profits, for-profits, and NGOs alike to foster communication and collaboration.

Event Format

• We use a standard two hour format for Privacy Lab, where the first hour is typically speaker(s) or lightning talks with Q&A and the second hour is a more open format with informal networking and small group discussions, to give people time to talk to each other. Speakers can be pre-recorded or remote. In May 2016, we will experiment with a workshop format.
• We host a Privacy Lab once a month, typically the during the last week of the month. You may wish to start by hosting it quarterly.
• We have experimented with different times and 6-8pm seems to work best, so people have time to arrive after work.
• We vary the day of the week, so that people who have commitments on a particular day don't miss it every month.
• We use only free venues. Our strategy is to ask a different business or university to host each month. We look for venues with capacity for 50-100 people. We typically do not provide food or pay speakers so these are zero dollar events.
• We prefer to record the speaker and Q&A (the first hour) when possible for remote viewing. Recording is usually done by the host venue or with the assistance of Air Mozilla. We have also experiment with livestreaming through a media partner, such as Passcode.

Setting a Target Date

• Check the date against other local events that are likely to attract the same audience. Create an email process to notify these organizations each time you select a date. Sign up on their mailings lists so you get notified of their events. Ex: In San Francisco, CA these would be events like local conferences (RSA), TA3M, WISP, IAPP, Truste, Startup Policy Lab, etc.
• Confirm the date with both host and speaker(s)
• Consider targeting a particular week of every month (ours is usually the last week of the month)

Speakers

• Announce at events and in your emails that you are always looking for speakers.
• Always send a calendar invite to your speakers and reminder emails the week of the event.
• Collect a brief bio that you can use in your invitations and to introduce the speaker at the event.
• Communications with speakers should confirm date, start time, planned topic, address and include your contact information.
• For ideas on how to find speakers, see our networking tips page.

Hosts

• If you choose to vary the location each month, announce your search for hosts at each event. Reach out within your network to develop a list of potential hosts.
• Communications with host should confirm date, start time, planned topic, address, seating capacity, seating capacity, site contact, and catering count (if catering is offered).
• Sometimes hosts may offer to provide some catering, which can help encourage attendance.

Invitations

• Once you have a topic, a confirmed speaker (if applicable) and a host, you can create an invitation. You'll use the same invitation in two different formats - email and an event management software tool such as Eventbrite.
• It's best to send your invitation out about a month in advance so that attendees can mark their calendars early.
• We've been using Eventbrite for our invitations.
• Invitations typically include: logo, date, time location, speaker info, RSVP, whether the event will be recorded (and link to recording if so) and links to the mailing list, code of conduct, and wiki.
• We typically invite twice as many people as our event venues can hold, because we've observed about a 50% drop-off rate. To help cut down on the drop-off rate, we send a reminder the week of the event.

Email Template

• Consider creating a couple of standard templates - one to send the initial invitation to your distribution list about a month before the event and populate the Eventbrite form; and another to send a reminder the week of the event.
• See the sample planning spreadsheet for an example.

Distribution List

• We created a privacy-events mailing list at mailman at mozilla.
• Each month, we add new attendees from our Eventbrite RSVP list, as described in our materials.
• We also promptly manage any unsubscribe requests we receive.

Getting the Word Out

• List your event on privacy and security calendars such as NCSA and FPF.
• Consider reaching out to similar organizations and offering cross-promotion (they mention your event and you mention theirs)
• Consider reaching out to related professional organizations such as the IAPP to get pre-approved for Continuing Professional Education credits (CPE's). A one hour event is often worth one CPE for attendees.
• Think of other ways to reach your target audience.

Logo

• An amazing volunteer created our logo under a creative commons license. We ask that you generally follow our format if you use it. The logo can be found on the existing Privacy Lab wiki.

Wiki

• Include logo, goals, format, location, mailing list, contacts and code of conduct.
• List upcoming Privacy Labs and keep an archive of past events.
• See Privacy Lab wiki for an example.

Video and Photography

• We receive frequent requests for recording, from as far away as Europe. We record for remote and future viewing whenever possible. Ask hosts if they have this capability. Partner with organizations that can livestream (ex: Passcode or Air Mozilla). Ask for volunteers who have video skills. We complete an Air Mozilla video request form for events that are held in a Mozilla office.
• Consider capturing a photograph at each event to use in a follow-up blog post, but have a process for attendees to opt-out of being photographed. Some events have an area where those who don't want to be photographed can sit to avoid the photo. Some use colored dots on name badges to indicate photography preferences.

Planning Spreadsheet

• We highly recommend creating a planning spreadsheet to keep track of who you've talked to about hosting and speaking, what your themes are, and more - so you can plan out several months in advance with ease.
• Create a tab for a brainstormed list of possible topics. For topic ideas, you can set up a Google Alert for "privacy" to see what's making the news. You can also check publications from organizations such as IAPP. Add to this list each time someone suggests a possible topic. Announce a call for ideas at each Privacy Lab. Continue to update this section.
• Create tab for a planning calendar - include basic info for each month such as date, address, seating capacity, the link to your event RSVP system (we useEventbrite), site contact, topic, speakers, etc. This allows you to plan out several months in advance.
• Create a tab to list possible hosts (if you plan to move around each month like we do). Include their contact info, address, seating capacity and dates they've hosted or have offered to host. The benefit of varying the host is that you develop more people with a vested interest in the success of your events and you reach more people because hosts often have their own distribution lists.
• Create a tab to keep track of similar events (to avoid conflicts). See setting a target date for more info on the types of organizations that may hold similar events.

Code of Conduct

• Consider creating and a code of conduct and including a link to it in all communications. Our can be found here.

Budget

• Privacy Lab is very possible as a zero budget event. Hosts donate the space (and sometimes catering). Speakers are not paid and the events are organized by volunteers.

Volunteer Roles

PRE EVENT TASKS

• Speaker Coordination - confirm speaker availability for the target date, manage communications with speakers, send calendar invite. Coordinate with attendee communications to include speaker information in invitations. Send thank yous to speakers after the event. Take photos of the speakers at the event to include with the thank you note.
• Host Coordination - announce the need for host organizations at each meeting, track offers to host in planning spreadsheet, communicate with hosts each month, including thank you's after the event.
• Invitations - Use a tool like Eventbrite (recommended) or a protected Google form to send invitations and gather RSVPs.
• Wiki updates - Add the invitation link to the wiki each month and move the previous month to the archives section. If the event was or will be recorded, add a link to the recording.

EVENT TASKS

• Master of Ceremonies (MC) - these tasks include introducing each speaker, making the audience feel welcome, keeping the audience engaged, covering logistics such as format, upcoming events, bathroom locations, and whatever else is needed. Here's a list of what to cover.
• Timekeeper - this task keeps speakers on time and clears the room at the end of the event
• Notekeeper - this task may be optional if the event is being recorded or you don't plan to publish a blog post after the event.

POST EVENT TASKS

• Update the wiki and send invites for next month (unless they were already sent with the reminder emails)
• Send thank you notes to speakers and hosts, including any photos and recording links.
• Import your attendee list into the your regular distribution list.
• Create a blog post to summarize the event.

Sample Timeline

At least 30 days prior (ideally)

• Confirm speaker(s), topic (include request for bio and cover the timeline for the event) and location/time/date
• If possible, plan two months in advance so you can include a preview of next month in your invitation
• Check the dates with organizations that offer similar events to avoid conflicts where you can (this can increase your attendance numbers)
• Complete any applicable video, catering or IT support forms. Obtain video link for the invitations.
• Create invitation (we use Eventbrite) and email with link to invitation; include whether the event will be recorded.
• Send calendar invitations to speaker(s), host(s) and videographer (if applicable); include link to invitation
• Update your wiki page and all applicable calendars (see getting the word out)

Week of the event

• Send reminder email to distribution list
• Send reminder emails to speakers and hosts. Ask speakers to arrive early for sound checks. Make sure they have your phone number(s) and the correct address and time. You may want to request their slides in advance if you will have IT support.
• Include a preview of the next month's Privacy Lab

Day of event

• Arrive early for sound checks.
• Refer to Guest Host Script
• Print or have speaker bios handy so you can introduce them
• Announce needs such as speakers/topics, hosts (if you move around), help with video, etc.
• Briefly cover what Privacy Lab is, what to expect (the timeline for the event), and any other logistics
• Introduce speakers
• Moderate Q&A (if remote viewers, it's great to have someone monitoring an IRC chat room for remote questions).
• After the first hour, break the event into small group discussions or informal networking time
• Help move people out of the building at the end of the event.

Post event

• See Post Event Tasks above.

Additional Resources

• Privacy Lab wiki is here
• Mozilla Foundation has great tips on making events inclusive
• The middle speaker in this ALA webinar provides tips on using media screenings (movies, documentaries, videos) to introduce a privacy discussion. As he cautions at the end of the video, there are copyright rules to be aware of and follow when using media.