Post-it notes and the 'un-conference'

The first ReBarCamp was held in San Francisco last summer, the day before the Inman News Real Estate Connect conference.

The idea is the brainchild of Andy Kaufman, a Realtor in Berkeley, Calif., who has become the go-to person for ReBarCamp organizers nationwide. There is an official ReBarCamp blog with a list of upcoming events and a place to sign up.

The ReBarCamp is a kind of "un-conference," and on the surface it looks chaotic. There are no speakers per se, or planned schedule, and admission is free. Event organizers find sponsors who will pay the bills. Lunch is almost always included, along with a T-shirt and name badge.

At the beginning of the event there is a wall in the hallway and a stack of Post-it notes. Usually there are several rooms for each time slot so that more than one session can take place at the same time.

People wishing to lead a session write the name of the session on the Post-it note and put it on the wall under a time slot and room number. People will either attend or they won't. Session sizes can end up being as small as four or five, and some sessions grow so large that there isn't enough space.

Attendees look at the wall when it is all organized and decide where they want to go. Sessions tend to be highly specialized and led by people who are experts or at the very least have a lot of experience.

The sessions themselves often have little in the way of formal presentation. The leader talks about an idea or something he or she is doing to generate business. Sometimes new products and business models are discussed.

I have led some sessions and I find that the people who attend are very interested in the subject matter, they are engaged, and they ask challenging questions. There isn't anyone in the room who isn't interested in the subject matter. ...CONTINUED

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