Calendar event types

These are the “event types” that have evolved within the UXnet calendar. Not complete and not the only way to call things, but what we use here.

• Conference: A major UX-related event that usually spans several days, has registration fees, and accepts submissions for several types of sessions (papers, panels, workshops, seminars, posters). Often draws participants from around the world.
• Annual association conference: The annual meeting of a professional association. Usually the largest conferences in terms of attendance, number of sessions and variety of topics.
• Training: A course, seminar, tutorial or other type of UX professional development. Typical: 1-day, well-known instructor, focused topic, several hundred dollars (US). Sometimes several days of training are strung together for a week-long event.
• Working group: A session where all attendees participate in order to share information and address a UX-related problem. Often there is some sort of (academic) publication that results from the working session.

• Local meeting: Usually a guest speaker on a UX-related topic, under 2 hours long, organized by a local group, and part of a regular program of events in that locale.
• Planning meeting: Local meetings to plan local organization activity, such as kicking off a local chapter or planning the activities for the year.
• Social: A local meeting where the purpose is to meet others and talk about user experience related topics. No guest speaker, often held at a bar.
• Book club: Discuss a UX related book - see uxbookclub.org for more information.
• Design jam: Design something during the event.
• Emergent: A gathering where the UX-related program emerges from the participants in an open and collaborative way. Often called a BarCamp or Unconference, using the Open Space methodology. Sometimes organized as a Pecha Kucha.
• Exhibition: Design shows and opening receptions for art exhibits.

• Online: Webcasts, conference calls and other online events about user experience.