What are the benefits of a Hackathon Event?

1. Create and test ideas rapidly: Prove good ideas quickly, and reduce the cost of failure by closing bad ideas quickly.
2. Increase collaboration: Encourage cross-functional and cross-team collaboration. The rapid iteration is very efficient and intense.
3. Generate excitement: Participants explore adventurous ideas in an exciting and safe environment, where it is ok to try crazy tangents.
4. Boost talent attraction and retention: Generate PR buzz in the community, and improve staff morale.
5. Generate a competitive advantage: Boost your overall productivity with this lean approach to ideation.

1. Boost cross-department collaboration and community.
2. Generate new ideas or solve challenges rapidly.
3. Close down bad ideas quickly – i.e. “fail fast” so that your organisation saves resources.
4. Improve staff morale.
5. Contribute to a more enjoyable working mix.

1. Encourage new open standards.
2. Share solutions to common problems.
3. Raise the profile and stature of your organisation.
4. Improve your staff morale.
5. Generate a stronger, more innovative community.

1. “No actionable ideas ever come out of Hackathons.”
2. “People might steal ideas from one another.”
3. “Why should we help the competition?”

1. A simple, open challenge to excite everyone: “How might we … ?”
2. Slick and timely event management: Good resources, great MC, help, support, hot food and good coffee & refreshments.
3. Pre-formed teams: Encourage people to make teams before the event.
4. Maximize the Hack Time: Get started quickly and do not force people to sit through sponsors’ presentations. Get in, kick off, Hack!!
5. A great venue in a great location: Make it inspiring, bright, with fun stuff nearby for the evening.
6. Short demos and good prizes: Well organised demos, slick AV management, fun judges, and prizes with humorous categories.