Startup Bootcamp this past weekend was an absolutely amazing day of entrepreneurship in Boston. Over 1,000 students, startupers and investors showed up live with another 1,500+ watching online.  You can read great recaps by Tim Chae, Jason Baptiste, Dan Ronken and BostonWomenPreneurs.  What I'd like to focus on what the key elements were in the event that we should ensure all future events take into consideration.

5 Reasons Startup Bootcamp Crushed It:

1) Big Names = Big Draw

When you bring in the founders of hot young startups as well as notable industry veterans....and the inventor of Ethernet, you're going to get some attention.  No, not every event can have this kind of list, but the point is...getting even one big name can have a major impact on building buzz before the event and maximizing turnout at the event.

A number of events have successfully mirrored this model: Hiring & HR with Paul English, the Investment panel by the MIT Enterprise Forum with David Cohen, Dave McClure and others, and the Momentum Summit. 

Bottom Line: Big events make the ecosystem grow by drawing in the curious and previously non-engaged. A key part of drawing those people in is having a big name they recognize.

2) After Parties Matter

After Startup Bootcamp, there were two great after parties. The first was Hackers and Founders just a few blocks down the street at the Asgard. This event was open to all and the Asgard carded only those purchasing alchohol, so students and startupers alike could attend. The buzz after the event was at a peak and led to some awesome discussions and new connections. The other event, at the new MIT Media Lab, was also awesome as many of the speakers stopped by and the entire event had the fantastic setting of the 6^th floor view of Boston and Cambridge. Again, the buzz was strong and more connections were made.

Bottom Line: Make sure there’s an opportunity for all the people that just sat and got excited at your event to get up and interact with others. And, remember, you can always ask other locals to help organize these after parties as Mark Bao, Jason Baptiste and Jon Pierce did for Startup Bootcamp.

3) Build Off Momentum

The first event is usually the hardest. Startup Bootcamp last year was great, but it was the first time and was not attended like this one was. This years had bigger speakers, many more attendees and viewers and a massive buzz. This was all building off the success of the first event. 

Bottom Line: Work to have your first event be successful and you’ll find the second time spreading the word, recruiting people to get involved and soliciting sponsors will all be easier.

4) Go To The Students!!!

This event was in the heart of MIT’s campus and a short T/bus ride from many of Boston’s best universities. Not surprisingly then, when they surveyed the audience, the student turn out was exceptional and diverse. Also, as the one of the organizers mentioned on Saturday, MIT let them use Kresge Auditorium for free. Schools are notoriously generous with their space. So not only do you reach students but you save money for your event. Where else could you seat 1,000 people on a Saturday in Boston for free?

Bottom Line: If we really want to engage our student population we need to come to their world, on their campuses for major events.

5) Don’t Forget Great Social Media

The buzz on Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the social web was exceptional for this event. Their hashtag, #SB2010 has over 2,200 tweets from before, during and after the event. This drew in many viewers who missed signing up as well as opened up additional opportunities for discussion by attendees and viewers alike. Much of the buzz last year carried on for a few days after the event and helped create a lasting memory that built anticipation for next year.

Bottom Line: Take advantage of social media to build buzz for your event, allow attendees to share their experience and discuss the event afterwards. 

All the events in our ecosystem serve two purposes: to connect with other entrepreneurs and learn from experts. A mix of big events with our healthy ecosystem of regular events helps bring in new people to our community and strengthen the ecosystem. This is best captured in the text messaged tweet I sent out as I arrived at the second after party on Saturday: