This years Mozilla Festival kicks off on Friday with its traditional ‘science fair’ evening reception.

I missed last years Mozilla Festival but I am a veteran of the original outing in Barcelona (then called Drumbeat) and also the first one at Ravensbourne in London.

I’m not really a hack day kind of guy but have done my time at Barcamps & other ‘open space’ type events as well as every kind of traditional conference or exhibition. The Mozilla Festival is something else. Seriously. I can’t really overstate that.

Here are a few observations thats I have taken from my previous experiences;

– be prepared to hear the word ‘awesome’ a lot.
– there is every chance you will be hugged by a giant fox.
– don’t bother doing too much pre-planning – the schedule is a living entity.
– organised chaos is a thing.
– despite stereo-types geeks are very social. Be prepared to chat. And drink. (..and drink)
– There is a lot happening – accept you can’t do it all otherwise its exhausting.
– travel light. There are a lot of stairs!
– this many geeks can break the wifi no matter how amazing it is – be prepared!
– laptop stickers are badges of honour.
– look out for the Mozilla Reps t-shirts – these guys are founts of knowledge.
– ask questions – I’m not that technical really but I learned so much the last couple of times I attended just by asking.
– be prepared for gadget envy. If it exists someone will probably be showing it off.
– and accept that after #mozfest other events seem a little…tame.

Also the reality is that I’ll be one of the old timers if previous years are anything to go by. #mozfest trends young 🙂

If you’re coming along I look forward to saying hi. If you are not you are missing out!