Thinking outside of the box sometimes means quite literally just disrupting your typical workday. That's exactly what company hackathons are meant to do. 24 to 48 hours of tunnel vision and teamwork can do wonders — they boil weeks or months of work down into mere hours. But before you start planning a company hackathon, you might want to go over these basic steps to make sure your event is a success.
Index
- Think about the why
- Who needs to be involved?
- Will it be an internal or external company hackathon?
- Do you need experts from outside of your company?
- Will it be a virtual or in-person hackathon?
- What will be the prize?
Think about the why
Organising a hackathon can help you find new talent, solve a nagging problem, and put you on the map in your industry. It might even help you achieve all three, and more! Asking yourself the question “Why?" helps you set the theme of the hackathon. And make sure everyone participating knows the why. It can be as broad as “What have you always wanted to experiment with?”, or as specific as, “Create a product that improves communication with our customers.”
Do you have a pressing problem that needs to be solved creatively and fast?
Do you need fresh ideas to improve your product/service?
Do you need to come up with a better workflow?
Do you need to lower your business costs?
Do you need to train a bunch of new employees?
There are many reasons why you should organise a company hackathon, but it really depends on what you want to accomplish.
Who needs to be involved?
Historically hackathons were focused more on software developers, but not anymore. Hackathons are much more beneficial if a broader background and skillset are represented. A fresh perspective can go a long way.
You might want to include your project managers, designers, customer service agents, top executives etc. This not only delivers a more holistic approach but also creates a good ground for cross-collaboration and bonding between your employees. And after all, anyone can have a great idea, no matter their role in the company.
Will it be an internal or external company hackathon?
This is a key question to think about and your hackathon planning will differentiate broadly depending on which path you choose. Internal company hackathons might be a bit more straightforward because you don't need to find participants from outside of your organization, therefore you don't need to make huge marketing efforts. Internal hackathons are a good way to connect with your existing employees, boost team spirit or train your workforce. You're basically giving your employees a platform to express their ideas and thoughts about your business, which in return also gives them a bigger ownership feel. 
External company hackathons are good if you want to recruit new talent or need to get a fresh perspective to your business and discover new solutions. It's a good way to develop solutions to various business challenges or perhaps collaborate with your business partners to innovate your field in a broader sense.
Do you need experts from outside of your company?
Even if you're organising an internal company hackathon, you might benefit from external help. Maybe you need an external expert to mentor your teams during the hackathon, or perhaps the judges' panel needs someone from outside of your organisation. If you want your teams to present their solutions better, you could consider bringing in a pitching mentor.
And maybe you don't want to organise any of this yourself? There are lots of hackathon organisers that help companies bring the hackathon to life. We at Eventornado are happy to match you with our partner companies that can take the load off your shoulders.
Will it be a virtual or in-person hackathon?
After the COVID pandemic hit the hackathon world changed too and the rise of online hackathons began. There are upsides for both - online and onsite hackathons, but you should think about which format works best for your specific goals. In-person hackathons can be great if you want to bring your employees together and get some face-to-face time. Especially if you are a remote team and don't have many opportunities to see each other. This way you introduce a new way of working together and break up the routine. Online hackathons on the other hand might be easier to handle if your team is scattered around the world and bringing them all together in one place seems too much of a hassle.
In-person hackathons need a venue - a place where there are open spaces but also private spaces where teams can gather and work together. You'll need catering and accommodation - hackathons usually last up to 48 hours and people will need to eat and maybe even sleep for a few hours.
Online hackathons can take place from wherever your team is. But, you will need a dedicated solution for communication and collaboration between teams, judges and mentors. You'll need to think about how the participants will submit their ideas and how it will be easy for you to manage after. How will the team formation work? The best practice is to use software which is designed to make things smooth for you. With Eventornado you can do all of that and more.
What will be the prize?
Hackathons usually have attractive prizes that drive people to participate. In a company hackathon, a prize should also not be overlooked, because that's a good way to give extra motivation for your team and create positive competition between your employees. It can be a physical prize, money or perhaps a trip to the Caribbean. Think about what would excite your teams the most.
Launch your first hackathon with Eventornado
If you think you have it all figured out and are ready to launch your hackathon then book yourself in for a free demo of Eventornado to see how easy the planning process can be!
We help all our hackathon organisers get as prepared as possible for their event so that rather than wasting time on all the repetitive tasks and planning processes, they can focus on building an engaging community and hosting an amazing hackathon.
Want to read more articles? Check out our library of blog posts and guides where you’ll find lots of useful insights and tips for first-time hackathon organisers.
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