[PASSED] Budget Request for the Gitcoin EthCC Activation

🧙 🧙‍♀️ Ideas and Open Discussion
1

Introduction

As part of the Ecosystem Collective’s mission to steward Gitcoin’s brand, we are excited to announce our plans for an exciting and engaging EthCC activation. This proposal outlines the budget for the activation, including expenses for events, merchandise, and travel.

This proposal aims to be in line with our 2024 IRL Events Plan.

Events

Below is our scheduled events for the week:

July 10th - Schelling Point Sessions: Grants Program Design

  • 250 pax event @ Jardin Brussels (half-day event)
  • More details coming soon

TBC - Grants Program Manager Appreciation Event

  • The purpose of this event is a follow up to our Grants Program manager day we ran in Denver
  • We’re hoping to continue to create opportunities to bring together the program manager community to connect, socialize, learn, and grow together
  • It is highly unlikely that we will need the entire requested budget for this event, but we did want to create maximum flexibility so that we can create a great experience for this group of people that we are keen to connect with and learn from
  • Venue TBD (evening event)

TBC - Evening event with values-aligned partners

  • Details for this event are still unconfirmed
  • We are in conversation with several other potential partner orgs who would cohost the event and share costs
  • In the case we cannot find any values-and-objectives-aligned orgs to partner with us, we will not run this event and return earmarked funds to the treasury
  • The idea here would be to work with partners who have reach outside of our usual audiences to position Gitcoin at the center or grants-and-capital-allocation-related conversations, in line with the Ecosystem Collective’s OKR to “Position Gitcoin as the source of truth for web3 grants”
  • Like with all our events, we aim to be prudent with the use of funds, trying to maximize the impact of an event and minimize costs, with all extra funds being returned to the treasury

Total Budget

The total budget for the EthCC activation is ~$41,000 (€37,600.00). This number is subject to foreign exchange rates.

Budget Breakdown

General

  • Travel reimbursements for the team managing and contributing to these events: €10,000

Schelling Point

  • Venue Rental: €8,700
  • Taxes / VAT: €2,000
  • Food & bev: €1,900
  • Merch total: €6250
  • AV Equipment: €1,750
  • Photographer: €1,000

Grants Program Manager event

  • Venue rental + food & bev (based on costs of similar EthDenver event): €3,000

Evening event

  • Venue rental + food & bev (based on costs of similar EthDenver event): €3,000

Total expenditure = €37,600.00 / approximately $41,000

Sponsorships

There are several conversations happening around sponsorships. Should there be any additional funds raised from sponsorships, those funds will go directly to offsetting these costs.

Return of Funds

It is likely that most of these event costs will come under what has been budgeted. The last thing we want is to have a bill that is higher than what has been request, so many of these estimates have been rounded up, with the expectations of creating wiggle room in our budget for unforeseen expenses (which tends to be an inevitability when running events).

The team is also 100% committed to being prudent with any spend, only using the DAO’s treasury for mission critical items.

Any leftover funds from the activation budget will be returned to the Gitcoin treasury.

Voting Options

If the vote is successful, funds will be sent to the Ecosystem Collective multisig.

  • Yes, fund the full EthCC activation for $41,000
  • No, do not fund the full EthCC activation for $41,000
  • Abstain
6 Likes
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I think it would be helpful to resurface the objectives outlined in the 2024 IRL events plan to make this request more clear and compelling (+ so we don’t have to double click – good UX :+1: )

I’m aware of the Schelling Point Sessions plan but what is the scope of the other two events? I understand that you’re requesting budget for July so details may still be in the works but I think it would help to include as much as you can.

Also, just a note on merch costs, I know we’re planning something that we don’t feel at liberty to share publicly atm, so I will note here that the cost is higher than usual for a specific activation we have planned. Any steward is welcome to DM myself or @CoachJonathan for more details if that specific line item is curious.

4 Likes
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Thanks for the comments, @Viriya.

  • I’ve gone ahead and added the IRL Events plan link
  • The scope of the other two events are tough to determine since they are highly partner dependent - that said I put more flavour into the proposal to capture some more ideas
  • Thank you for the merch call out! These costs are actually quite in line with our Denver costs and yes, I’m reluctant to reveal too many details since this is a very special activation and everyone attending our Schelling Point event will get their own piece of this merch
3 Likes
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Thanks for the clear breakdown and proposal. This is really helpful.

In the events plan that you linked (which was really helpful by the way!) it calls out objectives for each of the events. Do we have thoughts on how we might measure the success or ROI on these events? I recognize that often these events are about driving narrative, the vibes and then also just general connection with others in the ecosystem. Is there a way we can tryt o measure the outcomes more though (ie, partner conversations had, number of new ecosystems using Grants Stack as a result of the event, etc.)

I am supportive either way, would just love to see more tracking of outcomes.

3 Likes
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Thanks for the suggestion. I’d love to get better at reporting on events and PR, for sure.

Here’s a bunch of ways we can assess our ROI for events:

1. Audience Targeting:

  • Metrics: Measure audience engagement (e.g. registration v attendance numbers) and demographic data.
  • ROI Indicator: Increase in registrations and attendance from the targeted audience segments compared to previous events or benchmarks.

2. Venue/Location Selection:

  • Metrics: Track venue reputation and attendee feedback.
  • ROI Indicator: Higher attendee satisfaction scores, increased engagement with attendees, and positive post-event feedback.

3. Content Quality:

  • Metrics: Assess internal and external feedback on content relevance with post-event surveys.
  • ROI Indicator: Higher session ratings, increased engagement during breakouts or panels, and positive sentiment in post-event surveys.

4. Speaker Selection:

  • Metrics: Evaluate speaker profiles, session attendance, and post-session feedback.
  • ROI Indicator: Get an internal gauge on the relevance or alignment with our “Gitcoin = Grants = Growth” mantra.

5. Media Engagement:

  • Metrics: Monitor media coverage, social media mentions, and journalist attendance.
  • ROI Indicator: Increased media mentions, positive media sentiment, and expanded reach through media channels.

6. Partner Value Creation:

  • Metrics: Track partner satisfaction, leads generated, and post-event sponsor feedback.
  • ROI Indicator: Higher sponsor satisfaction scores, increased lead generation for sponsors, and positive post-event sponsor testimonials.

7. Holistic Success Measurement:

  • Metrics: Analyze various KPIs such as leads generated, press coverage, and event-specific goals.
  • ROI Indicator: Achieving or surpassing set KPIs, balanced costs against objectives, and demonstrating value creation for stakeholders.

8. Overall ROI Calculation:

  • Calculate the overall ROI by comparing the total event costs against the tangible and intangible benefits derived from the event, such as increased brand visibility, lead generation, and stakeholder satisfaction.

As there is quite a bit there, with a mix of internal and external feedback to be captured, I may tag in @Sov, @meglister, @Viriya and @CoachJonathan to ask specifically what we’d like to represent in our feedback form based on the above.

6

Hey @kyle I appreciate the question and the 2nd look at how exactly we’re measuring success.

With Allo GMV in mind, I think there are core metrics that we’ll measure and secondary metrics to further help us sensemake.

Core Metrics

Leads/Opps created

  • We’ll work directly with the sales team to determine the number of opps created & closed specifically originating from event interactions
  • This has been difficult in the past since GMV is a lagging indicator
  • That said I’m confident we can make some inferences to make ROI more evident
  • Introductions in Denver had a close rate of 30% to date.

NPS Score & Brand Sentiment Analysis

  • In past events we have been unsuccessful at measuring these
  • At EthCC, we will introduce incentives (ex: merch, POAPs, etc.) that reward survey participants for helping us gain insights into how our brand is being perceived in the wider Web3
  • Our goal will be to have a minimum 30 participants at our Schelling Point event

Secondary Metrics

Attendance & attendance rate

  • Though this is a vanity metric (esp. because Schelling Points are generally very well attended), we’ll be tracking this against # of registrations
  • We are also planning to charge a nominal fee for tickets (the first time we are doing this with Schelling Point) and will monitor the impact this has on registrations and attendance rate

Aside from the above metrics, we are thrilled to be closing in on key partnerships that will help offset the costs of this event. Right now we have verbal commitments from the Tally team and Celo (so exciting!).

1 Like
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This is a small budget compared to what most teams spend on events.

It would be great to have the merch be earned (engagement farming), sold (in crypto), or passport gated (dogfooding). If sold this can add to the local matching pool (if a local QF round is happening).

Consider using something like Showup Protocol - Contact Wesley for more info and integration support

These are kinda esoteric ROI metrics imo. Everyone gets free food, drinks and merch. It will be 10s across the board on surveys that usually get low completion rates. Something like leads : conversion comparison with 2023 results could be a more tangible ROI measurement. Is there a place to see what 2023 leads : conversion resulted in?

EthCC also coincides with Onchain Summer. Coinbase, Base and Coinbase wallet are emphasizing IRL activations. This could be a great opportunity to further strengthen that relationship. They have runbooks for their base cafe concept. Their financial and marketing support could take this event to the next level. I’m sure this will encourage lots of people from those camps to pull up. Onchain Summer might have been the best executed and most impactful marketing campaign of 2023, jump on for the ride.

I will use the full might of my 6.9 GTC to vote in favor for this budget request.

7 Likes
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Thanks for all your feedback, I just want to focus on this for the moment – I’ve been trying to get in touch with the Coinbase team via their PR agency. If you had a warm intro to make that would be AMAZING, although if not I’ll keep rattling their door.

2 Likes
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I can help here. DM me on TG please.

2 Likes
10

I am supportive of this proposal and appreciate the work this team is doing to participate in events that grow mindshare and awareness for our work.

1 Like
11

This proposal has gathered sufficient support from the community. @quaylawn would you like to move this proposal to snapshot?

1 Like
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Yes, please move this over to Snapshot. Thank you!

1 Like
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The Snapshot vote is not live

1 Like
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This snapshot has closed and option to “Yes, fund everything for $41000” has won.

Metrics:
1990 unique wallets voted
~4.9M GTC tokens cast.

Thank you to the author for the proposal and to all the GTC token delegates who cast their vote.

1 Like
15

Hello all, here is a recap of what ended up happening at EthCC[7]. The Ecosystem Collective oversaw the [BLANK] Canvas event run in partnership with Tally.

If you’d like to take a look at what the Gitcoiners were up to for the week in Brussels, here is the communications hub that was used: https://gitcoin.notion.site/EthCC-7-Communications-Hub-5a6595726cd04bdd96e237642f0f0a4b?pvs=74.

TL;DR

  • Original request = $41,000
  • Total sponsorship from Tally = $20,000
  • Total cost to Gitcoin = €14,176 ($15,376)

Qualitatively, I can only speak to [BLANK] Canvas, which ran quite smoothly and was reasonably well attended. Despite the concerns about too many competing side events, I was pleased with the turnout and saw that the majority of the breakout sessions had plenty of people participating.

Unfortunately, our feedback form wasn’t so engaging. We received only three responses, however, I did collect feedback onsite from certain breakout leads. The main point was the breakout sessions weren’t long enough. Other than that, I didn’t hear any grave concerns so I’m proud of what we did.

As is common knowledge now, the Ecosystem Collective is winding down. As such, and to put it frankly, the reporting has been lacklustre. But here goes…

Social Media Engagement

I don’t have access to the dashboards, so I will tag in Rohit for this. Would be great to know how we did on Twitter, LinkedIn and Farcaster.

I have already shared the footage and the images from the event via Discord, but am unsure who will have capacity to make use of these materials going forward. In any case, here are the links:

What I did do is share these links with our partners from the event, so perhaps they make use of them in our stead.

Leads/Opps created

Here are some of the wins achieved relating to our EthCC attendance:

  • Pre-event, we drew attention to the Grants Canvas and hyped GG21, featuring alongside Tally. The placements below provided artifacts that could easily serve as reference points during any business development conversation:
  • Onsite, a number of speaking opportunities were secured:
    • Two speaking opps at the EthCC main event: A template was provided to the Gitcoin team to expedite applications ahead of time. As a result, @CoachJonathan and @owocki made it onto the docket. I also joined the speaker roster and discussed harm reduction as a public good, representing ETHDublin while referencing Gitcoin frequently.
    • At the [BLANK] Canvas event, we managed to attract speakers from the Filecoin Foundation, the Ethereum Support Program, Endaoment and many other high profile partners. This created an environment where aligned thinkers could network while also reflecting very positively on Gitcoin’s highly curated event.
  • Post, I have handed over details of a potential editorial partnership with a top tier web3 focused outlet to @jehanav.

Of the 3 respondents to the event feedback survey, all three said ‘yes’ to ‘Would you be willing to speak with a member of our team about your experience setting up your grants program?’. More feedback may roll in, as I’ve shared this form with our partners from the day.

I have no further insight into any serendipitous leads or opps created onsite, so will defer to @jehanav & @daniel-ospina to provide updates.

NPS Score & Brand Sentiment Analysis

  • On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our EthCC event on Grants Program Design to a colleague or friend in the blockchain and grants ecosystem?
    • 66.7% said 8/10
    • 33.3% said 7/10
  • Do you feel more prepared to manage your own grants program after attending this event?
    • 66.7% said “Yes, somewhat more prepared.”
    • 33.3% said Neutral, no significant change
  • How likely are you to use Gitcoin’s grants tools to set up your program?
    • 50% said 5/5, very likely
    • 50% said 3/5, somewhat likely

Attendance & attendance rate

  • We had a total of 210 guests registered as ‘Going’. On the day, only 64 were checked in. The discrepancy can be explained by check-in issues with Luma, so I approximate there were 100 guests throughout the day.
  • The Luma event page received 416 views on the day of the event, July 8th.
  • We received three 5 star ratings in the Luma event feedback survey, separate to our own form, with one citing ‘The best host and food!’.

Additional unforeseen costs

The Grants Lab team added some printing costs closer to the day of the event. I will defer to @CoachJonathan & @jehanav for details here.

Missed Opportunities

I haven’t seen this pop up in any recaps, which isn’t to say assuredly that i’s not a done thing, but hopefully it can become a staple for improving on future events.

  • RefractionDAO – I broached a conversation with their team in November and was surprised that we were unable to formalise a working relationship in that time.
  • Regen Village – this was one of the major highlights for many people that were in Brussels. Personally, I thought it was really well put together and it is regrettable Gitcoin wasn’t more involved. Hopefully the regen crew can adopt Schelling Point.
  • How to DAO – Gitcoin could have been more involved and more present in front of a highly relevant audience.
  • Crowdmuse – we had an opportunity to use grantee tech to activate in a meaningful way at EthCC and we pushed it back indefinitely.

Sponsorships and Cost offsetting

Following our Denver activation, we reached out to Tally to brochure a partnership for EthCC. We offered them a sponsorship package of $20,000 USDC, which they gladfully accepted. I am very pleased with the support they provided and would recommend continuing with them on event partnerships.

Any leftover funds from the activation budget will be returned to the Gitcoin treasury by @CoachJonathan.