VS Code Dev Days is a community-driven event created by Microsoft developers for the broader developer community. The goal is to foster learning, collaboration, and innovation around Visual Studio Code and GitHub Copilot.
As an organizer and community leader, you play a crucial role in making this initiative a success. Your leadership helps bring people together, encourages knowledge sharing, and creates an inclusive environment where everyone can grow and contribute.
To assist you in organizing your event, we've created a practical checklist covering the key aspects to consider when planning. This guide is designed to help you run a successful technical event, ensuring nothing important is overlooked.
- Connect with partners in your community to assist with event organization and support. This includes roles such as check-in, main host, timekeeping, and content delivery (speakers, facilitators, and proctors).
- Establish the date and time for the event (including 15 extra minutes at the start for adjustments).
- Find an appropriate venue (Connect with your network to find a company, co-working or university to host the event). As the event is hands-on, ensure the venue has enough space for participants to work comfortably.
- Verify the venue capacity (our recommendation is to have at least 30 participants).
- Check the infrastructure (tables, chairs, stable Wi-Fi, projector or large display, microphone for larger spaces).
- Confirm the ease of access (public transportation, parking). This information is important for participants and you should include it in your registration page.
- You are open to find sponsorship to offer food and drinks (water, coffee, snacks).
Tip
You can include the logos of space, food, and swag partners on the registration page and event promotional materials. This highlights sponsors and partners, and helps strengthen future collaborations.
In our agenda, we have planned 2 sessions and 1 workshop. This means you should engage partners from your community to help deliver these activities.
- Identify and invite speakers to lead the presentations.
- Recruit facilitators and proctors to run the workshops and support hands-on learning. A proctor is someone who can assist participants during practical activities.
- Share the content resources with all speakers, facilitators and proctors, so they are well-prepared.
- Prepare a backup plan in case a speaker or facilitator is unable to attend.
Here is a reminder of the agenda:
| # | Topic | Duration | Description | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Essential Techniques for GitHub Copilot in VS Code | 30–45 minutes | Get started using GitHub Copilot in VS Code. | 📁 Content folder |
| 02 | Community Session | 30–45 minutes | Session delivered by a community member. Content is flexible but should focus on autonomous AI. | Chosen by community |
| 03 | Workshop | 60 minutes | Develop skills with VS Code and GitHub Copilot. | 📁 Check our labs available |
Your event name should follow this format: VS Code Dev Day [City Name]. For example, if your event is in São Paulo, use: VS Code Dev Day São Paulo.
This makes it easy to identify your event as part of our global initiative.
- Create an event registration page with detailed event information. Here is an example: registration-page-draft.
- Check with your venue which information they need to allow access and include this information in your registration form (i.e. name, email, experience level with GitHub, etc).
- Use our templates to create banners for your event page and social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.). You can find all available templates in the marketing folder.
It’s important that your registration page includes the event description, content agenda, date, time, location, banner, and event name following the global initiative’s standard. This ensures consistency and helps participants easily find all the necessary information.
Tip
How do I create my registration page?
You can create your event registration page using platforms such as meetup.com, lu.ma, or any other platform you already use to organize your events. Choose the option that best fits your community’s needs!
Note
We recommend including an event code of conduct. This helps create a welcoming and respectful environment for all participants, ensuring that everyone feels comfortable and valued during the event. You can visit the Microsoft Reactor Code of Conduct and the Open Source Guide.
- Send reminders and prerequisites to registered participants.
- Confirm the attendance of registered participants a few days before the event.
Tip
For example, if your event is on Saturday, you can send a reminder email on Wednesday and a follow-up email on Friday. This will help ensure that participants are well-prepared and have all the necessary information.
- Arrive early to set up the venue (arrange tables, equipment, materials).
- Test equipment (Wi-Fi, projector, microphones, etc).
- Distribute badges (if necessary).
- Manage the time of presentations and activities.
- Coordinate breaks or icebreakers to keep participants engaged.
- Thank facilitators and participants for their contribution.
- Collect feedback from participants about their experience.
- Conduct a debrief with the organizing team to discuss what went well and what could be improved.
- We kindly ask you to share a feedback about the content and GitHub Copilot experience during the workshop, including challenges, suggestions for more labs, and any other feedback you may have. This will help us improve the content for future events.