Congratulations on having the smarts, fortitude, and/or lack of foresight to join the growing ranks of Nerd Nite speakers! Yea, you too shall soon know the sweet taste of free booze and the adoration of a nerdy crowd. But before that happens, there is a bunch of stuff you should know.
What is Nerd Nite?
Nerd Nite is a bi-monthly lecture event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. It’s often about science or technology, but by no means is it limited to such topics. And it’s definitely entertaining. Our worldwide unofficial tag line is “It’s like the Discovery Channel – with beer!” There are Nerd Nites around the world, and San Diego is just one of them. The chillest one.
What isn’t Nerd Nite?
There are lots of nerdy lecture events in San Diego. They are lovely, but these other events tend to be sober, accessible to a general audience, and run by The Man. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, but we’re different. A good Nerd Nite presentation should violate at least one of those, and preferably more.
What is the Nerd Nite format?
Nerd Nite generally opens doors a half hour before presentations begin, so attendees can start rolling in, eating, and drinking. The Nite begins with the bosses greeting the crowd, giving shoutouts, etc. Then we have three presentations, with a 20 minute break in between, trivia, and prizes.
Who is the Nerd Nite San Diego Boss?
Your NNSD Bosses are Zed and Melissa.
Where and when is Nerd Nite?
Our current home is Kensington Club at 4079 Adams Ave. It is held every other month, with special events popping up here and there. Doors are typically at 6:30pm and the show rolls 7 to 9:30pm-ish.
What do I get to do as a presenter?
Pretty much anything. From PowerPoint to opera and swordfighting, we’ve seen it. We give you a stage, an audience, some booze, and the audio/visual support you need. You provide the nerdy awesome. The parameters are:
* 25 minutes of presentation time
* informal questions during a break
We ask that you share your slides ahead of the event for smooth transition between speakers. Please let us know if you have any special requirement ahead of time, and if you’re going to be using audio / video.
What advice do you have for presenters?
Have fun. Get tipsy – it’s on us!
Be funny and entertaining. While this is an educational event, it’s also about entertainment. Steer clear of show-and-tell. Be creative. Don’t take your subject or yourself too seriously!
We are huge fans of Radiolab for making complex topics accessible without dumbing them down – check it out for inspiration. Drunk History would make a fine Nerd Nite, though we’d prefer not to have any vomiting. And not least, watch YouTube videos of those who have gone before you! Feel stumped? Talk to your Nerd Nite SD Bosses. We are here for you.
What do I, the presenter, need to do besides present?
Six weeks before the event, send a brief and funny:
* Topic title
* Teaser Summary
* Bio
* Photo (of you/your topic/your bearded dragon/whatever you want the crowd to see first)
The topic title, teaser summary, bio, and photo will go into our PR materials and appear on event websites, Facebook, Twitter, etc. We need these as soon as possible! Take a gander at the event archives at http://nerdnite.com for examples.
At some point, please send us a copy of your presentation.
Lastly, promote, promote, promote! We’ll do our part, but any evangelism you can do is appreciated.
Oh, @#&$%, I’m going on stage TODAY, what should I know?
Tech check-in is at 5:30 pm. This will give us time to quickly go through your presentation and make sure there aren’t any kinks.
Anything else?
We are here to help! Proofreading, joke testing, image hunting, whatever. I am here to help you deliver an awesome show so don’t hesitate to contact me at