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. Therefore, we present to you, this: the Nerd Nite Cyprus Speaker FAQ.

What is Nerd Nite?

Nerd Nite is a 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 unofficial tag line is “It’s like the Discovery Channel – with beer!” There are Nerd Nites around the world, Cyprus is just one of them. Take a gander at http://nerdnite.com for more info.

What isn’t Nerd Nite?

There are lots of nerdy lecture events happening on this planet. They are fantastic, and we are big fans. But most of these events tend to be family-friendly, sober, and very accessible to a general audience. Nothing wrong with that, but we’re different. A good Nerd Nite presentation should violate at least one of those, preferably more.

What is the Nerd Nite format?

Nerd Nite begins with one of the co-bosses “warming up the crowd” (or more realistically: showcasing his stage fright to the attending nerd audience). Then we have three presentations, each separated by a 10-20 minute interlude of music or obligatory beer refills (as you probably know: the brain needs to stay hydrated to work properly!), and with a very brief intro given by a Nerd Nite co-boss. We typically have the first presenter be borderline comedic, the second presenter be more technical, and the third presenter from leftfield.

Who are these Nerd Nite co-bosses?

In Cyprus, Nerd Nite is organized by Danijel Ilisin. Lern more about him on our about page.

His contact info is: phone => +357-97605441, email => .

Where and when is Nerd Nite?

Our current home is the Dusty Munky in Limassol (check here). It is a monthly event, weekdays are still tbd. Doors open at 18:30, show starts at 19:00. Typically done by 22ish.

What do I get to do as a presenter?

Pretty much anything. From PowerPoint to rap, we’ve seen it. We give you a stage, an audience, some booze, and any audio/visual support you need. You provide the nerdy awesome. The parameters are:

* 18-21 minutes of presentation time

* ~5-10 minutes of Q&A

We highly recommend that you use our laptop (MacBook, Sequoia 15.5) for presenting since all the technical kinks have been worked out. We even have a back-up laptop, just in case. PowerPoint and Keynote are supported (you can also make a PDF, but we haven’t gotten it to work with the wireless remote). You are welcome to use your own laptop if you wish, but you should arrive early to do a tech check-in (see “Oh, @#&$%, I’m going on stage TODAY, what should I know?” below) and make sure we have the right cables and whatnot.

What advice do you have for presenters?

Have fun. Seriously. 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 – see Radiolab.org for inspiration. And to get REALLY inspired, why not, watch videos of those who have gone before you? Feel stumped? Talk to the co-bosses, we’re here for you.

What do I, the presenter, need to do besides present?

4 weeks before the event, send us a brief and funny:

* Topic title

* Teaser Summary

* Bio

The topic title, teaser summary, and bio will go into our PR materials and appear on event websites, Facebook, newspapers, etc. We need these FOUR WEEKS before the actual Nerd Nite event. Take a gander at the event archives at http://cyprus.nerdnite.com for examples.

At some point, please send us a copy of your presentation as a back-up (yes, we learned this the hard way – a file had been corrupted just before the presentation, and this is why we now have back-ups).

You should also give us a small guest list for your significant other, mom/dad, etc. Also, your cellphone number. Also, also, let us know if you have any issues with us using photos or video of your presentation in our promotions. If you are talking about your work, make sure you aren’t violating your NDA!

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 tbd pm. If you’ve already sent us your presentation and you are using our laptop, and don’t have special a/v or prop needs, then you can safely arrive at 18:30, a half-hour before we open. If not, you should get there at tbd pm so we have time to go get a new adapter cable, recover a corrupted file, buy some software you forgot to tell us you needed, or any number of other things that can and have gone wrong…

Upon your arrival, seek out one of the co-bosses and we’ll show you the green room, hook you up with water and drink tickets, walk the stage, show you how to use the laptop remote, laser pointer, satellite link, VR interface – whatever it takes!

There will be at least tbd people in the audience. This would be a bad time to realize that public speaking terrifies you. Do not, I repeat, do not imagine the audience to be naked or in their underwear – they will retaliate similarly.

During your presentation, one of the co-bosses will hang out at the foot of the stage and will give you dirty looks and impatiently wave their finger if you are running over your allotted time. It really, really helps if you remember to actually look down at the co-boss so you receive the message, and we aren’t just standing there, flailing about stupidly.

You can contact Dan at +357-97605441 / . If, heaven forbid, there is an emergency and you can’t make it, let us know ASAP and we’ll scramble to get a replacement speaker.

Anything else?

We are here to help! Proofreading, joke testing, image hunting, whatever. The co-bosses are here to help you deliver an awesome show so don’t hesitate to contact us.

Ok… after reading all this … do you STILL want to present? 🙂

Awesome. Then please fill out the following form and let us know about your presentation idea/topic. We will get back to you Ay-Ess-Ay-Pee!

<coming soon>