Scaling DevTools Running Events with Matt Carey from AI Demo Days
20 snips
Oct 3, 2025 
Matt Carey, the brains behind AI Demo Days, discusses his journey organizing developer events in London and San Francisco. He dives into the real costs of event logistics and emphasizes the importance of community-driven formats. With spicy opinions on hackathons, he debates their ROI and critiques immature sponsored tools. Matt reveals how great branding and curation elevate events, sharing anecdotes of unexpected logistical challenges. He also highlights the unique benefits of hosting at big tech venues and argues why community-supported events often outshine company-owned ones.
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The No-Chairs Venue Story
- A venue mix-up at Cahir meant the office had almost no usable chairs, forcing Matt to inspect the space by bike.
- Last-minute venue misunderstandings are common and require hands-on troubleshooting.
Hackathons Help Attendees, Not Always Sponsors
- Hackathons benefit attendees by teaching fast building and pitching skills but rarely suit company ROI.
- They create great personal outcomes but often misalign with corporate objectives and costs.
Prefer Short Events Over Expensive Hackathons
- Avoid large day-or-weekend hackathons unless you can afford high venue and operational costs.
- Prefer short evening hackathons to concentrate budget on participant rewards and reduce logistics overhead.