The Schedule Grid is the visual depiction of all of the time-slots in all of the spaces in which participants can present. Each participant who wants to present will write their name and the name of their presentation onto a sticky note and place it in the slot indicating when and in what space they want to give their presentation. New presentations can be added as long as there are open slots.

Creating The Grid

To make a schedule grid:

1. Place each presentation location on one axis (if you have 3 rooms where people can present, there are 3 rows in that axis. If there are 5 rooms, 5 rows). Then count up the total number of presentation slots there will be, remembering to include time for the Opening and Closing EssentialCommunications (each 20 minutes long, the same length as a presentation slot) and to leave an hour for lunch.
2. So if Opening Coms starts at 10:00 am and Closing Coms start at 6:00 pm, and there is an hour from 1:00 till 2:00 pm taken away for lunch, then you will have 20 slots on this axis. (That's 8 whole hours between 10:00 and 6:00, take away 1 hour for lunch leaves 7 hours. There are three 20 minute slots in an hour, so that's 7 x 3 = 21 slots, minus one slot for the 20 minutes Opening Coms took you).
3. Once you know how many rows and columns you make, you can draw this grid out on paper or make it by putting lines of masking tape on a wall.
4. The Schedule Grid needs to be in an area that can take high traffic, so don't put it in a place that has to be quiet or is hard access. Since it's so high traffic, it's also a really good place to put information such as event twitter hashtags or what the wireless network is called.

Examples of Completed Schedule Grids

A completed schedule grid may look something like these.

Here is one from KinkForAllNewYorkCity2.

Here is the Schedule Grid from KinkForAllWashingtonDC. Note that no paper was used; the grid lines are merely tape, and the grid headings are marked with different-colored sticky notes.

Here is the completed Schedule Grid for KinkForAllBoston. Note that it's a pushpin board with sticky notes on it.

See also: Venue.