Re:A lot of stuff can go wrong (Score 1)

I would imagine that you and your friend(s) have practical experience with the technical side of things, not to mention an invaluable resource in the /. community. But I would also imagine that planning what amounts to a conference is an area that is outside your usual scope of expertise. You may want to consider engaging someone to handle all the non-technical details. A real event planner is probably out of your budget, but someone just getting started in the field might do it just for the experience. Perhaps one of your friends has the makings of an event planner? Do you know anyone who could plan the invasion of Normandy and not break a sweat? That's who you're looking for.

If you need to do it all yourself, I suggest a book on event planning http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471644129/ 002-0704409-4435217. It may seem the examples are more posh than what you have in mind, but the underlying principles hold for any type of event.