Many people like to attend conferences, but how many get a chance to see what happens behind the scenes? In this talk, aestetix will cover the fundamentals of what anyone should know to create and maintain a successful event, including promotion, establishing and building reputation, and, if it's a recurring event, how to keep it running without going stale. He'll draw from lessons learned in the electronic music community, his experience working with the HOPE conference in New York City, as well as his own Noisebridge creation, "Five Minutes of Fame," a loose San Francisco flavored adaptation of "Lightning Talks."