What to expect at MeasureCamp Auckland 2026: the vibe, the board, and how to pitch a session

If you’ve never been to an “unconference” before, MeasureCamp can sound a bit mysterious from the outside: no published agenda, no list of speakers, nothing to browse before you arrive.

Here’s what actually happens on the day, based on how MeasureCamp runs in cities all over the world, so you know exactly what you’re walking into.

The vibe

MeasureCamp isn’t a typical conference. A few things set the tone:

It’s free, and it’s on a weekend, which means we attract diehards. We know the people who show up are people who actually want to be there.

We have a few core principles we stick by. One of them is share, don’t sell. The event is just about people who work with data talking honestly about what’s working and what isn’t, and finding ways to do it all smarter, together.

Participation is expected. Sessions can be speaker sessions, they often turn into a circle of people talking rather than one person presenting to a room, and questions start early. Nobody’s precious about slides.

We also have a “rule of two feet”. If you want to go to multiple sessions, or a session isn’t giving you what you hoped, you’re free to quietly get up and try another one. Nobody takes it personally. It keeps every room full of people who actually want to be there.

How the day actually runs

Registration and breakfast. Doors open in the morning (10-10.30). Grab a name badge, something to eat, and coffee.

The board opens. A few people from our organising committee do a short welcome, explain how the day works, and then everyone will meet in front of a large blank scheduling board. The time slots are on one side, the rooms across, and the content will be completely empty. In the next 20 minutes or so, people write their sessions down on session cards.

Sessions run in blocks throughout the day, usually 25 minutes each + 5 minutes of walking/break time in between, with breaks for lunch and afternoon tea built in so you’ll have plenty of time to catch up with your friends/new friends/colleagues.

There will be prizes. While we appreciate all of our amazing speakers, we like to add a few rewards. People vote on their favourite speaker from the day. This year we’re offering a one-night stay for 2 with a free breakfast to the speaker with the most votes, thanks to our gold sponsor Sudima Hotel. So if you’re on the fence about speaking this year, that might sway you.

What’s a “session card”?

It’s simpler than it sounds: a small card where you write your topic, your name, and roughly what format it’ll be: a talk, a discussion, a workshop, or just “I have a question and want to talk it through with other people.” You pin it to the board in an open room/time slot, and that’s it: you’re speaking at MeasureCamp. Some people fill a card out at home the night before with a topic they’ve been wanting to talk about. Most people write theirs on the day, sometimes on the spot, after a conversation over breakfast sparks an idea. In one of the previous years, the best speaker was creating his slides at lunchtime.

How to sign up as a speaker

There’s no application, no submission form, no pitch to organisers weeks in advance. You show up, you write a card, you stick it on the board.

You don’t need slides. You don’t need to be an expert. Sessions range from polished talks people have given before, to a genuine “here’s a problem I’m stuck on at work, can we workshop it”. If you’ve got a question you can’t find a good answer to, that’s a valid session on its own. We’ve had quizzes, workshop discussions, I’ve been in a “venting session” or few before.

The only real ask across MeasureCamp events everywhere: keep it about sharing and discussion, not a sales pitch for your product or agency.

What kind of topics come up

Because the board is filled by whoever shows up, the topics reflect whatever the local data and analytics community is actually thinking about that year. Past MeasureCamps (London, Berlin, Chicago and others) have covered things like:

• Where AI actually fits in marketing and analytics work right now, separate from the hype
• GA4, GTM, and the practical quirks of the tools everyone uses day to day
• Marketing measurement
• Dashboards and reporting people actually look at (versus ones that get built and ignored)
• Data storytelling: turning numbers into something a stakeholder will act on
• CRO and experimentation
• Data quality, privacy, and the ethics of data collection
• Career conversations, how people got into data, what they wish they’d known
• Genuinely unexpected ones: one MeasureCamp had a session on writing songs about data

Expect a mix of hands-on technical sessions and open discussions, some aimed at beginners and some at people who’ve been doing this for fifteen years. Nobody will assume you already know the jargon.

If it’s your first time

Come with a couple of things you’re curious about rather than a fixed plan. The board will surprise you anyway. Ask questions early; that’s how these sessions are meant to work. And if you’re on the fence about pitching a session yourself: give it a go. A good question, honestly asked, is a session.

MeasureCamp Auckland 19th September at Sudima Hotel. Free to attend — register here: [LINK]

Sources on the MeasureCamp format, drawn from MeasureCamp chapters worldwide and attendee write-ups:

• MeasureCamp Berlin — What Does The Day Look Like?
• MeasureCamp London — So how does this actually work?
• MeasureCamp London — Ten Ways an Unconference is Different
• MeasureCamp VIII — What We Learned (UK Government Digital Service)
• What I Learned at MeasureCamp Chicago (Data Storyteller)