I’ve organized several large conferences for client companies over the years – so I can provide you with some advice along the way.

And if you want me as a speaker (for free), then consider it a date ;)
M

The venue and the date are by far the most important.

And #10 is the easiest. One of the guys with The Franchise – http://cdbaby.com/cd/thefranchise2 – is a close friend.

Regarding the payment of speakers: Once the website is being developed, consider adding a section where potential speakers might provide background on themselves and what they intend to speak about. That way you’ll choose the speakers you find relevant (no pun intended) to your focus. As for payment, remember that simply by being there it benefits them, since they’ll be able to promote themselves, their blog, their business, their books, etc. Waive any registration fees, but other than that, travel and hotel are considered a cost of doing business, they should cover that. If down the road the event turns out to be profitable, (expect it to lose money at first) you might consider sharing a percentage of the profits based upon attendee feedback or attendance at their session, whatever.

Also, watch out for sponsors wanting to speak or sit on panels: That’s a good way to quickly appear to be a shill for your sponsors. This is your conference, not theirs!

As for facilitators: There are companies who do these things for a living, but I’m not sure that’s the way you want to go. If you can’t do it yourself, you might consider factoring in the cost of hiring a local personal assistant (maybe a college kid you trust) to come up with possible venues, etc. and handle the minutia, but keep the big decisions for yourself!

Finally, talk to the DC/Baltimore area Tourism Bureaus. They’ll ask for your requirements and send out requests for proposals to all of their local area hotels. They’ll also connect you with local businesses and restaurants who’ll offer you and your attendees deals on food, shopping, events, etc.

I’m so glad you’ve decided to go forward with this!

Then, do exactly as you’re doing and involve your own loyal (and already invested) readership in organizing the actual thing. Make this web 2.0 conference actually participatory and explorative in all aspects.

I’ll buy the first ticket for $100 and help plan.

BTW I love how bloggers get tired of waiting for the event they want to see and say ’screw it, I’ll do it myself!’