While you can’t plan every detail before the event, it really helps to form a team in advance. My first hackathon team included people I knew from the SNDevs Slack but had never worked with before, as well as former coworkers. By chatting in the weeks leading up to the event, we got to know each other’s strengths, figure out more or less who would handle what, coordinate schedules, and brainstorm ideas. By Tuesday night, we were excited, united, and ready to go.