Venue Selection

Intro

For an XM build event to happen, a venue must be secured. For a 3D printer workshop, nonindustrial space such as a large meeting room, auditorium, hackerspace, or event hall would work. For industrial machines, a workshop, hangar, outdoor space, or an industrial space will do.

Some good ways to secure a venue are to partner with someone who already has space, or outright pay for space rental. A public library or another space that offers free meeting space would work.

The key is having enough space for at least 12 teams, with a large table per team.

Once a venue is secured, this information goes into the event announcement. So it is important to secure a venue early on for publicity reasons.

OSE Strengths

• As a nonprofit organization, OSE has access to nonprofit resources including free meeting space
• Many venues offer free space to nonprofits
• Relevance of OSE work to community development

Questions

• Can we find a public library or a university that offers free admission to participants, as well as paid admission to those who sign up?

Due Diligence

• List local universities, and secure space at their Craft Center, Student Union, or other public venue
• Identify student groups related to Open Source (OSH/OSS), Programming, and Engineering for Good
• Location Research
• Cold Email
• Cold Phone Call

Protocol

1. Identify personal contacts via email and social media contacts and OSEmail
2. Reach out to personal contacts to secure space
3. Obtain free space by leveraging 501c3 and free admission to the public
4. Public can also buy kits as a separate option