I guess you're right.  Special events of this scale have to charge a
least $10 per head, plus sponsorship, just to cover space and
liability costs.

I guess what I'm aiming for is more neighborhood-based meetings, maybe
held in homes, churches, or libraries.  I'll be trying to organize
some myself with some neighborhood kids.  But once you start down that
road, you start to think: Why do I have to re-invent this?  Isn't
there some kind of organization I can hook up with that has already
done the leg work, that I can just join in and participate?

Maybe in true Maker spirit, I just have to make the group myself.  I
just wonder if it could be done better if some broader organization
existed for this type of activity.

Curtis

On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 2:00 PM, Scott Dier <scott at dier.name> wrote:
> If it weren't tied to that space they could hold it somewhere else like a
> convention center or hall on one of the college campuses, but even
> non-profit stuff I've gone to still charges about $10 a person in these
> kinds of spaces, and still has to get sponsorship to make it even.  The SMM
> space is superior to a lecture hall or common space on campus, IMO, too.
> Space (and insurance) isn't cheap, sadly.
>
> On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 1:48 PM, Curtis Griesel <cwgriesel at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> First, I'd love to make it to SMM on Saturday to see these "Make"
>> experts display their stuff.  But I can't really justify the $60 for 4
>> hours of entertainment that this would give my wife and 3 kids -- $47
>> for tickets, $10 for parking, and some change for snacks.  "Make" is
>> supposed to be about doing free stuff yourself.  Something about
>> paying $60 to watch someone else do it seems to be a little misguided.
>
> --
> Scott Dier <scott at dier.name>
>