[HH] Fwd: Cambridge Mini Maker Faire

[Kurt Keville]

This has been a pretty good venue for us to show off our projects in 
the past... my vote is for sticking with the CSF... send Chris a note 
if you have any other suggestions...



>Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:45:26 -0500
>Subject: Cambridge Mini Maker Faire
>From: Chris Connors <connors934 at gmail.com>
>To: maker-faire-boston-exhibitors at googlegroups.com
>
>Hello Makers!
>
>The new year finds the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire at a crossroads. 
>You might be seeing this on several lists, sorry 'bout that.
>
>When we started the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire, back in the early 
>days of 2010, there wasn't much precedent for the event or how to 
>run one. In the first year, I got the request to organize the 
>Cambridge Mini Maker Faire, and a few weeks later it was done. We 
>got lots of great exposure to interesting people, fascinating 
>projects, and showed off to a pleasantly unsuspecting public.
>
>Our host, the Cambridge Science Festival gave us a date, tents, 
>chairs, publicity, and a crowd of several thousand. They do have 
>some restrictions: no commercial sales, no soldering, and they're 
>kind of picky about safety. Make gives us a larger organization of 
>events to align with, and we have gotten great publicity for 
>participants. Many of the people who exhibited for the first time at 
>the Cambridge Mini Maker Faire have gone on to present at other 
>minis and full Maker Faires in Detroit, San Francisco and New York. 
>It appears to me that this experience has been influential for 
>several people's careers.
>
>In more recent times, there have been some changes. Mini Maker 
>Faires are a much more established institution. There have been 
>hundreds worldwide, and several within a couple of hours drive from 
>the Boston area. In the Fall, many of us had a lot of fun at the 
>Somerville Mini Maker Faire, sponsored by the amazing 
><http://artisansasylum.com/>Artisans Asylum. There are new licensing 
>deals and fees as the Mini Maker Faire organization becomes more official.
>
>In the next week, there is a deadline for the print materials of the 
>Cambridge Science Festival.  Before making the commitment, it makes 
>sense to get a feel for people's interest.
>
>What I am asking you is for some input on the continuation of 
>Cambridge Mini Maker Faire. There are several things that could happen:
>    * We could participate in this year's Science Festival Carnival, 
> (which will be on Saturday, April 13th this year). If we do this, 
> we would need to have more of a collaborative planning process with 
> a group approach. I would suggest that we consider doing much more 
> hands-on activities, like what Parts and Crafts and DuckyBoats did 
> last year. We could also look into having a stage setup for 
> presentations, but with a short 4 hour window, this might be challenging.
>    * We could seek out other venues. This is more complicated, as 
> we would need to find our own tents, chairs, electricity, and 
> crowd, all of which can be done, but probably not until the summer.
>    * We could enjoy all the newer events that have popped up in the 
> time since the first Cambridge Mini Maker Faire in 2010.
>If you are interested in a combination of items 1 and 2 above, 
>please get in contact with me, or use the Google Group to voice your 
>ideas on making an engaging community experience. Google Group: 
><https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!forum/maker-faire-boston-exhibitors>https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!forum/maker-faire-boston-exhibitors 
>There is also a page on Facebook: 
><https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambridge-Mini-Maker-Faire/239495696136994>https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambridge-Mini-Maker-Faire/239495696136994
>
>In the next few days, I will need enough yes votes and ideas on 
>development to make sure there's interest before green lighting this 
>year's Cambridge Mini Maker Faire.
>
>Thanks!
>Chris Connors
><mailto:connors934 at gmail.com>connors934 at gmail.com