OrganisersMeetingMinutes20170420

Attendees:

• Steve S
• Alex L
• Chris H
• Guy F
• Sean G
• Jen F
• Patrick F
• Jackie P

Steve gives the intro about keeping short, regular meetings.

Review of/actions from last meeting (review list and new actions from the meeting should be raised as issues straight away rather than minuted-and-then-raised-afterwards)

Not many people here were in the last meeting, so we're leaving this for today. (We couldn't find the previous minutes and hadn't prepared. We'll check for the next meeting.)

Financials

• Currently running even, although we've had a slight reduction in permanent deskers, who hasn't been replaced yet.
• Most of our income comes from permanent deskers, followed by workshop users and regular users.
• DoES now gets small business rates relief from this year.
• Sean is on a crusade to increase usage of the space.
• We're seeing pressure from pure co-working spaces as there are now more in the city, and DoES really needs to decide on and publicise it's USP.
• Guy talks about he only found DoES almost by accident, asks about the options of a "visit DoES day"/"open day".
• Discussion about how the website should very clear about DoES's offering, and
• Guy offered to find some options for re-theming the website.
• The suggestion is raised that the social media/website/public facing areas should be more coherent.
• We've agreed that we will look at the website as being more forward facing, and Guy (and Lu) and Steve will make those updates coordinated by Steve.
• DoES currently has 15 different event groups each month, which several people in the meeting (and in new users outside) are not very aware of.
• Guy to have a talk with Sean afterwards about some of the possibilities of how training events might work.
• Alex points out how moneysavingexpert has been very successful with having a very clear funding policy, and that this might then be a benefit for DoES.

Recent Events

Maker Faire

• Knitic and Made invaders are very popular.
• There is a cost of attendance, which can put people off.
• Although the minibus hire did help.
• JR mentioned at the event that it might be possible to get a DoES discount for a hotel, and will look into the options for next year.
• December 2017 would be a good time to revisit this.
• More display items (which we might get from LpoolMakeFest) and some explanation boards would help.
• Should DoES add another group project for 2018? - Jen will lead this to start after LpoolMakeFest.

Upcoming Events

Make Fest

• LpoolMakeFest will be taking over the library this year (72 tables) and are full.
• Some Children in Need funding with I Heart Tech to do some tech outreach with kids from the area.
• Big Women in Tech area at the front of the library.
• Jackie is the DoES lead, and DoES has 4 spaces across the event (volunteer positions available).
• What does DoES want from attending MakeFest?
  • Profile raising
  • Wearables (and other groups)
  • Workshop
  • Need to consolidate the message that DoES is presenting to prospective users.
• Sean to lead the promotion choices (including the web-direction from above). This might include an A5 flyer design in time MakeFest.

Building Move

• DoES has become more focused on the move, and we have a good idea of the space and cost requirements available to us.
• It is important for DoES that we stay in the city centre, although we are looking wider — and have a location map to work to.
• This means DoES's target is to move in the next 6 months — and the move group is working more, and meeting frequently to keep this on track.
• DoES is now looking harder at finding places, including talking to the council to find out about empty buildings.

AOB

• Alex asks about if there is any contents cover to items that DoES users have in the space. Sean will have a look at our current cover, and advise if DoES users will need to cover that themselves.
• Guy asked about if there was a better way of on-boarding new visitors
  • this links in with the stagnated handbook project.
  • Sean has this on his list of things to look at,
  • and Guy offered if he can help with this.

Confirm time & date of next meeting

• Steve says we're not going to do this now.