Maker Faires are great coming-together celebrations of the maker movement so when a new one comes on the radar I want to be supportive and share what I know. In addition to bringing the latest Maker Faire to SoCal, Vocademy is both a new makerspace and a new variation on maker education. Package the promise of all this into one visit and I’m there!
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Always a joy, this ninth Bay Area Maker Faire was no different. This year was actually more enjoyable than last year becausd there was more room in the otherwise packed San Mateo Fairgrounds. Aisles had been widened by deliberately accepting fewer exhibitors and the result was greater comfort and more visitors, perhaps as many as 140,000!
We had quite the contingent from San Diego. All the usual suspects were there but in addition we had more institutional interest. I had the pleasure of being guide for representatives from Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. We also saw Qualcomm there with a large booth which was gratifying since they were our Premier Sponsor. All this was of course in addition to my speaking, writing and stage management responsibilities.
Fun … but exhausting!
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San Diego’s first Maker Faire turned out to be the 15th largest in 2013. Most of this success was attributable to the latent interest in the event and the large community just waiting for the opportunity to attend. However, we were successful in a few ways which were uncommon and I was asked to present those in a speech entitled Corporations, Institutions and Mini Maker Faires.
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Molly and Gui stage a wonderful workshop for those wanting to start a makerspace. It’s based on their amazing experience with Artisans Asylum and it’s called “How to Make a Makerspace“. This makerspace went from less than 2,000 sq ft to over 40,000 sq ft in three years; the rise was meteoric! Had they not been good business people then they’d have failed but they are good, they chronicled their grew, and they share their learnings.
So why is this a post on my blog? Because I’m the sideshow, there to lend perspective of a more normal sort. I’ve been to over 100 makerspaces and I co-founded one called Nova Labs in Reston, VA. Most attendees will not have the Artisans Asylum experience and I’m there to to provide balance, realistic counterweight. It’s a bit part but it’s important.
Gui and Molly have a story and a lesson that’s incredible; I’m the credible sideshow.
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For two years we ran the Hardware Innovation Workshop in the Bay Area and New York, both just before Maker Faire. Our focus was on the emerging niche of Maker Pros, makers who matured a hardware product and wanted to go to market. Since then many emerging niches have surfaced so to recognize and embrace this we recast HIW as MakerCon.
While the name has changed and the focus has broadened, our core mission has remained the same. We want to be the pre-Maker Faire forum where leaders can interact. Each year we plan to shine a light on the important emerging themes of the maker movement, invite a myriad of experts to present, and provide ample opportunity to meet, interact with, and begin collaborations with people of like minds.
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