Notes on Python Sheffield @ Electric Works

[Andrew Richards]

Our first meeting @ Electric Works (EW) last night, I thought it'd be helpful
to make a few notes so we can iron out some of the creases in future - please
add your own comments & suggestions, and apologies if this is somewhat
overkill,

*Finding & entering EW*
Having someone (thank you Gary) out front to guide puzzled attendees towards
the back door was very handy. Probably worth putting up a small notice on the
door once the meeting has started (text this number to get let in etc), since
we had no way of spotting latecomers to let them in (Sorry if you arrived
after 6:50pm and didn't get in as a result - was there anyone?).
The EW venue depends on someone working at EW being present, but we have 4
members who do, so that shouldn't present a problem (I'll aim to formalise
this a bit more).
I think EW was well received as a venue(?), a bit funkier than the
Workstation.

*The meeting room*
...proved a bit tricky to nab: EW membership means EW members can use meeting
rooms, but so can any other EW members. Last night there was something else
going on meaning the meeting rooms were hot property. This could be an issue
in the future, although I'd expect there to be no problem most months.
Solution: Plan for possible non-availability of meeting rooms. There's plenty
of meeting space in the 'open' area of EW, so it won't stop a meeting, but may
make presentations a bit tricky re. AV facilities.
For coding evenings, the 'open' area is probably preferable anyway. Note - may
need to bring along a couple of multi-socket extension leads for coding
sessions.

*AV (projector / monitor / whatever)*
This worked reasonably well. We needed to supply our own VGA lead & some old
PC speakers managed sound well enough. Were the meeting room unavailable, the
telly in the 'open' area may have been a possibility (I need to clarify this
with reception); I also have a 4:3 18.5" monitor available - not great, but a
possible last resort (?) (Thinks: Any WANdisco folk - what would your
management think if you carted down your [presumably larger] desk monitor as a
last resort option?)

I'm probably missing key heading(s), issues or observations above, please add
them...

cheers,

Andrew.

[Daley Chetwynd]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your feedback. I thought that Tuesday's meeting at Electricworks worked well. It's a nice venue with good facilities.

The meeting room is smaller than the one we use at Electricworks. Over the last year our meeting attendance has dropped down to about 8 people each month, which would be sufficient for the Electricworks room, but if we can return to our original attendance of around 15 each month, then the Electricworks room from Tuesday may be too small. The audio and video were both good and I'm sure we can bring along an AV cable and speakers each month (if needed). We would need an arrangement to ensure that at least one Electricworks member is available each meeting to let us all in. Is there a room booking system at Electricworks to reserve meeting rooms ahead of time?

The West Yorks Python group used to have a similar problem when they met at Old Broadcasting House in Leeds. The organiser Peter would supply his mobile number on the mailing list and request that anyone turning up late call him to come and open the door. I'd be happy to provide my number for a similar arrangement at Electricworks meetings.

I'd be happy to try using Electricworks for 3-6 months and then assess at the end of that period whether we feel it works as a meeting venue. The Workstation is only paid for until the end of June, so we'd need to switch venues soon anyway.

What are other people's thoughts on Electricworks as a venue?

Thanks,

Daley

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Python Sheffield" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to python-sheffie...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

[Thomas Kluyver]

I liked the atmosphere, although the room size is a bit awkward - I think someone mentioned there's a big lecture theatre type room, but nothing between that and the small meeting room we used. Bonus points, though, for getting people working in the building interested in coming to the meeting.

Thomas