HOW TO FIND A FREE VENUE FOR YOUR EVENT

When you’re running a non-business event, finding a free venue is a challenge. We’re using Toronto as the example but the ideas apply elsewhere too.

You’d think you could get free space at taxpayer-funded locations like libraries or community centres. Unfortunately, the nice ones often charge user fees. In Toronto, nonprofit and charitable groups can get free space if sponsored by a city councillor.

If your group doesn’t qualify, you can meet at a coffee shop but you’re not guaranteed seating. Some locations are large or have a separate room. Just don’t count on getting a whiteboard, privacy or silence.

You might get space in a restaurant or bar if your group makes minimum purchases. I was once invited to debate in a semi-private restaurant room on a slow evening. The attendance was great (50+) but there was a party at tables nearby and we didn’t have microphones. Good for the restaurant. Not so good for us.

Corporate Space

You might be able to get free space at an ING DIRECT Cafe (might change now that Scotiabank bought them).

“The Thompson Block as well as the ING DIRECT Café space are available at no charge to community groups for public meetings and events every day of the week.”

What if you’re not a community group? What if you want to hold regular meetings?

Nontraditional Ideas

Can you meet in the evening? There’s lots of space in cafeterias and food courts outside of lunch time. I wouldn’t pick the mall food court but a nonprofit like a university, college or hospital may work. If they’re large, they are likely relatively quiet.

Maybe you can commandeer a study room or lecture hall at a university or college. Again, evenings are best. Unless they check ID or have overzealous security, this might work. Advertising the location may be a problem. The gathering group could attract questions.

If you don’t want to be a trespasser, the safer option is to pay for reserved space. You don’t need to ask for permission. You’ve got a guaranteed spot.

Affordable

If you’re part of a real nonprofit, you may be able to get lower rates. For instance, the Toronto Public Library rents rooms starting at

• $20.40/hour for nonprofit groups
• $122.40/hour for commercial use

If you’re an insider or can connect with insiders, you might get lower rates (or even free space). For instance, the University of Toronto rents rooms starting at

• $8/hour for internal groups including audio-visual equipment (seats 80)
• $26/hour for external groups plus audio visual equipment (seats 25)

Ryerson University has a history of hosting many free community-based events like Podcamp Toronto. However, their normal rates look pricey (minimum half-day plus setup fee).

Example

I’ve been looking for a proper spot for a campus for Krypton Community College (see a genuine innovation in free lifelong education). Here “proper” means a room with tables, a whiteboard and a door.

Overall, the University of Toronto looks like the best place after work. The classrooms are affordable (under $10 a week based on 10 attendees). There’s subway access (north/south and west/east lines). Parking is plentiful and relatively cheap. The environment feels right. There’s lots of space outside the room. Perfect.

Picking the right venue helps attract the right people. Maybe they're the ones willing to pay for the room?

Links

• Make your presentation better than a TED Talk
• Five presentation lessons from Seth Godin
• Add webinars to your marketing mix
• Three permanent fears for presenters
• Are your events free or pay at the door?
• Eventbrite: how to organize events like Harvard and IBM

PS Do you know of amazing free or low cost venues?

HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT PERSON (OR NOT HIRE THE WRONG PERSON)

The hiring process consumes vast resources — especially attention. Yet you can't tell if you're hiring the right person. Sorry.

As the divorce rates show, we’re not great at picking a mate either. We’re easy to fool.

Public Face or Private Place?

Candidates construct a facade and provide references from well-meaning sources who cannot be objective. As the mutual fund fineprint says, past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Yet the past get used to imply a future at least as bright. Your biases get in the way too.

Malcolm Gladwell says we learn more in minutes in a private place (not meant to be seen) than from months examining a public face (meant to be seen). Employers can’t examine bedrooms but there is a substitute.

What’s more private than your thoughts?

Granted, we self-censor what we communicate but hints of the truth peek through as the quantity grows. Online content forms a digital tapestry that’s quick and easy to examine.

Then Now and Then

You're hiring today for an unpredictable future. On 9/10, you can't tell how a candidate will perform on your equivalent of 9/11 and 9/12.

Given the right (or wrong) circumstances, great candidates flounder while the lousy-but-lucky flourish. As with politicians, we can't tell who's who until afterwards. Deciding is tough.

I've hired badly and have seen too many bad hires. The basic experience, credentials, skills and fit were in place. The ability to adapt was not.

When hiring people who work remotely (say in sales), you can't see them regularly and their self-reporting is biased. There's always a big opportunity on the way ... and explanations for what went wrong due to circumstances which could not be controlled. It's easier to dismiss poor performance than dismiss a poor hire (Entrepreneur, mistake #4).

Signs To Mind

When hiring, look for proof of

• continual learning: Meeting mandatory continuing education requirements isn’t enough. Also look at additional learning such as reading, workshops or courses (e.g., free at Coursera, EdX and Seth Godin’s new Krypton Community College).
• applying the learning: The real proof of learning is the ability to apply the lessons, ideally in new ways (e.g., Netflix studies piracy sites to decide what to buy).

The "Free Prize"

When the hiring process identifies more than one candidate who can do the basic work well, how to decide? As with an Android phone, the extras make the difference (ease of use with Moto X vs better specs with Samsung). As books and movies show, it's difficult to identify who will matter later. Gollum would fail the interview process but make a better guide than Google Maps or Mordor.

When you hire wrong, the big cost comes from the opportunities lost. Those we can’t quantify until we're able to run simulations in parallel universes.

Links

• We’re easy to fool (with examples)
• The WRAP on Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath
• The true cost of hiring a bad employee (The Undercover Recruiter, Jul 2013)
• The unexpectedly high cost of a bad hire (LinkedIn, Jul 2013)
• So much for qualifications: employers hire the people they like (Time, Dec 2012)
• Avoid these harmful hiring mistakes (Forbes, June 2013)
• Top 10 hiring mistakes business owners make (Inc)
• Four hiring mistakes entrepreneurs make (Entrepreneur, Sep 2013)
• Three proactive ways to boost your credibility
• Mitch Joel’s 8 steps to getting a job today
• Building trust before meeting in person
• image courtesy of e-pyton

PS There’s also the risk of losing your great hires (see ceo.com)